ESPN: Greatest Suns Team of All Time

[Bufalay]

Espn.com now has a poll for fans to vote on the best player at each position for every team in the NBA. Unfortunately, Amare isn't listed as a center.

http://espn.go.com/espn/greatestteam/index/_/teamId/5559064/the-greatest-suns-team-all-time

 

[TheHopToad]

Unfortunately, Amare isn't listed as a center.

Which means he won't get many votes. No way he is better than Barkley.

I'm amazed at how little love Dick Van Arsdale is getting. Only .8% of the vote so far. SG was definitely the toughest position to choose.

 

[Suns_fan69]

Not a lot of love for Jason Kidd, which I guess isn't surprising considering the manner in which he left. Still, I didn't think it'd be that big of a gap in voting.

 

[Chaplin]

Not a lot of love for Jason Kidd, which I guess isn't surprising considering the manner in which he left. Still, I didn't think it'd be that big of a gap in voting.

Considering that both Nash and KJ are better choices for this franchise than Kidd was, I'm not that surprised by the gap.

 

[Gaddabout]

This is just wrong:
Paul Westphal
Dan Majerle
Charlie Scott

How is Walter Davis not running away with the 2 guard spot? Short memories? Too many young people?

 

[Chaplin]

This is just wrong:
Paul Westphal
Dan Majerle
Charlie Scott

How is Walter Davis not running away with the 2 guard spot? Short memories? Too many young people?

That was the biggest question I had. But Paul Westphal didn't exactly just retire a couple years ago, though. So unless you're referring to his coaching days, I'm not sure Westphal represents "short memories".

 

[Superbone]

Davis should definitely be in the running although Westphal was my favorite player when I was a kid.

 

[Gaddabout]

That was the biggest question I had. But Paul Westphal didn't exactly just retire a couple years ago, though. So unless you're referring to his coaching days, I'm not sure Westphal represents "short memories".

He coached the top team, so I imagine a whole new generation became familiar with him. Davis seems to be relegated to the shadows of history, and that's too bad, because he was definitely one of the best players of his generation and one of the all-time greatest pure shooters. So was Horny for that matter. In fact I would probably make Horny No. 2 on the SG list. He had career FG percentages that rival Nash, who is making history with his FG shooting.

Also, Westphal was only here 5 years in the prime of his career. Davis spent his entire prime, a whole decade, here. Davis made one more All-NBA team than Westphal -- three more than Westphal in a Suns uniform.

 

[AzStevenCal]

He coached the top team, so I imagine a whole new generation became familiar with him. Davis seems to be relegated to the shadows of history, and that's too bad, because he was definitely one of the best players of his generation and one of the all-time greatest pure shooters. So was Horny for that matter. In fact I would probably make Horny No. 2 on the SG list. He had career FG percentages that rival Nash, who is making history with his FG shooting.

Also, Westphal was only here 5 years in the prime of his career. Davis spent his entire prime, a whole decade, here. Davis made one more All-NBA team than Westphal -- three more than Westphal in a Suns uniform.

I liked Hornacek but I wouldn't have him in my top 30 Suns. IMO, he became a much more complete player in Utah but viewing him solely as a Phoenix Suns I look at him like I would Ronnie Lee ( a little better, but in that class).

Davis gets hurt because of the grossly overblown drug scandal. Westy was our best known player during arguably our most shining moment. Davis is clearly our greatest off guard but I understand the voter confusion.

 

[joshstmarie]

Considering offense/defense and chemistry (and the fact that I have never seen a sun play before KJ play)

my lineup was

KJ
Horny
Marion
Barkley
West

 

[Yuma]

Connie Hawkins had a short career in the NBA, but he had arguably the most dominant season in Suns history when he first got here. Even more than Barkley. Amar'e could have learned a few things watching the Hawk soar.

Also anyone remember how Westphal used to shoot some off his jumpers on the way down in his shot and still make them? It was amazing how he could go up and someone would have him blocked and he would seemingly out wait the block and throw it up, usually for a swish, while he was on the way down in his jump!

Plus I don't see anyone giving love to arguably our best center ever in Alvin Adams. Guy was underrated in a league that was center dominant when he was around.

 

[HooverDam]

Meh thats a pretty dumb way they have it set up, its too reliant on their definition of positions.

My All Time Suns teams would be:

A (Purple) Team:
C Amare Stoudemire
PF Charles Barkley
SF Connie Hawkins
SG Paul Westphal
PG Steve Nash

B (Orange) Team:
C Alvin Adams
PF Tom Chambers
SF Shawn Marion
SG Walter Davis
PG Kevin Johnson

C (White) Team:
C Neal Walk
PF Larry Nance
SF Dick Van Arsdale
SG Dan Majerle
PG Jason Kidd

I love Horny, he was my favorite growing up, but he was too one dimensional to make my list. I thought about giving him the 3rd team nod, but Thunder Dans superior defense and slashing made me go with him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

ALVIN hung out with the Chipmunks. ALVAN played center for the Phoenix Suns.

Steve

 

[BC867]

How is Walter Davis not running away with the 2 guard spot? Short memories? Too many young people?

For most of his career, Sweet D was a Small Forward. He really didn't play 2-Guard until later in his Suns career, when Larry Nancy arrived as the first of the 6'10" Small Forwards in the NBA. I was ecstatic!

Despite the many Suns playing out of position in their 42-year history, Walter Davis represented the only time the Suns moved a bigger player to a smaller position in a starting role (or any role, for that matter).

But I would choose Davis as our all-time Small Forward, despite the one-year drug scandal. Walter, like Shawn Marion, was inherently naive, though in different ways.


Regarding Yuma's post about Alvan Adams being underrated, he was 212 lbs. and played at the top of the key like a Guard. He always had the skinniest arms on the court, out of all ten players.

If John MacLeod hadn't been so stubborn, and had moved the man he coached in college at Oklahoma from Center to Forward after the novelty wore off the first year (alongside a legitimate Center), Alvan could have helped the team be more successful in the playoffs each year.

How many good Power Forwards have had to cover Center, thus neutralizing them? How about everyone, right through Amare.

Making the Cinderella finals vs. the Celtics during Alvan's rookie year, when he was a novelty light Center, has haunted the Suns ever since. Channing Frye's big contract is the latest example.

 

[elindholm]

Walter Davis played SF for most of his career.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Walter Davis played SF for most of his career.

Yeah, I knew that when I responded. I just figured Matt was comparing him to today's game where he'd probably be a shooting guard.

Steve

 

[Absolute Zero]

This is just wrong:
Paul Westphal
Dan Majerle
Charlie Scott

How is Walter Davis not running away with the 2 guard spot? Short memories? Too many young people?

Davis should actually be listed at SF where he spent most of the Suns years I remember: Backcourt: Buse & Westphal, Davis SF...

 

[Folster]

Stoudemire
Barkley
Hawkins
Davis
KJ

 

[AzStevenCal]

Greatest team irrespective of position: Nash, KJ, Davis, Barkley and Stat.

Steve

 

[Absolute Zero]

Honorary Team:

KJ
Westphal
Adams
Davis
Barkley

Team I would want to see go for a title:

KJ
Dennis Johnson
Neal Walk
Walter Davis
Maurice Lucas

 

[chickenhead]

The flaw IMO is that we're only seeing the percentage of first place votes the player received. It gets you your starting five, but it's not really an accurate measure of how the players compare to each other in the fan's minds. For instance, I might rate the PF's Barkley-Amare-Chambers, but I certainly wouldn't break it down 87-7-3.

 

[Irish]

Adams was well before my time in Phoenix and mostly in a period I did not follow basetball. It sound like he was almost more of an SF than a center.

Was McLeod simply stubborn?

In the period from 83-84 until early 87-88 James Edwards was a backup center. He went from the Suns to Pistons and was part of Bad Boy team that won two NBA championships. He didn't have "great stats" in Phoenix, but he was pretty good with the Piston's.

They tried to make progress, but drafting guys like Nick Vanos in 85, Willaim Bedford drafted in 86, Armen Gilliam in 87 were disasters. The only drafted center of that period that did anything was Andrew Lang; but even he was just a journeyman. He went in the deal for Sir Charles, but stayed in the league a while.

The Suns got Edwads and Mark West though trades, but their worst trade was for a 6'11" white guy named Rick Robey.

Bedford and Gilliam were lottery picks. I don't know why they could't find a good big through the draft or do better through trading, but it sure wasn't due to lack of trying.

 

[BC867]

Adams was well before my time in Phoenix and mostly in a period I did not follow basetball. It sound like he was almost more of an SF than a center.

Was McLeod simply stubborn?

McLeod came right from coaching at the University of Oklahoma to the Suns.

Alvan Adams was then drafted from . . . . the University of Oklahoma.

'Nuff said.

 

[AzStevenCal]

McLeod came right from coaching at the University of Oklahoma to the Suns.

Alvan Adams was then drafted from . . . . the University of Oklahoma.

'Nuff said.

No, there's a lot more to say. You're being very unfair to Alvan Adams. He was small for center and he was far from being a great center but he wasn't horrible either. Look at the drop off when he went to the bench and we replaced him with a true center (somebody like Dennis Awtrey who played center in the league for a dozen years).

And he didn't win ROOKIE OF THE YEAR simply because he was from the same university as his head coach. He won it on his own merit (and the fact David Thompson went to the ABA). Also, although not relevant, Kareem Abdul Jabbar always spoke highly of AA and acknowledged he'd have loved to have the guy playing alongside of him.

Steve

 

[AzStevenCal]

Adams was well before my time in Phoenix and mostly in a period I did not follow basetball. It sound like he was almost more of an SF than a center.

No, he really was a center in every way. He was undersized for the position but he was still above average at the time. He was no Walton or Jabbar but few were. He's still easily the best center this franchise has ever had. Hopefully, Lopez will pass him by but he has a long way to go to do that.

Steve