Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash of Victoria has been named the NBA's Western Conference player of the week and Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats was chosen the top player in the Eastern Conference.

Nash, last season's NBA MVP, led the league in assists in 9.7 per game in a 3-0 week for the Suns. He also averaged 21.7 points per game, shot 53.1 per cent from the field and had 3.7 rebounds per game.

The Phoenix Suns recalled rookie guard/forward Dijon Thompson from the Albuquerque Thunderbirds of the NBA Development League this weekend.

Thompson, who averaged 16.7 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals in three games with the Thunderbirds, rejoined the team at yesterday?s practice. The 6-7, 195-pound swingman, who has yet to make his NBA debut this season, is expected to be in uniform for Wednesday?s home game at 7 p.m. vs. Indiana at America West Arena.

Phoenix Suns executive Dick Van Arsdale, the first player chosen by Phoenix in the 1968 NBA expansion draft, had a stroke during the weekend, the Suns said Monday.

Van Arsdale, 62, was at his home when he was stricken Saturday.

"He is resting comfortably, and we hope for a full recovery," the team said in a statement.

Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa could miss up to three weeks with an injury to his left knee.

Barbosa has a Grade 2 sprain of the medial collateral ligament but could return in one to three weeks, the Arizona Republic reported.

But while the diagnosis received a sigh of relief from the team, it offered little solace for Barbosa who believes the injury could have been avoided.

He was injured Saturday when Spurs guard Manu Ginobili fell into him. He did return to play in the second half of that game.

"Ginobili always likes to flop," Barbosa told The Arizona Republic. "Nobody even touched him.

"He just flopped. That's why I feel sad to hurt myself like that," he added. "I wish I could have hurt myself in another way."

America West Arena will become US Airways Center sometime in January.

The name change, announced Monday, follows the merger of America West Airlines and US Airways, completed Sept. 27.

The downtown building, home to the NBA's Phoenix Suns, has been called America West Arena since it opened in 1992. The exact date of the official name change was not announced.

The arena recently underwent a $70 million facelift.

America West Airlines was founded in Arizona, and the merged airline will continue to have its headquarters in nearby Tempe. The name change coincides with a new 10-year agreement between the merged airline and the arena's owner and operator.

After two close losses the Suns feel they should have won, and after being outrebounded by 44 in the last two games, Mike D?Antoni is ready to experiment with bench players Boris Diaw and Leandro Barbosa as he seeks better overall chemistry from his 10-man rotation.

He will start the process Thursday, inserting Diaw as a starter for James Jones against the Detroit Pistons and moving Shawn Marion back to the small forward spot. Diaw played a key role (14 points, six rebounds in 27 minutes) in Saturday?s win in Utah and came up a rebound short of a triple-double (11 points, nine rebounds, 11 assists) in Sunday?s 118-117 heartbreaking loss at the hands of Sacramento.

The move will give the Suns a bigger lineup against the physical Pistons and free up Marion to guard Tayshaun Prince on the perimeter. But it is also designed to give the Suns a better start.

"It?s not what James Jones didn?t do, and if we try LB (Barbosa) as a starter it won?t be what Raja Bell didn?t do," D?Antoni said. "It won?t change their roles or minutes . . . the first unit has just been a little stagnant for whatever reason. It might just be that they?ve only had four games together, but we?re going to try some things. If we come back to it, we come back. No big deal."

The Phoenix Suns announced today that they have signed rookie forward Sharrod Ford.  To make room for Ford on the roster, the Suns waived rookie forward Lucas Tischer.

Originally signed by the San Antonio Spurs on September 29, 2005, Ford averaged 4.9 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks over 12.5 minutes in eight preseason games before he was released on Oct. 26.