SAN DIEGO - Maybe it's a kinder, gentler Scott Skiles coaching the Suns this season.


Or maybe he's just taking a different tack in his effort to get the most out of forward Rodney Rogers.

One thing is certain: Rogers is worth the trouble.

A year ago, Rogers reported to camp in poor shape, and Skiles was candid with his criticism. It didn't help, as Rogers failed to play up to the level he had in the 1999-00 season while winning the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.

Nobody would disclose Rogers' weight when he reported to camp this year, but suffice it to say he hasn't seen his listed weight of 255 in a long while.

Still, Skiles has been patient, and Rogers has given the club some productive minutes during the preseason, which continues tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers at the San Diego Sports Arena.

Rogers is averaging 11 points a game and shooting 56.5 percent overall, 60 percent from three-point range.

"Rodney can shoot the ball," Skiles said. "He's working hard trying to get back into great shape. As long as he's doing that and continues to do it, I'm going to play him, because he's a valuable player."

How valuable? In those games in which Rogers scored 10 points or more, the Suns were 16 games above the .500 mark last season. When he failed to score in double digits, the team was 16-12.

And in his sixth-man season, Rogers shot 44 percent from three-point range and ranked fourth in the NBA. Last season, he wasn't among the leaders and made just 29.6 percent.

"It's very important for us," Rogers said of his shooting. "It takes a lot of pressure off of the guards when myself, or Tom Gugliotta or John Wallace can step out and shoot it.

"We don't want to make the three-point shot a big issue. The main thing is to hit that shot out around the free-throw line, because that's going to create plays for our guards."

Rogers was as mystified as anybody by his poor shooting last season. He said he found himself rushing shots and dwelling on misses. He's trying not to second-guess himself this year. Maybe he's onto something. Rogers hasn't practiced the three-point shot much, yet he's hit six of 10 attempts in three preseason games.

"Maybe I shouldn't practice on it the way I'm shooting them now," he said, laughing.

But Skiles isn't as concerned about Rogers' shooting as the rest of his game. That's where conditioning comes in.

"It's just getting up the floor, guarding people, overall energy, stamina, everything," Skiles said. "But I don't know how anybody could argue that Rodney isn't a very, very good basketball player."

Skiles said Rogers has put in extra work, running in the afternoon heat to shed pounds.

"It's just the nature of things in pro sports," Skiles said of the issue. "In every sport, not just basketball, you've got coaches who (complain) about guys not coming to camp in shape.

"What do you do? You work with them and hope they understand that they weren't in tiptop shape and that they work hard to get into it."

Said Rogers: "I'm just trying to make sure I get myself where I can help the team, doing a little extra. I'm just going to keep working at it."