PHOENIX — Terry Porter is out as coach of the Phoenix Suns. The failed effort to tame the Suns' offense went out the door with him.
The sputtering Suns fired Porter just four months into his first season as Phoenix coach and replaced him with assistant coach Alvin Gentry. Gentry promptly promised a return to the style so successful under Porter's predecessor, Mike D'Antoni.
"We are who we are and I think we have to go back to trying to establish a breakneck pace like we've had in the past," Gentry said at a news conference Monday announcing his promotion.
Phoenix (28-23) lost five of eight going into the All-Star break and trails Utah by one game for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.
"We have enough talent that we should not be on the outside looking in right now," Gentry said.
The Suns' Grant Hill was with the Detroit Pistons when Gentry replaced the fired Doug Collins there.
"Considering the circumstances, considering what we've been through, he's probably the perfect person to take over at this time," Hill said after Monday's practice.
Gentry said the team needs to revert to the game that brought out the best in Steve Nash. Nash, twice the league MVP with the Suns, called the coaching change "a difficult part of our business," but he welcomed the decision to go back to the high-octane game.
"That's a pretty natural thing for me and for our group, just kind of pick the pace up a little bit and open up avenues for our guys to excel," Nash said.
RICHARDSON SUSPENDED: The Phoenix Suns have suspended Jason Richardson for one game without pay as the result of his arrest on allegations he was driving 55 mph above the limit with his unrestrained 3-year-old son in the car.
In a brief statement late Monday afternoon, the Suns said Richardson would miss Tuesday night's home game against the Los Angeles Clippers "for conduct detrimental to the team."
PISTONS TRADE ACKER TO CLIPPERS: The Detroit Pistons traded Alex Acker to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, creating salary-cap space for moves the next two offseasons.
Detroit dealt the seldom-used guard and its second-round pick in 2011 for a conditional second-round selection in 2013 from the Clippers. Los Angeles also waived center Cheikh Samb.
The Pistons will have about $23 million in salary-cap space, giving them a lot of money to retool their team during the next two years after slipping from an Eastern Conference power to a middle-of-the pack team.
The 6-foot-5 Acker played in just seven games for the Pistons this season, averaging 1.3 points. Detroit drafted him 60th overall in 2005 and he played in five games as a rookie, then went overseas before returning as a free agent.