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Who is the greatest Sun of all Time?

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akaespo
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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#41 » by akaespo » Thu Mar 26, 2009 10:25 pm

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#2 Alvan Adams vs. #3 Dick Van Arsdale

How They Got Here:

Alvan Adams: Was a first round winner against the number 7 seed Paul Silas. Adams had the lowest margin of victory in the Somebody Up There Is On Our Side Region for the first round. Adams won with 62% of the

Dick Van Arsdale: The Original Sun cruised to an easy first round victory. Van Arsdale defeated the 6 seed Neal Walk by a whopping 96%. Van Arsdale’s victory was the second highest margin of victory in the first round of the entire tournament.

The Analysis:

Greg Esposito: Van Arsdale proved in the first round that he is still a fan favorite in Phoenix. His dominating victory over Neal Walk was impressive while, Adams seemed to struggle a bit with Paul Silas.

Although Van Arsdale is the fifth highest scorer in Suns history (12,060) and third all-time in games played (685) Adams is still the better Sun. Adams ranks first in games played at 988, minutes played at 27,203, rebounds 6,937 and steals 1,289. He also ranks second in assists with 4,102.

Vince Marotta: It’s a tough matchup between former teammates. Both were beloved by fans in the early days of the Suns, and both have stayed active in the organization long after their playing days are through. It’s really a tossup.

The Picks:

Greg Esposito: Although Van Arsdale showed a strong fan following in round one, I think Adams, based on his career accomplishments as a Sun, will win by a very small margin.

Vince Marotta: Adams has a slight advantage because his career was more recent. Van Arsdale retired in 1977, while Adams played until the late 80’s. Despite that, Van Arsdale should advance since his off-court roles as interim coach, general manager and color commentator have kept him in the public eye more than Adams after-basketball roles have. The Original Sun wins by a hair.

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http://phoenix.fanster.com/suns/2009/03 ... n-arsdale/
akaespo
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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#42 » by akaespo » Fri Mar 27, 2009 5:15 pm

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#1 Connie Hawkins vs. #4 Paul Westphal


How They Got Here:

Connie Hawkins: The Hawk took care of business in his first round pairing defeating opponent Gail Goodrich, the 8 seed, with 91% of the fan vote.

Paul Westphal: The former Suns player and coach had the biggest victory of the tournament so far defeating the 5 seed Charlie Scott in a shutout.

The Analysis:

Greg Esposito: Westphal had a huge victory in round one, but this seems to be the end of the road for him. Although he averaged over 20 points as a Sun and played in 4 All-Star Games, Connie Hawkins is an all-time great. Hawkins is a name synonymous with excitement when it comes to Phoenix Suns basketball. Hawkins helped lead the Suns to their first ever playoff appearance by averaging 24.5 points and was a 4-time NBA All-Star as a Sun. Add that on top of the fact that Hawkins is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and a Suns Ring of Honor member, and it seems like Westphal is completely overmatched.

Vince Marotta: Not so fast there, Esposito. Paul Westphal played in more games as a Sun, has a higher per game scoring average (by one tenth of a point), also played in 4 NBA All-Star Games and is a Suns’ Ring of Honor member. Plus, he played on the first Suns team to advance to the NBA Finals, and coached the second Suns’ team to accomplish the feat. Westphal might have the strongest Suns’ resume in the tournament.

The Picks:

Greg Esposito: Hawkins rolls to the easy victory as his Hall of Fame credentials carry him.

Vince Marotta: Hawkins is a legend, there’s no denying that. But if you consider the entire body of work (God, I sound like Joe Lunardi now), Westphal should squeak out a win.

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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#43 » by akaespo » Tue Mar 31, 2009 12:18 am

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#2 Kevin Johnson vs. #3 Dan Majerle

How They Got Here:

Kevin Johnson: He got to the second round by defeating the 7 seed Danny Manning. Johnson earned 66% of the fan vote to advance.

Dan Majerle: He moved on to the second round by defeating Cedric Ceballos who was the number 6 seed. Thunder Dan won with 93% of the fan vote.

The Analysis:
Greg Esposito:

This is probably the toughest match up thus far in the tournament. Both Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle helped define an era of Suns basketball and both were key components in the their run to the 1993 finals.

Although he was booed on draft day Dan Majerle quickly became a fan favorite in his time in the Valley. He was known early in his career for his explosive moves to the basket that often times culminated in a powerful dunk. Later in his career he became more of a spot up shooter. In his best season as a Sun he averaged 17.3 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.

KJ was the quintessential point guard for the Suns. He was Steve Nash before there was a Steve Nash in purple and orange. He was a fan favorite for his electrifying passes and his unbelievable ability to posterize some of the games big men. KJ’s best season he averaged 20.1 points a game and 9.3 assists.

Luca Rossi:
Thunder Dan played 8 unforgettable seasons (7 actually, I guess we might forget ‘01-’02) in Phoenix playing in the postseason on 7 consecutive years. Majerle, a wonderful outside shooter, avergaged 13.5 ppg with the Suns but was his fighting spirit that will forever be remembered. In 1992 he was the only player in NBA history voted in the starting five of Western Conference All-Star team, while being only a sixth-man with his squad.

Dan is still the all time leader in 3-point field goals made.
Majerle is currently serving as assistant coach with the Phoenix Suns and remains deeply involved in the Phoenix community. Anyone fancy a Mama Majerle’s burger in his own restaurant?

If Dan was Thunder, then KJ was Lightning.

K.J. played, ran, one might say, 638 games in a Suns uniform and ranks as the all time assists leader in Suns history and 10th in the NBA All time. Johnson averaged over 18 points and 9.5 assists in his 12-year career with Phoenix and led the Suns to the postseason in 11 of those campaigns. No one will ever wear his no. 7 again.

K.J. led the Suns to the Conference Finals on three occasions and of course, to the NBA Finals in 1993, next to Majerle, leading possibly the best Suns team ever.
Last November, Mr. Johnons became the Mayor of Sacramento.

The Picks:

Greg Esposito:
For me this comes down to the fact that Kevin Johnson was a Sun his entire career and has moments that are forever engrained in Suns fans brains like his dunk over Hakeem Olajuwon. While it will be a close battle KJ will come out on top.

Luca Rossi:

Both members of the Suns Ring of Honor, no. 7 and no. 9 will forever be engraved with the best ever to wear orange and purple. How much would you love to see Majerle play in today’s Suns? But as much as admire Majerle’s amazing work ethic, as a great lover of the best PG in the game, my vote goes to KJ. One of my all time Suns favorite.

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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#44 » by akaespo » Tue Mar 31, 2009 9:10 pm

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#2 Amare Stoudemire vs. #6 Leandro Barbosa

How They Got Here:
Amare Stoudemire: He destroyed Stephon Marbury in round one. Stoudemire earned 94% of the vote to move on to round two.

Leandro Barbosa: He pulled off the upset of Shawn Marion in round one. The number 3 seed Marion only managed to earn 41% of the vote while Barbosa had 59% of fans vote for him.

The Analysis:
Ben York:

This one, at first glance, doesn’t seem to be competitive. Amare Stoudemire has been on the All-NBA 1st team, the All-Star team, and has been amongst the league leaders in scoring. Barbosa has won 6th man of the year, been a spark plug off the bench, and is almost equally fun to watch. Doesn’t seem like a close contest…

However, Amare has fallen off with many fans this year with his comments about being “the man” and perhaps wanting to leave Phoenix in the off-season. On top of that, he’s been injured and out of the picture for the 2nd half of the season. Barbosa, on the other hand, has really made a case to become a starter in the league. Though having a difficult year losing his mother at the beginning of the season, he’s been as consistent (if not more) than any Suns player and is really (finally) coming into his own as a a legit scorer. Each player, ironically, has been sorely missed this season due to their injuries. They’ve both seem to come at the wrong time when we needed them the most.

Amare is one heck of a player to watch, but Barbosa is almost impossible not to like as a player or person.

Mark McLane:
Amare Stoudemire exploded onto the basketball scene with thunderous dunks and almost otherworldly athletic ability. Averaging 37 points a game in the 2005 playoffs against the Spurs, Amare announced his presence with authority, seemingly taking the torch from Tim Duncan as the best power forward/center in the league.

Despite the dreaded microfracture surgery robbing him of an entire season, Amare has continued to be a force in the paint for the Suns. His explosiveness may no longer be what it was but with the tremendous improvement of his jump shot, Amare no longer needs to rely on raw ability alone. With his combination of scoring ability, youth, and athleticism, Amare could very well be the block the Suns build their future around.

As a rookie from Brazil, Leandro Barbosa was as raw as they come. The fastest player on the court had no control or discipline his first season, and looked nothing like the 2007 6th Man of the Year he would eventually become.

With unmatched speed and a silky smooth jumpshot, Barbosa has thrived with the up tempo Suns. His blazing speed and infectious smile easy to cheer for, LB is a fan favorite (my mom is NUTS about him) and loved by his teammates.

The Picks:

Ben York: I think Amare still edges this one out, based on name recognition alone, but it will be much closer than you would think.

Mark McLane:
LB may be “fast, nice, and good at basketball,” and like Amare, a unique talent, but there’s a reason Stoudemire has a restaurant across the street from the arena. The Suns will go only as far as he takes them. Hopefully, LB will be around to help.

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http://phoenix.fanster.com/suns/2009/03 ... s-barbosa/
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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#45 » by whambamslam » Sun Apr 5, 2009 3:43 pm

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Re: Who is the greatest Sun of all Time? 

Post#46 » by realfung » Tue Apr 7, 2009 7:50 am

KJ and Barkley.

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