Suns History

[DirtyDez]

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I maintain that we should have parted with Amare for a different star after Diaw broke out. If we could have grabbed KG we'd be looking at two championships back to back in 07 and 08, provided a duo of KG and Diaw don't leave the bench against the Spurs and Tim Donaghy isn't officiating. Nash/Bell/Marion/Diaw/KG is much, much more well-balanced with more playmakers to take pressure off Nash.

Or maybe Diaw was just a fat ass and would have ruined our chances even if we acquired KG. I don't know.

Diaw broke out in 06’. The Wolves weren’t trading KG for Amare with him coming off microfracture. In hindsight the time to trade him for KG would’ve been after the 05’ playoffs but you couldn’t have done it in real time considering his breakout performance that year. We would’ve had a healthy KG for three years though.

[bwgood77]

Our last taste of the playoffs, 9 years ago today...

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[handsome salary]

51 years and still no championship banner.

[hollywood6964]

Suns history....I'm trying forget about it.

[bwgood77]

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[MathiasPW]

Greatest basketball gear ever

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[GMATCallahan]

SportsCenter twenty-five years ago this evening, Craig Kilborn on the call (note that he confuses Wesley Person for Elliot Perry during the highlight):

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[bwgood77]

I'm not sure about Walter Davis over Marion here...probably best to leave Amare out but that would really be small ball, even though maybe best five players. If Alvan Adams kept up his rookie stats, he'd be hard to leave out too.

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[ATTL]

I'm not sure about Walter Davis over Marion here...probably best to leave Amare out but that would really be small ball, even though maybe best five players. If Alvan Adams kept up his rookie stats, he'd be hard to leave out too.

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If we're just picking like all nba teams then KJ should be there to it if we're picking to make a cohesive unit then davis should probably get in over kj at the 2.

Amare was kind of like tom chambers but somehow a better rebounder.

If booker has any success as a sun then he will probably make it at the two.

15 years from now I predict this being the team.
Nash
Booker
Marion
Barkley
Ayton

Barring injury or suspension/ban it's hard for me to see ayton not passing amare as a player.

[bwgood77]

I'm not sure about Walter Davis over Marion here...probably best to leave Amare out but that would really be small ball, even though maybe best five players. If Alvan Adams kept up his rookie stats, he'd be hard to leave out too.

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If we're just picking like all nba teams then KJ should be there to it if we're picking to make a cohesive unit then davis should probably get in over kj at the 2.

Amare was kind of like tom chambers but somehow a better rebounder.

If booker has any success as a sun then he will probably make it at the two.

15 years from now I predict this being the team.
Nash
Booker
Marion
Barkley
Ayton

Barring injury or suspension/ban it's hard for me to see ayton not passing amare as a player.

KJ is a tough one, because from years 2-4 in the NBA, he destroyed just about any other PG ever with his #s for their years 2-4...then he got the hernia injury, undiagnosed for awhile, causing other injuries, and was never quite the same, though still very good.

Davis is tough too, because it depends on what kind of team you go for...a current times type of team where you need to spread the floor? Because Davis was a pure scorer, but had no range. He was a good playmaker though.

Or, if you look at it from small ball, I would probably go KJ at the 1, Nash at the 2 (spread the floor better), Davis at the 3, Marion at the 4 and Barkley at the 5.

Now that is really small, but rebounding wouldn't be a problem with Marion and Barkley.....though guarding big teams would. We could probably outscore most teams though.

Amare is a bit like KJ...you take his 3rd year once Nash got there, but even his 2nd (with lesser efficiency but similar overall raw #s), he was an absolute beast. He was still fairly solid after that, but had some other injuries and never was quite the same, and only really lasted another 5-6 years after the microfracture surgery.

If KJ and Amare never get injured, they would be very hard to leave off regardless. I don't think you can leave Marion or Barkley off either....and of course Nash.

Now if you think that Barkley only played 4 years here and leave him off, that opens up other options.

[cberry78]

Personally, my top 5 would be:
Nash-Booker-Marion-Barkley-Amare

Followed by:
KJ-Westphal-Davis-Nance-Ayton

....and probably Chambers, Hornacek, and Adams to round out the rest of the roster.

[ATTL]

I'm not sure about Walter Davis over Marion here...probably best to leave Amare out but that would really be small ball, even though maybe best five players. If Alvan Adams kept up his rookie stats, he'd be hard to leave out too.

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If we're just picking like all nba teams then KJ should be there to it if we're picking to make a cohesive unit then davis should probably get in over kj at the 2.

Amare was kind of like tom chambers but somehow a better rebounder.

If booker has any success as a sun then he will probably make it at the two.

15 years from now I predict this being the team.
Nash
Booker
Marion
Barkley
Ayton

Barring injury or suspension/ban it's hard for me to see ayton not passing amare as a player.

KJ is a tough one, because from years 2-4 in the NBA, he destroyed just about any other PG ever with his #s for their years 2-4...then he got the hernia injury, undiagnosed for awhile, causing other injuries, and was never quite the same, though still very good.

Davis is tough too, because it depends on what kind of team you go for...a current times type of team where you need to spread the floor? Because Davis was a pure scorer, but had no range. He was a good playmaker though.

Or, if you look at it from small ball, I would probably go KJ at the 1, Nash at the 2 (spread the floor better), Davis at the 3, Marion at the 4 and Barkley at the 5.

Now that is really small, but rebounding wouldn't be a problem with Marion and Barkley.....though guarding big teams would. We could probably outscore most teams though.

Amare is a bit like KJ...you take his 3rd year once Nash got there, but even his 2nd (with lesser efficiency but similar overall raw #s), he was an absolute beast. He was still fairly solid after that, but had some other injuries and never was quite the same, and only really lasted another 5-6 years after the microfracture surgery.

If KJ and Amare never get injured, they would be very hard to leave off regardless. I don't think you can leave Marion or Barkley off either....and of course Nash.

Now if you think that Barkley only played 4 years here and leave him off, that opens up other options.

I think KJ's peak might be higher than Steve's but you need nash shooting in this league right now and our all time team doesn't have much of it.

Kj is really underrated on the general board. He was monstrous on the pre-Barkley suns but people are ranking tim Hathaway over him.

[DirtyDez]

SportsCenter twenty-five years ago this evening, Craig Kilborn on the call (note that he confuses Wesley Person for Elliot Perry during the highlight):

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People talk about Marion as a playoff choker yet Majerle gagged b2b years vs Houston and he was a ROH shoe in. /rant

[bwgood77]

If we're just picking like all nba teams then KJ should be there to it if we're picking to make a cohesive unit then davis should probably get in over kj at the 2.

Amare was kind of like tom chambers but somehow a better rebounder.

If booker has any success as a sun then he will probably make it at the two.

15 years from now I predict this being the team.
Nash
Booker
Marion
Barkley
Ayton

Barring injury or suspension/ban it's hard for me to see ayton not passing amare as a player.

KJ is a tough one, because from years 2-4 in the NBA, he destroyed just about any other PG ever with his #s for their years 2-4...then he got the hernia injury, undiagnosed for awhile, causing other injuries, and was never quite the same, though still very good.

Davis is tough too, because it depends on what kind of team you go for...a current times type of team where you need to spread the floor? Because Davis was a pure scorer, but had no range. He was a good playmaker though.

Or, if you look at it from small ball, I would probably go KJ at the 1, Nash at the 2 (spread the floor better), Davis at the 3, Marion at the 4 and Barkley at the 5.

Now that is really small, but rebounding wouldn't be a problem with Marion and Barkley.....though guarding big teams would. We could probably outscore most teams though.

Amare is a bit like KJ...you take his 3rd year once Nash got there, but even his 2nd (with lesser efficiency but similar overall raw #s), he was an absolute beast. He was still fairly solid after that, but had some other injuries and never was quite the same, and only really lasted another 5-6 years after the microfracture surgery.

If KJ and Amare never get injured, they would be very hard to leave off regardless. I don't think you can leave Marion or Barkley off either....and of course Nash.

Now if you think that Barkley only played 4 years here and leave him off, that opens up other options.

I think KJ's peak might be higher than Steve's but you need nash shooting in this league right now and our all time team doesn't have much of it.

Kj is really underrated on the general board. He was monstrous on the pre-Barkley suns but people are ranking tim Hathaway over him.

Yeah, his peak was higher and he was dominating an almost prime Magic when he hit is stride in 88-89 and took guys who hadn't done much, or young guys to two WCF before Barkley arrived (and Barkley only made one WCF with the Suns). You are right about shooting, but KJ was a great shooter, and could be running a fast break, pull up, and hit a mid range jumper.

He shot over 50% from the field for a number of years.....I fully believe if the 3 pointer was embraced and used as much as it is today, in the late 80s and first couple years of the 90s, he would have shot it well...worked on his game to incorporate it. Barkley couldn't really hit them either.

[Barkley6]

I think the biggest issue I had with the SSOL teams was the offseason of 2006. We added nothing in the draft (gave up Rajon Rondo). And signed terrible free agents highlighted by Marcus Banks. Other additions were Jumaine Jones, Eric Piatkowski and Jalen Rose.

But the bigger issue was not re-signing Tim Thomas who had been a vital cog in our playoff run and who indicated his desire to return to Phoenix at the end of the season. With Amare Stoudemire returned to health, the Suns went 61-21 that season before bowing out to the Spurs in THAT series.

Having looked back at the available talent it was quite possibly the worst free agent class ever. I mean its a real pupu platter. But had the Suns simply re-signed Tm Thomas instead of adding Marcus Banks to that awful contract...our rotation would have looked like this:
Nash-Barbosa
Bell
Diaw-James Jones
Marion-Tim Thomas
Stoudemire-Kurt Thomas

Now, even if the suspensions still happen, having Tim Thomas to fill in at PF would have been a huge benefit and MAYBE we squeak that series out. Having him throughout the season maybe means we have a better record. Maybe we don't win it all that year, but keeping that same group and adding Grant Hill the next season....2007 is almost definitely a championship year.

That summer of 2006 totally screwed us.

[DirtyDez]

I think the biggest issue I had with the SSOL teams was the offseason of 2006. We added nothing in the draft (gave up Rajon Rondo). And signed terrible free agents highlighted by Marcus Banks. Other additions were Jumaine Jones, Eric Piatkowski and Jalen Rose.

But the bigger issue was not re-signing Tim Thomas who had been a vital cog in our playoff run and who indicated his desire to return to Phoenix at the end of the season. With Amare Stoudemire returned to health, the Suns went 61-21 that season before bowing out to the Spurs in THAT series.

Having looked back at the available talent it was quite possibly the worst free agent class ever. I mean its a real pupu platter. But had the Suns simply re-signed Tm Thomas instead of adding Marcus Banks to that awful contract...our rotation would have looked like this:
Nash-Barbosa
Bell
Diaw-James Jones
Marion-Tim Thomas
Stoudemire-Kurt Thomas

Now, even if the suspensions still happen, having Tim Thomas to fill in at PF would have been a huge benefit and MAYBE we squeak that series out. Having him throughout the season maybe means we have a better record. Maybe we don't win it all that year, but keeping that same group and adding Grant Hill the next season....2007 is almost definitely a championship year.

That summer of 2006 totally screwed us.

Re-sign Tim Thomas?? C’mon we needed money for Marcus Banks!!