The Suns have lost eight of nine games to drop a season-high 11 games under five hundred for the second-worst record (12-23) in the Western Conference.

"It's no fun. Not at all," head coach Alvin Gentry said following practice Monday.

Going about digging out of the hole they have created for themselves may begin with Shannon Brown rediscovering his offense.

Since being removed from the starting lineup four games ago, the seven-year veteran is averaging 4.8 points on 32.1 percent shooting (9-of-28). Twice he was held scoreless.

"It's a different rhythm out there," Brown said of being a reserve again. "For some reason it's definitely almost like a complete 180 from the beginning of the season to me going to the starting lineup and then back on the second unit."

Brown came off the bench in the season's first 11 games and scored 147 points, the most by a Suns reserve since Tom Chambers in 1992-93.

"For me," Brown said, "it's just trying to find a rhythm out there individually and with my teammates and trying to figure out how to pick my spots. Right now, everything is all jumbled up."

More than any other rotation player, Brown feasts when the team is going good, fasts when the team is going bad:

In Suns wins, he averages 15.8 points on 50.7 percent shooting including 43.2 percent from three
In Suns losses, he averages 10.3 points on 35.9 percent shooting including 20.0 percent from three

"I understand that," Brown said of how much it appears the team relies on his scoring, which has gone south recently.

"I just got to stay patient. I can't get down on myself or the offense or start blaming nobody. I've just got to go out there and figure it out."