The NBA's best were in town for the All-Star game, bringing the spectacle of endless entertainment, lots of laughs and plenty of points.

Just like the Suns used to provide.

Now, with the hometown team mired in so much misery that its own All-Star starter was perhaps days away from a ticket out of town, it was up to Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James and the other high-scoring showmen to bring hoops happiness back to the Valley of the Sun.

"Right now, the dynamics with the Phoenix Suns, there is a lot of head-scratching going on right now," said Doug Collins, a Phoenix resident who will be part of TNT's coverage of the game on Sunday night.

"This team was the darling of the city for the last four years with Mike D'Antoni — high-flying and (they) had a wide-open style. There have been a lot of trades and changes, and I think they have more meetings in the last month than I have in my career trying to get things squared away, which is always a bad sign."

The Suns were championship contenders during most of D'Antoni's four full seasons, winning games and fans with their uptempo brand of offense. He's gone now, and he might not be the only one by next week as the disappointing Suns look to start over.

Amare Stoudemire, scheduled to start for the Western Conference, is perhaps the biggest and most frequent name mentioned in trade talks ahead of next week's deadline. Teammate O'Neal, back in the All-Star game after missing out last year, also is on the block.

The potential dismantling of the local team threatened to overshadow the NBA's third trip to Phoenix for its midseason event.

"We don't have the momentum that we'd like to have, we are underperforming and there are financial concerns," Suns general manager Steve Kerr told reporters last week. "So there's things, there's issues to talk about and to deal with and we have to do what's best for our team going forward. That could mean doing something or that could mean doing nothing."

Just in case, perhaps Suns fans should enjoy their favorites while they can — along with the other talent surrounding them Sunday night.

New York Knicks' Nate Robinson holds up his trophy after winning the Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, February 14, 2009. [Agencies]

Chicago Bull's Derrick Rose holds up his trophy after winning the Skills Competition at the NBA All-Star basketball weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, February 14, 2009. [Agencies]

Detroit Pistons' Arron Afflalo (R) poses with Detroit Shock head coach Bill Laimbeer and Shock guard Katie Smith after they won the "Shooting Stars" competition at the NBA All-Star basketball weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, February 14, 2009. [Agencies] 

Chicago Bull's Derrick Rose goes up for a slam dunk in the Skills Competition at the NBA All-Star basketball weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, February 14, 2009. Rose won the competition. [Agencies] 

Portland Trail Blazers' Rudy Fernandez of Spain is assisted by fellow Spaniard Los Angeles Lakers' Pal Gasol (L) as he competes during the Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star weekend in Phoenix, Arizona, February 14, 2009. [Agencies]