Suns hopeful Nash will play Saturday

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  1. Dissonance19

    Dissonance19 Member

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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Aaron Nelson, the Suns head athletic trainer, said Friday guard Steve Nash's flu symptoms have improved, and the club is hopeful he'll be able to play Saturday night when the Milwaukee Bucks visit US Airways Center.

    "I talked to him about half an hour ago and he's doing much better," Nelson said. "His stomach is still a little uneasy, but he's not nauseous anymore. He isn't fluish anymore.

    "He's getting back to a more normal diet. He anticipates being here for shootaround tomorrow and hopefully going tomorrow night."


    The Suns also got good news from forward Shawn Marion, who was at practice Friday and had treatment on his right elbow and shoulder. Marion was able to shoot and said he's good to go.

    "It feels good, definitely," he said. Asked if he would play against the Bucks, Marion said, "Oh yeah."

    Coach Mike D'Antoni also was optimistic Marion will play.

    "It's game-day," he said of the decision. "I hope so. I hope I'm not whistling Dixie."


    On the mend
    One who didn't have it was Grant Hill. However, he did have appendicitis, and was at the arena Friday during practice after undergoing an emergency appendectomy Wednesday afternoon.

    "I feel better than I did when I was here the other day," he said. "Everything went well. I'm just waiting till I'm allowed to get back out there."

    Nelson said the timetable remains two to three weeks for Hill to return.

    "It's discouraging, but I try to look at things from the positive," Hill said. "I get a week or two weeks of a little break to get freshened up. We have the All-Star break coming up soon, so just get ready for the stretch run to the playoffs. I wanted to play in every game, you know, I just have to start a new streak."

    Hill said he thought he had food poisoning or a virus, but didn't have the symptoms other than abdominal pain.

    "It all kind of came about real fast," he said. "One minute you're fine, and the next minute you're in the ER waiting to have surgery."

    And he said the Suns are at least getting through everything at a good time.

    "It could happen in the playoffs, which would be a whole lot worse," he said. "It happens, and we just have to deal with that. Hopefully, we'll get most of the cavalry back (tonight)."


    Orange Cross
    D'Antoni said back spasms limited forward Boris Diaw in Utah, but he should be fine to play Saturday.

    And he said that even those who were healthy enough to play, still were fatigued from the bug.

    "LB (Leandro Barbosa) has a stomach problem that's not quite the flu. His first quarter (in Utah) was unbelievable, but he just ran out of whatever he had.

    "We just need to get untracked. We just need to make sure we take care of business (tonight), and then other than Grant, we'll be ready to go."

    Grant Hill also visited practice. While frustrated that he wasn't able to play every game this season as he hoped, he said he is progressing from his appendectomy.

    "I'll have to start another streak," he said.</div>
     

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