FArting
Lopes Up!
Welcome to 2008!
Sorry about the headache.
But as long as we're in the mood for toasting, let's all raise a glass of Alka-Seltzer to the first 40 years of the Suns franchise.
You might have heard that the Phoenix Suns are having a "Retro Night" when the Seattle SuperSonics visit US Airways Center as part of a 40th anniversary celebration Thursday night.
The team started playing - seemingly out of nowhere - in 1968 and has been one of the most successful franchises in the NBA - with the exception of one thing, and you know what's missing without us even saying "Larry O'Brien."
Anyway, to mark the occasion, The Heat Index has compiled our Suns 40th Anniversary Team. Click here for a look at four decades with the Phoenix Suns.
Each member of this exclusive group will receive absolutely nothing except our hearty congratulations:
First Team
Point guard: Steve Nash. He's a two-time MVP, and no league MVP ever has been denied a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The Suns have a long history of terrific, All-Star point guards, including Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd. But Nash is the only one to win even a single MVP award.
Shooting guard: Paul Westphal. This one is tough. There is "The Original Sun" Dick Van Arsdale, Dan Majerle, Dennis Johnson, Charlie Scott. We go with Westphal, who led the club in scoring five consecutive seasons and was first-team All-NBA three times.
Center: Alvan Adams. He redefined the position, and what is more appropriate for the history of this franchise than a 40th anniversary center who was a slick passer and probably more of a power forward? Hey, imagine today's team with Adams in the middle. Wow.
Power forward: Charles Barkley. This one is easy. Although his tenure was only four seasons, and there were two playoff flameouts, he was the team's first MVP and led the club to the NBA Finals in his first season. Now in the Hall of Fame.
Small forward: Connie Hawkins. Another tough call, this time between Hall of Famer Hawkins and "Sweet D" Walter Davis, the club's all-time leading scorer. We go with "The Hawk" in part because Davis eventually moved to shooting guard.
Sixth man: Majerle. Did you know he came off the bench in 132 more games than he started with the Suns?
Coach: Cotton Fitzsimmons. He always got the most out of what he had, and he engineered the franchise turnaround from an overblown drug scandal. Bonus points for taking the job on three occasions.
Second Team
PG: KJ. The club's all-time assist leader, and he's third on the team's all-time scoring list. Bonus points awarded for that dunk over Hakeem Olajuwon.
SG: Van Arsdale. If you weren't around to see "The Flying Dutchman" slash to the hoop, then you missed something special.
C: Amaré Stoudemire. He might be first team by the time we pick the club's 50th anniversary team.
PF: Tom Chambers. Along with KJ, he turned the Suns back into an NBA powerhouse after signing as the league's first unrestricted free agent.
SF: Davis. The team's all-time leading scorer, and a six-time NBA All-Star.
Sixth man: Eddie Johnson. He scored more points than any player in NBA history who never made an All-Star team. Well, he makes ours.
Coach: John MacLeod. Club's all-time leader in tenure and victories - by a long shot.
Third Team
PG: Kidd. Points deducted for shooting percentage and Joumana.
SG: DJ. He could score, defend and was money in the clutch. He just wasn't around for very long.
C: Neal Walk. The guy viewed as a consolation prize in the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar sweepstakes actually was a very good player, averaging 20.2 points and 12.4 rebounds in his best season and leading the team in assists in another.
SF: Shawn Marion. Has moved into fifth on the team's all-time list for games played. Scores, defends and is the NBA's best pound-for-pound rebounder since Dennis Rodman. Only without the wedding dress.
PF: Larry Nance. He probably belongs in the club's Ring of Honor, if for no other reason than trading him to Cleveland allowed the Suns to get the pieces to rebuild, including KJ and a draft pick they would use on Majerle.
Sixth man: Boris Di . . . Ha! Just kidding. Danny Manning. Two knee injuries limited him, but Manning was almost exclusively a reserve for five seasons and won NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors in 1997-98.
Coach: Mike D'Antoni. Much like Cotton with KJ, he got himself a great point guard, handed him the ball and let him do what he does best.
Of course, a championship ring would move D'Antoni to the top of the list when that 50th team comes out. Just so he knows.
http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/BobYoung/13639
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Why did Cotton choose to give that team to Westphal? I'm thinking he didn't want to have to coach/control Barkley. It's too bad.
