Suns' poor performance dragging down morale

Run rhymes with fun. And right now, the Suns aren’t doing or having much of either. A month ago, the Suns began the season with an impressive road win in San Antonio. They began the game by going inside to Shaquille O’Neal. When he went to the bench, they upped the tempo and kept the points coming

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And when the final stretch came, the Suns went back to the half-court and ran the pick-and-roll down the Spurs’ throats and won.

But the Suns haven’t played a game like that against a quality opponent since. The 10 turnovers they had was a season low. The fluidity between Steve Nash and Amaré Stoudemire has dissipated. O’Neal has gone from an effective augmentation to a life preserver — something the Suns can cling to for stability, but once removed, it leaves them dog-paddling for survival.

Friday’s wire-to-wire loss to a Miami team that lost by 40 points in Portland two nights earlier might not be the fairest measuring stick, given that Nash sat out with a thigh contusion and Leandro Barbosa, already behind due to extended absences, was playing the point for the first time since May.

But the individual plays on offense, the total absence of any help on defense and the emotionless effort for a nationally televised home game — games in which the Suns are now a “perfect” 0-4 this season — reveal a deeper problem.

The Suns aren’t just having problems running an offense and defense, they could be the most miserable 11-6 team in NBA history. Players are either worried about playing time and touches or fearing the effect those concerns are putting on the team.

Saturday’s practice was cut short so the team could take part in a unity-building activity, which could be the best tonic for a team that used to be light and tight.

“We have to make it fun,” said Nash, who skipped practice Saturday to rest his thigh contusion but expects to play tonight if the injury continues to improve. “We have to find the excitement in seeing each other succeed and worry about each other, and that will make us successful. We have to believe in each other, work for each other, and see our teammates succeed … then we’ll see a lot of improvement.”

Despite all the attention it has received during practice, the Suns aren’t playing good defense right now. Their up-tempo offense has been stuck in neutral, and even their new bread-and-butter — the inside game — was obliterated by the Heat with a few simple adjustments.

Can you address all the problem areas at once? Nash says yes, but only with the right karma.

“If we’re negative and down and not thinking about how much fun it is to play basketball together, all three (areas) will struggle,” Nash said. “I think there is a root to all three successes that we’re not addressing, individually or collectively. This is a great opportunity to come in and play with guys we like playing with. Guys are a little 'woe is me’ — we’re not having any fun, myself included.

“We have also been punctured a little bit by expectations. We need to worry about coming to work, having fun every day and building a team. If we do that, we’ll see a lot of improvement. Maybe (the struggles) can provoke us into improving.”

While the Lakers continue to disappear into the horizon with their 13-1 record, the Suns have managed to keep pace with the rest of the West while they cough and wheeze. But since beating the Spurs, a home win over a tired Detroit team and a two-game sweep of Portland stand as the only quality wins.

A victory tonight against a Nets team that hasn’t won in Phoenix in the past 14 tries won’t add to that résumé. But with a road trip to New Orleans and Dallas and a home game against Utah looming, they can get their minds right before hitting another difficult stretch.

BONUS SHOTS: Stoudemire missed practice with a calf strain and is questionable tonight. … After both Sean Singletary and Goran Dragic struggled Friday, coach Terry Porter said he’s not sure if he’ll use Barbosa more at the point in the future.

Nets at Suns

When: 6 p.m. today

Where: US Airways Center

Radio: KTAR (620 AM)

TV: FSN Arizona

Nets at Suns

History: Phoenix leads the overall series 38-30 and has won 14 of the last 19 meetings. The Nets have been helpless in Phoenix, losing 14 straight games at US Airways Center after winning in their first visit back in 1993. The two teams have already met once this season, with the Suns winning 114-86 in New Jersey on Nov. 4. Raja Bell was 6-for-6 from 3-point range and had 22 points to lead Phoenix, which shot 76.7 percent from the field in the first half. Seven players scored in double figures for the Suns, who led by as many as 31 points.

Nets notes: While Robin Lopez still rides the Suns bench the majority of the time, twin brother Brook is stepping up in New Jersey. After unseating Josh Boone (bruised ankle) as the starting center seven games ago, Brook is averaging 15.7 points and nine rebounds. The Nets need it because Boone has been sent home from this four-game road trip and could be out for an extended period. The Nets are fifth in the league in scoring at 100.5 points a game, but their defense has been shredded for 105.1 a night.

Suns notes: Coming off their worst effort of the season in an embarrassing loss to Miami on Friday, the Suns have some injury problems that could affect the game tonight. Steve Nash, who missed Friday’s game with a thigh contusion, didn’t practice Saturday, although he said he’s hoping to play. Amaré Stoudemire also missed practice with a sore calf; his status is up in the air. After committing 19 turnovers against the Heat, the Suns are now averaging an NBA-worst 16.64 per game.