G Steve Nash is under contract for three more years after signing a lucrative extension over the summer and remains the director of the Phoenix offense. He's happy that the team is going back to up-tempo basketball, that buddy Grant Hill was resigned, that the addition of Channing Frye will open up the passing lanes that were too often blocked by Shaquille O'Neal and that the team's karma should be better. But can he still hold up for a whole season playing 30-plus minutes a night?

G Jason Richardson could benefit more than any other player from the Suns' change in philosophy. He was at his best under Don Nelson's wide-open style in Golden State. Taking the first good shot down the floor will definitely agree with him. He will never be confused with a great defender, but he has to be better than last year against some of the league's top two-guards. If Phoenix decides they have to trade some offense for size and toughness, his salary would be one the Suns would like to move -- but it won't be easy.

F Amare Stoudemire appears to have side-stepped his second career-threatening injury in four years although rehabbing from detached retina surgery has limited his summer workout schedule and made the preseason more about re-acclimating himself to basketball and rediscovering his game. He is eligible to opt out for free agency at the end of the season, and the Suns want to make sure he's 100 percent before opening serious discussion of an extension.

F Grant Hill turned down more money from the Knicks for a chance to return to play with his friend Steve Nash and prove that last season -- when he played in all 82 games and was perhaps the MVP of the team -- was no fluke. Finally healthy and in tremendous shape, Hill figures to see plenty of court time and draw the tough defensive assignments in big guard/small forward territory. With Matt Barnes gone, there is only Jared Dudley if Hill falters, but the Suns feel he's going to be a rock of consistency, even at 37.

C Channing Frye is a 180-degree change from Shaquille O'Neal, and that was the whole point. He has been knocking down 17-foot jumpers as if they were lay-ups all during training camp and that will do wonders for the spacing of the offense. It will open the lane for the Steve Nash/Amare Stoudemire pick-and-roll to again become a staple of the Phoenix playbook. Defense and rebounding will take a hit with Frye in the lineup, but his ability to run the floor and spot up will give Phoenix another offensive weapon.

ANALYZING KEY RESERVES:

F Louis Amundson was a pleasant surprise for the Suns last year and should see an even bigger role with the team woefully shy of big men. Amundson worked hard to improve his free throw shooting and jump shots. If those areas improve enough for him not to be seen as a liability, Amundson could see more time at important junctures.

G Leandro Barbosa had a nightmare season on and off the floor. Two trips back to Brazil to be at the side of his dying mother cost him training camp and a portion of the early season. That made adjusting to Terry Porter's new system doubly difficult. But with Alvin Gentry in charge and a strong summer playing for his national team, Barbosa should be poised to resume his role as a big-time scoring threat off the bench who can be a catalyst for the second unit.

F Earl Clark has impressed the coaching staff with his known strong points -- defense and rebounding. He can guard small forwards, power forwards and even some centers, and those attributes will give him a shot at breaking into the rotation, even though his offense isn't ready for prime time. The shot looks good mechanically but is far from Channing Frye polished.

G Goran Dragic had a great summer of experience -- first with the Suns' summer league team in Las Vegas and then with his national team in the European Championships. He did come to camp with a sprained knee, but it hasn't been an issue in training camp, and he's gotten plenty of work with Steve Nash pacing himself. He's an improved player, but the question is whether he's improved enough to be a 15-minute-a-night understudy.

F Jared Dudley finished the season strong after he was unleashed from the bench by Alvin Gentry. He's a smart, likeable teammate who's willing to do the dirty work.

MEDICAL WATCH:

C Robin Lopez (fractured left foot) underwent surgery on Oct. 6 and had a screw inserted into the foot. He will miss 6-8 weeks (about the first dozen games of the regular season) and it will probably take him until December to get back into playing shape. The same foot has given Lopez problems in the past -- he had a plate and four screws inserted in 2004 for a fourth metatarsal fracture. This time, it was the fifth metatarsal that was fractured.