The Suns today worked out four players:

• Gavin Edwards, 6' 9", PF, UConn
• Landry Fields, 6' 7", SF, Stanford
• Mac Koshwal, 6' 10", PF, Depaul
• Marquis Gilstrap, 6' 7", SF/PF, Iowa State

Of those, the standouts were Fields and Koshwal, who Steve Kerr talked about (see below).

Mac Koshwal, 6' 10", PF, Depaul

Long, powerful forward with nice handle and face up game. Still raw in the post. Rebounds well.

Steve Kerr talking about Koshwal - June 22, 2010

Mac just goes hard, every single play. I think I first saw him play about two years ago against UCLA, he seemed to get every single rebound. He never stops, he never quits. He's very raw offensively but he's super athletic and bouncy and competes every possession.

He's got a similar game (to Lou Amundson). He'll create extra possessions and get on the floor and bring the type of energy that lifts a team up coming off the bench.

NBA Draft.net says

Strengths: Physical specimen type of interior force … A powerful post player with unusual face up ability … An excellent rebounder (10.1 per game) who uses his size, length (huge wingspan), strength and speed well to be a menace on the boards … At his best when crashing the glass or taking bigger opponents away from the basket and then using his foot speed and ball handling ability to blow by them … Extremely adept at offensive rebounding (nearly 4 offensive rpg) …

Weaknesses: Has the size and strength to do damage in the paint, but seems too enamored with facing the basket and has never bothered to truly polish his post skills … Doesn’t do a good job of posting up and creating a base for guards to feed him inside. Instead allows weaker forwards to root him away from the basket and often starts his offensive situations further from the basket than necessary … Should really be able to advance this area of his game with such physical strength and quickness … Shows flashes of his considerable talent but struggles to truly put it all together and be a consistent force …

Gavin Edwards, 6' 9", PF, UConn

A local kid from Gilbert, Gavin isn't making too many waves.

Draft Express says:

Gavin Edwards struggled during his three games here, looking physically overmatched in the post on both offense and defense, while coasting through the game at times, not showing to be the most active or tough-minded player around. He did show some promise with his mid-range jump shot, not a surprise given his solid 78% FT% on the season, but he struggled putting the ball in the basket in other ones, be it posting up or just finishing around the rim.

Marquis Gilstrap, 6' 7", SF/PF, Iowa State

Tough, aggressive, athletic and raw.

NBAdraft.net says

Strengths: A strong and athletic wing player who is physically ready for the next level … He has a nice mix of tools that he brings to the game, and he is able to contribute in a variety of ways … A lanky player with a good build, he can get to the basket and use his body to finish plays ... He shows a decent first step, and can get to the basket using jabs out of the triple threat ... As a jump shooter, his form is pretty good and he is a capable threat from beyond the arc ... He is very good from midrange, where he has a well balanced pull up, shooting it with good elevation and rhythm ... As a rebounder, he is extremely effective, because he can use his physicality and athleticism to go get the ball ... Has the ability to block shots ...

Weaknesses: Can do a number of things well, but doesn't have one area that he is great at ... His perimeter game lacks polish, and he is not very effective attacking off the dribble ... He is a fairly inconsistent shooter, needing to get into a rhythm before he can make shots ... He is not the smoothest player when attacking the basket, needing an extra step to gather himself before exploding

 

Landry Fields, 6' 7", SF, Stanford

Athletic, long, smart, versatile.

Steve Kerr talking about Fields - June 22, 2010

Landry's a good player. Versatile. Does a lot of things out on the floor, always seems to be in the mix. Got a little bit of Jared Dudley in him in  terms of taking charges and making plays and creating extra possessions and he's a pretty talented offensive player too, averaged 22 points a game at Standford. Rebounds well. Very nice player.

He's a bright kid. Obviously, you don't get into Stanford unless you're a pretty smart kid so he's very aware and understands the game well. We saw him a lot in college being out here in the Pac-10 we saw him quite a bit.

Draft Express says:

Fields has blossomed into a major mismatch threat at the college level due to his big wingspan, solid athleticism, and ability to play both inside and outside. However, standing just 6-7 and falling a bit between positions, Fields still has a lot to prove to NBA scouts regarding his pro potential.

Displaying a solid first step, nice ball-handling ability, and a knack for using his length and smarts effectively to get his shot off over defenders, Fields is a tough cover for small forwards, let alone the occasional four-man that steps out to defend him. Able to attack the basket and finish with either hand, he looks equally comfortable driving after facing up in the mid-post or operating from the perimeter. Using jabs and jump-stops very effectively, displaying a nice floater, and showing toughness and creativity around the rim, Fields does an excellent job of creating scoring chances on the interior as his outstanding 8.6 free-throw attempts per-contest indicate.

Aside from his ability to put points on the board, Fields impacts the game in a number of other ways. A capable passer and rebounder, Fields displays a good basketball IQ, and while he’s not looking to make passes when he puts the ball on the floor, he shows good court vision and will hit the open cutter and deliver crisp passes back out to the perimeter when defenders collapse to deny his penetration.

Defensively, Fields successfully uses his length to make an impact in the passing lanes and contest shots. Displaying active hands and a good effort level overall, Fields ranks amongst the top-20 players in steals per-game in our database. Though he doesn’t have outstanding lateral quickness, he doesn’t get beat off the dribble too often on the NCAA level, and shows good discipline forcing his defender to drive into help and pursuing the ball aggressively off the rim after shots go up.

While this may be quite a few months late, I was brought on mid-season and immediately started putting my focus toward the slumping (and then resurgent) Suns. I know all of you were wondering just what it is I do with my life when I'm not throwing up articles with lame pop culture references and questionable attempts at humor, so hopefully you can forgive me for my tardiness.

The story begins after the jump...

May as well kick things off from the beginning. I am 23 years old (born June 4th, 1987) in Phoenix, even though I've lived in Tempe for my entire life. I grew up for a few months in an apartment maybe a mile from ASU campus, then moved just (barely) across town. Since then, I've lived essentially within the same square mile for my entire life, minus a 6 month stint in Chile. That 6 month stint did see me held at knife point, gun point, and I saw a car explode literally about 50 yards from my apartment...kinda crazy.

Anyway, let's get back to the point.

I've always been a fan of basketball, playing in a few YMCA leagues as a child. However, since baseball was what all my friends played, I played baseball until I was 15, even though I felt I was better at basketball. By that time, even though I wanted to go out for my high school team, it was too late. I had missed out on my chance to play organized basketball. However, my love didn't die with my inability to play with the much more talented players.

My mom was the sole basketball lover in the house for many years. I remember in '92, when I was the ripe old age of 5 years old, my mom would have Suns games on whenever they were on TV. Even at my young age, I remember the '93 run to the Finals like it was yesterday. I remember watching games, rooting on Barkley, wanting to be KJ, and wishing I could play like those guys did.

I'm also pretty sure I patented the Steve Nash ridiculous fallaway shot long before Nash did. Just sayin'.

In high school, while other friends were football players and basketball stars, I was a choir kid through and through. Music has been huge in my family, and has been a part of my life since I can remember. I started taking piano lessons at age 8 and didn't stop until I was 16. The first album I ever purchased by myself was Eve 6's self-titled LP when I was a mere 11 years old. The first song that got me into loving music was "Spiderwebs" by No Doubt, which my dad had me listen to while we were reading J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit.

I even attempted to try my hand at writing music, where I "self-released" a self-titled LP. The songs were typical, formulaic, and recorded using Audacity (a free recording program) and a shoddy microphone purchased from Radio Shack. But they were mine. No matter how painful it is for me to hear those songs now, they were who I was. I also play music in a comedy band called Hey Taxi, which is me and two of my best friends just having fun.

I've been in various choirs since my 4th grade year, so it is only fitting that my major be Choral Music Education, where I aim to be a music educator when I "grow up". I'd like to teach at the high school level, go back to school and get my doctorate, and finish off my career at the collegiate level.

And now, since I'm not sure what else to say, I'll throw up a "FAQ" section.

Who is your favorite Phoenix Suns player of all time?

I'm going to have to go with a tie between Kevin Johnson and Steve Nash. Kevin Johnson was just a straight baller, and Nash is what made me fall back in love with basketball. Both were/are true competitors, and both rise above the stigmas so often associated with professional athletes.

How did you get started with blogging?

Well, I've been a member of this site since the start of the 2008-09 season, even though I read the content for the season prior to that. I started out just commenting on various stories and game threads, and then I started posting my own FanPosts. I then emailed Seth and asked if there was any way I could do a couple game previews or recaps, and the rest is history.

I actually keep two other blogs that I update myself. One is titled a[chord]ing to trevor. and the other is Thoughts of a Twenty-Something Mind. The first is a music blog that hasn't been updated since July of 2008 where I did reviews of bands that were currently piquing my interest, interviews with local bands, and talking about whatever I felt like. The other is a more typical "blog"-like blog, where I talk about thoughts I have, and attempt to make them sound good. Or something.

Who is your favorite band?

This question is nearly impossible to answer. I will say that Jimmy Eat World, Weezer, and Dashboard Confessional turned me onto the music I now love, and I will always hold a place in my heart for those bands. Nostalgia usually always wins out in the "favorite band" contest.

What other instruments do you play aside from piano?

Aside from taking piano lessons for somewhere around 9 years, I've played the guitar since I was 17. I can also play a little ukulele, some bass guitar (mostly simple stuff). I also played the saxophone for 2 years, but I quit that in 6th grade because I hated the band director. I can also keep a steady, simple beat on drums.

What else do you do aside from write, listen to music and go to school?

I work for the ARC of Tempe, a recreation center for adults with developmental disabilities. It's basically a big hang out spot, but we do activities to help teach life skills, improve social skills, and overall enrich the lives of the participants involved. I'm incredibly blessed to be able to share my life with these people, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

That's about all I can think of, and if you have any other questions, just hit it up in the comments section. I'd love to hear 'em.

With the recent dismantling of the Phoenix Suns front office, there hasn’t been much time to focus on the draft, which is now less than 48 hours away. The Suns aren’t expected to add any...

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Welcome to ValleyoftheSuns 2.0. With 2009-10 now safely in the books and the Suns set to embark on what promises to be a wild offseason beginning with Thursday’s draft and next week’s...

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This was the least impressive group the Suns have had in yet. One can only assume the Suns are looking for the proverbial diamond in the rough with the 46th and/or 60th pick.

But at least the Suns keep with the nepotism theme and work out a familiar name.

• Deon Thompson, 6' 8", PF, North Carolina
• Latavious Williams, 6' 8", PF, D-League
• Reggie Delk, 6' 4", SG, Louisville
• Nic Wise, 5' 10", PG, Arizona
• Kyle Gibson, 6' 5", SG, Louisiana Tech
• Michael Roll UCLA, 6' 5", UCLA

Deon Thompson, 6' 8", PF, North Carolina

Another athletic rebounding type of raw power forward. This one seems underwhelming.

Draft Express says:

Mostly a back to the basket post-up guy at this tournament, as he was at North Carolina, Thompson showed many of the same things he did throughout his college career here- looking fairly skilled on one hand with some of the moves he’s able to execute (turnaround jumpers, one dribble pull-ups), but also having a difficult time passing out of double teams and forcing the issue on occasion.

He didn’t show much of a face-up game either, at least not in terms of a jump-shot, something he’ll definitely need in order to successfully convert to the power forward position at the next level.

Thompson rebounded extremely well, particularly on the offensive end where his length comes in very handy, but was mostly a non-factor on the defensive end, as he often looked reluctant to box out his opponents, and lacked a bit of fire and toughness that you might expect from a player scrapping for his professional future.

All in all, this probably wasn’t the type of showing Thompson needed in order to make scouts forget about the underwhelming senior season he had at North Carolina, and may have sealed his fate as an undrafted prospect.

Latavious Williams, 6' 8", PF, D-League

L-Will made a little noise by skipping school to spend a year in the D-league where as a 20 year old, he was only behind Dwayne Jones in rebounding rate. He's a raw, athletic, physical player who has the potential to be a Lou Amundson-type in the NBA, but like Lou, will probably take a few more years to get there.

Draft Express says:

Other than the work Williams does on the offensive glass, running the floor in transition or on simple dives to the rim, he’s largely a limited offensive threat, rarely touching the ball in Tulsa’a half-court offense, and struggling badly to create his own shot when he does. Billed as a potential small forward by some of the high school recruiting services, Williams has spent most of his time at the power forward position, and has even seen some minutes at center. While he shows a nice first step, his ball-handling skills are weak, relegating him to straight-line drives and making it difficult for him to change directions with the ball or execute advanced moves.

He’s also not as good of a finisher as you might expect with his excellent physical tools, not appearing in tune with the nuances of knowing how to use his body to shield off defenders, initiate contact, draw fouls or use crafty moves in traffic.

Reggie Delk, 6' 4", SG, Louisville

Not much out there on Reginald "Reggie" Delk other than he is the nephew of former Sun Tony Delk. Tony once scored 53 points for the Suns and was traded to the Celtics for Joe Johnson.

Reggie as a senior averaged 6.5 ppg in about 21 minutes. He shot 42% from three. Seems like a stretch even with the 60th pick but then again, so was Taylor Griffin.

Nic Wise, 5' 10", PG, Arizona

That Nic got a look from the Suns must have something to do with the strong Wildcat ties. Right? He's undersized, is an average shooter and not a particularly good point guard.

Kyle Gibson, 6' 5", SG, Louisiana Tech

Not much out there about this guy either. He's a shooting guard who shot 32% from three. He's a senior. That's about it.

College stats here

Michael Roll UCLA, 6' 5", UCLA

See above (not much here either)

College stats here