Mickael Pietrus confirmed that he intends to exercise his $5.3 million player option for next season.

Pietrus would be crazy not to stay in sunny Phoenix for that sum of money. With the impending lockout and Pietrus' inconsistent season, he wouldn't do any better on the open market. He'll return as a backup swingman.

Mickael Pietrus (quad) will not play in Wednesday's season finale.

Pietrus is still having trouble even walking. He ends up playing in 38 games with the Suns after the trade, averaging just 7.5 points in 18.1 minutes a night. He'll likely exercise his $5.3 million player option to return to Phoenix next season.

Mickael Pietrus (strained right quad) will not join the Suns when they leave on Saturday for their five-game road trip.

"He still seems a little unstable and day to day," said coach Alvin Gentry. "He's just not healthy enough to play. He's going to try and rehab it." The Suns aren't in the playoff picture and it seems doubtful that Pietrus will play again this season.

Mickael Pietrus (quad) does not appear close to a return.

Look for Pietrus to sit out tonight's game against the Kings, opening up even more minutes for Jared Dudley on the wing and Josh Childress off the bench.

Mickael Pietrus (quad tendon strain) will not play on Friday vs. the Hornets.

Pietrus is day-to-day. In the meantime, his playing time (averaging 12 minutes per game in recent weeks) will go to seldom-used Josh Childress.

Mickael Pietrus (quad) is listed as day-to-day after an MRI Thursday morning.

Pietrus is listed as questionable for Friday's game against the Hornets. He was averaging just 16 minutes a night over his last 12 games anyway.

Mickael Pietrus left Wednesday's game with a sprained right knee and is scheduled for an MRI on Thursday.

He last just two minutes and doesn't have much fantasy value to begin with. With Grant Hill also sidelined with the flu, Jared Dudley had a nice game for the Suns.

Mickael Pietrus and Grant Hill both left Wednesday's game early and are questionable to return.

Pietrus has a sprained right knee and is questionable to return, while Hill is dealing with a stomach issue and is expected to come back.

Mickael Pietrus, who had two strong games in a row entering Tuesday's game, finished with no statistics other than a missed shot after getting ejected with just five minutes of action under his belt.

According to onlookers it was a stupid sequence of technical fouls, and in the heat of a playoff chase that's not going to play well in the locker room. He had limited value due to the presence of Vince Carter and Jared Dudley, anyway, and this wipes away whatever was left of it.

Mickael Pietrus had 20 points on four 3-pointers in Sunday's overtime loss to the Thunder.

Pietrus came off the bench for just 20 minutes as Vince Carter (head) returned. As long as Carter is healthy, Pietrus is far to risky to start in fantasy. The streak shooter just got hot today, but won't get enough minutes as a reserve to be reliable.

Mickael Pietrus scored 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting (including three treys) with eight rebounds, and two assists in a start for Vince Carter (concussion) on Friday.

Alvin Gentry went with the hot hand and left Jared Dudley (six points, four boards, two assists, 3-of-8 shooting) on the bench, playing him just 19 minutes. Carter said that he could barely move around today, putting his status in question for Sunday's game against the Thunder. Give Pietrus a look if you're in a short-term pinch, but Dudley could just as easily be the better play if Carter doesn't play, too.

Mickael Pietrus will start in place of Vince Carter (head) Friday night.

Coach Alvin Gentry wisely wants to keep Jared Dudley in the bench role he has been excelling in. We'd give a slight edge to Dudley in terms of a pickup as the better player, but the minutes will depend on game flow and performance.

Mickael Pietrus logged only ten minutes for the Suns in their overtime win over the Pacers.

While his value has been minimal over the past few months he's still be managing to log 15-20 minutes a game. Sunday's ten minute performance hopefully gives you all the evidence you need as to why you don't need to consider Pietrus.

Mickael Pietrus stayed in a reserve role for Phoenix on Sunday, playing 12 minutes and finishing with one point and one rebound.

Pietrus isn't expected to resume starting any time soon, so don't hesitate to dump him in all leagues.

Mickael Pietrus came off the bench on Wednesday for just eight points in 15 minutes.

The Suns went with Robin Lopez at center and Marcin Gortat at center in order to match up with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, but we also wouldn't be surprised if they end up going with Gortat at center and Channing Frye at power forward. Pietrus is still worth keeping an eye on, but is not the must-own player he looked like a week ago.

Mickael Pietrus may have to come off the bench Wednesday night so the Suns can match up with the Lakers' size.

The Suns have been starting Steve Nash, Vince Carter, Pietrus and Grant Hill. That's not reasonable against the Lakers' massive front line. Look for Marcin Gortat or Channing Frye to get a spot start. Pietrus owners shouldn't panic.

Mickael Pietrus played 35 minutes in another start on Sunday, but shot just 3-of-12 for seven points, with four rebounds and two assists.

It appears Pietrus will continue to start, though Alvin Gentry mentioned that plans might change vs. bigger teams (e.g. the Lakers). One of his eight misses from downtown was a contested, fadeaway 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining. He airballed it, essentially sealing the Suns' fate.

Mickael Pietrus replaced Channing Frye in the starting lineup on Friday, but hit just 4-of-12 shots for 11 points, four rebounds, two 3-pointers and two steals in a win over the Pistons.

The move to the starting five could be semi-permanent and while we're not convinced he's going to be a fantasy savior, he's worth grabbing and holding for a week until we see how this is going to play out. He got the start and 27 minutes tonight, so let's see what he does in his next couple before passing judgement. Frye played a nice 28 minutes off the bench, but had just eight points, five rebounds and zero 3-pointers on 3-of-7 shooting. Consider benching him until we find out if he has officially lost his job or not.

Suns swingman Mickael Pietrus lit up the Clippers for 25 points on 9-of-14 shooting (5-of-8 from downtown) in Sunday's eventual loss, playing 27 minutes off the bench.

Pietrus missed a potentially game-tying three, but he was aggressive and physical defensively and appears to have almost bumped Josh Childress (nine minutes) from the rotation. MP won't be this hot evey game, though, and the eventual return of Vince Carter puts a further damper on his fantasy value.

Mickael Pietrus returned to action on Thursday December 23.