RealGM

So, most people who post or read here much probably know KJ is my favorite Sun ever, so I thought I'd give him a tribute for his game of basketball.

Feel free to post your best KJ moments if you watched him.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-8c4zD40fg[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-LElKxA2vw[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dB_xKFIJgg[/youtube]

Nice thread idea!

I found this one the other day - Sure Magic went off for 43pts but KJ torched Byron Scott, Mark West had 15/15 and 6blk, and Chambers dropped an easy 27 and 7...And the Suns WIN

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUrFEd-g0hA[/youtube]

Another classic - KJ's penetrating on full display, as he had 18 and 15 on only 9 shots. Real highlight is the Chambers on Mark Jackson dunk, but still a nice little highlight package.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFwxkR2FvDo[/youtube]

KJ was the man. He was also my favorite Sun growing up. I used to have a full size cardboard cut out of him in my room. I used to think..."If only I could be 6'1" tall"

It's a shame we didn't have the training staff we have now back in 1993. The Suns might have had a ring or two and KJ would be in the hall of fame.

The videos make me realize that the Bledsoe/KJ comparisons are not too far of a stretch.

KJ was my favorite player as well. I wore 23 my junior year (87-88), hmmm, wonder why, lol. Which was also KJ's rookie year. My senior year I switched to number 7 for yours truly and what a year it was, I'll explain.

My entire family were Laker fans and they were beside themselves that I could cheer for someone other than the Lakers. After years of abuse from Lakers and their fans/family 88-89 was somewhat of a redemption year. KJ comletely owned LA (clippers and lakers) in 88-89 and boy did I love it:

22 points 17 assist 9 boards 78% from the floor
41 points, 11 assist 57% from the floor
23 points 12 assist 58% from the floor
21 pts 14 assist 63% from the floor
34pts, 18 assist 64% from the floor
30 points 21 assist 69% from the floor
29 pts 16 assist 65% from the floor

LA Average: 28.6pts, 15.6 assist 65% from the floor ...I did miss a few games, but did I mention that he OWNED LA?

btw, I love the game he had in Utah in 91 37 points, 20 assist and 62% from the floor against a strong Utah Jazz team.

dunks on tolbert, eaton, Hakeem were also favorites of mine.

How is the dude not in the HoF...

I like Richmond, but KJ>Richmond

If a player today in his second year averaged 20 and 10 on 50% shooting, fans would go absolutely nuts. Unfortunately he usually finished third in assists behind Magic and Stockton. Tough when you happen to play at the same time of arguably the two best point guards ever.

bwgood77 wrote:If a player today in his second year averaged 20 and 10 on 50% shooting, fans would go absolutely nuts. Unfortunately he usually finished third in assists behind Magic and Stockton. Tough when you happen to play at the same time of arguably the two best point guards ever.

We were spoiled. It was a great time to be an NBA Fan.

LukasBMW wrote:KJ was the man. He was also my favorite Sun growing up. I used to have a full size cardboard cut out of him in my room. I used to think..."If only I could be 6'1" tall"

It's a shame we didn't have the training staff we have now back in 1993. The Suns might have had a ring or two and KJ would be in the hall of fame.

The videos make me realize that the Bledsoe/KJ comparisons are not too far of a stretch.

Passing to Tom Chambers, Dan Majerle, and Jeff Hornacek is bound to get you a few assists. Kj was deceptively fast. He was the master of the explosive first move. He didn't fake so much as much as lull you to sleep for a split second and then explode.

I think my most satisfying moment as a Suns fan was when that team (before Charles Barkley) walked off the court after defeating the Lakers in a playoff series. Everyone in the building knew that the Pat Riley, prime time, Lakers era was over, and it was the Suns that ended it. It think it was 1989. Pat Riley resigned a short time later.

I knew this thread was coming. I remember the days when BG would argue for weeks on end with poster about KJ vs __?__ ha!

biggest HoF snub going now that jojo white has been elected.

gary payton deserves to be in the HoF but it made me a grumpy homer when he got in before kj

otoh if he did what he's accused of doing here in phx then that could justify a cold shoudler from the hall

I didn't get to see much of KJ only the tail end of his career but I always wondered how is it that he was such a bad 3pt shooter?

I know in 96-97 when they shortened the 3pt line he shot it really well but his percentages came back down when they lengthened the 3pt line the next season.

garrick wrote:I didn't get to see much of KJ only the tail end of his career but I always wondered how is it that he was such a bad 3pt shooter?

I know in 96-97 when they shortened the 3pt line he shot it really well but his percentages came back down when they lengthened the 3pt line the next season.

Because he could get to the rim at will. He also had the "stop and pop" down better than any PG I've ever seen.

phrazbit wrote:

garrick wrote:I didn't get to see much of KJ only the tail end of his career but I always wondered how is it that he was such a bad 3pt shooter?

I know in 96-97 when they shortened the 3pt line he shot it really well but his percentages came back down when they lengthened the 3pt line the next season.

Because he could get to the rim at will. He also had the "stop and pop" down better than any PG I've ever seen.

Yes, the fact that he could be full of steam and then stop at 12 feet and nail it was always amazing....it always caught the defense off guard.

Perfect thread for my first post on the forum!

KJ was my first favorite player in any sport.
My room as a kid had all Suns with KJ stuff. I had the cardboard stand up in my room when i was a kid too, like you Lucas. Walk in and it scares you half the time!

Man those videos take me back! Great to watch and remind of the greatness he had.

He was an incredible player. Shame that his health always betrayed, him.

Two Time wrote:Perfect thread for my first post on the forum!

KJ was my first favorite player in any sport.
My room as a kid had all Suns with KJ stuff. I had the cardboard stand up in my room when i was a kid too, like you Lucas. Walk in and it scares you half the time!

Man those videos take me back! Great to watch and remind of the greatness he had.

He was an incredible player. Shame that his health always betrayed, him.

I can't imagine what he would have gotten to with the current Suns training staff and a Nash like career. I think he could have potentially been a top 3 or 4 pg of all time.

Great first post by the way, and welcome to the forum.

LukasBMW wrote:KJ was the man. He was also my favorite Sun growing up. I used to have a full size cardboard cut out of him in my room. I used to think..."If only I could be 6'1" tall"

It's a shame we didn't have the training staff we have now back in 1993. The Suns might have had a ring or two and KJ would be in the hall of fame.

The videos make me realize that the Bledsoe/KJ comparisons are not too far of a stretch.

I like Bledsoe, but KJ was probably one of the best 5-7 pgs of all time. Unfortunately for him he played in the era or Stockton and Magic the two best pgs of all time by metris, so he rarely made the all star game, but we was a better player than Stockton in his prime...easily, buy he didn't have a Karl Malone type of finisher, and when he went to Barkley with passes, he would't get that assist.

I think KJ (at least his prime and how good he was, is one of the more underrated of all time..and I think Barkley hurt KJ's potential when he arrived, because he played hero ball too much and took us out of our awesome offense too slow stuff too much.