Suns notebook: Rehearsals coming to end for Suns

If the NBA preseason is designed to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season, the Suns have been shown a reasonable facsimile of what lies ahead.

If Steve Nash’s ankle cooperates, and if Raja Bell’s tummy is feeling better and Shaquille O’Neal isn’t too tired and if Matt Barnes’ sore wrist improves — all four sat out Tuesday’s 86-69 win over the Clippers — the Suns could have all their weapons available for Thursday night’s preseason finale with Oklahoma City at US Airways Center.

How often will that happen during the regular season? That’s anyone’s guess, but coach Terry Porter isn’t counting on a full boat very often — especially with an older roster that includes several players with a track record of requiring downtime.

“This is a long 82-game season, and I think the last two weeks are kind of a peek at the things you have to deal with,” Porter said. “Hopefully, we won’t have three or four guys out at one time, but to expect to have everyone all the time isn’t realistic.”

Porter has been very careful during this month. Grant Hill and Boris Diaw are the only two veterans to play each of the first seven games and once the starters hit their predetermined minute restrictions — even when Monday’s Charlotte-Phoenix game was stretched to double overtime — they are done for the night.

And while Porter said he has a hard time envisioning an everyday playing rotation of more than nine players, he knows he’s gong to need more reinforcements.

Several players who have shined at times during the preseason are currently on the outside looking in rotation-wise. But Porter has had a long look at big man Louis Amundson, swingman Alando Tucker and guards Robert Hite and Sean Singletary in the preseason, and feels good about the end of his bench and plugging them in when necessary.

With Nash missing the last week with a pair of minor ankle sprains — he said he wants to play tonight — rookie Goran Dragic has had the chance to play with different combinations and log long minutes as he begins the process of learning the league.

Dragic played 41 minutes in Monday’s marathon win over the Bobcats and came back to play 38 more the next night — collecting 10 points, seven rebounds and eight assists against the Clippers.

He played the entire third quarter and returned with 5:39 left, as the Suns closed the game on a 15-4 run.

“This has been a very valuable time for Goran,” Porter said.

“It’s been great for him to start, spend time with that starting unit and be on the floor for valuable minutes.”

FOUL WORRIES

Porter said he wants rookie center Robin Lopez to remain aggressive and establish a defense and shot-blocking presence inside, but the struggle adjusting to the NBA game continues. Lopez picked up three fouls in his first four minutes against Chris Kaman on Tuesday and fouled out after logging just 20 minutes against the Clippers — a continuing theme during the preseason.

“That’s OK,” Suns general manager Steve Kerr said. “We’re not expecting him to play 30 minutes a night. We just want him to have an impact and protect the paint when he’s out there.”

But the Suns’ big men do foul a lot. O’Neal and Amaré Stoudemire tied for second in the NBA last season with an average of 3.7 fouls a game.

Stoudemire has been charged with 589 fouls over the last two seasons — 18 more than any other player in the league over the same span.

Another concern in the preseason has been free throws — both ways.

While O’Neal’s struggles (10-for-24 in the preseason) are well-documented, the Suns as a team have missed 60 of 185 attempts (67.6 percent).

Meanwhile, opponents have shot 249 free throws in seven games (almost 36 a game) compared to 26 a game for the Suns.

THUNDER AT SUNS
What: NBA preseason game
When: 7 p.m. today
Where: US Airways Center
TV: None
Radio: KTAR (620 AM)