Top 10 Phoenix Suns

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In putting together this list, I was reminded of just how many excellent players have played with the Suns. Arguments can be made for a lot of guys not on this list, such as Alvan Adams, Charlie Scott, Tom Chambers, Paul Westphal and others. That just speaks to the pool of excellent players the Suns have had. So, here we go.

10: Dick Van Arsdale Van Arsdale was picked up by the Suns in 1968's expansion draft. He went on to have 9 productive years in Phoenix. There are probably better players that didn't make this list, but Van Arsdale gets bonus points for being a good player on an expansion team. He provided a building block for the Suns. In his 9 years with the Suns, Dick averaged nearly 18 points to go with 3.6 rebounds and assists. Dick was an efficient scorer, shooting 47% from the field and 81% from the line. Van Arsdale helped Spackle over some rough early years for the Suns.

9: Connie Hawkins When I think of Connie Hawkins, I think of Dr. J Lite. Hawkins had moves and spring that got fans attention. For reasons I won't get into here, Connie wasn't able to play in the NBA until he was 27, he had some very productive years with the Suns. His line for his 4+ years in Phoenix was 20.5-9-.4.3. Plus, he gets style points. While Hawk's time in Phoenix wasn't that long, it was memorable.

8: Larry Nance Larry was an explosive power forward who was an efficient scorer and shot blocker. In Larry's 7 seasons in Phoenix he averaged 17.3 points and 7.8 rebounds to go with 1.9 blocks. I actually debated between Nance and Tom Chambers for this slot but went with Nance because of his shot blocking and defense. Nance was also an efficient scorer, shooting 54.6% from the field. 

7: Amare Stoudemire Before knee problems slowed him down, Stoudemire was one of the most explosive players in the NBA. Amare was the NBA's rookie of the year in the 2002-03 season and twice averaged over 25 ppg with the Suns. For his 8 seasons in Phoenix, Amare averaged 21 points and 9 rebounds per game. Stoudemire was also a high percentage shooter, shooting 54.4%. Stoudmire also had two seasons in the top 10 in shot blocking with the Suns. If you wanted an athletic inside force at power forward, Amare was your man.

6: Jason Kidd Jason Kidd could really fill up a stats sheet. While not a great shooter, Kidd averaged 14.4 ppg. Kidd was a tremendous floor general who was strong on the boards and played good defense. In five seasons with the Suns, Kidd led the NBA in assists, averaging about 10 per game. Jason was in the top 10 in steals three times while in Phoenix. Kidd made the players around him better.

5: Shawn Marion I have to admit, I've seen Shawn Marion on TV and the Mattrix didn't impress me that much. That funny shooting motion didn't help. Still, after looking at various metrics, I was more impressed. Funky shot aside, Marion averaged 18.4 ppg. Throw in 10 rebounds, a couple of assists per game and excellent defense and you really do have something. While Shawn's FG percentage was fair at 46.1%, he was a very good free throw shooter, hitting 81% from the line. Shawn was a four time all star and a solid playoff performer. He was better than I realized.

4: Walter Davis The Greyhound is the Suns all time points leader. Davis was the NBA rookie of the year in the 1978-79 season, scoring 24.2 ppg. In 11 seasons Davis averaged 20.5 ppg. In addition, Walter averaged 4.4 assists. While not a good three point shooter, Davis was effective in short and mid range, as well as form the line. Davis shot 52% from the field and 84% from the line. Walter was also effective in the playoffs, averaging 21.8 ppg game while shooting over 50%.

3: Kevin Johnson Kevin was an incredibly quick guard who could get to the hoop with ease. During the regular season, Kevin averaged 18,7 points and 9.5 assists. During the playoffs Kevin averaged 19.3 ppg and 8.9 assists. In the 1996-97 season, Johnson led the league in steals with 2.6. Like a lot of guys on this list, Johnson wasn't much of a three point shooter, but was good inside the arc and a good free throw shooter. I remember watching him in the 1993 NBA Finals against the Bulls. He and Charles Barkley were an almost unstoppable duo.

2: Charles Barkley Speaking of Charles Barkley, here he is. While he might not have looked like it, Barkley was a tremendous athlete. For a guy who was generously listed at 6'6”, Barkley was a huge force on the boards, averaging 11.5 rebounds per game to go with 23.4 ppg. In the playoffs, his scoring was down a bit but he averaged over 13 rebounds per game. As a bonus, he was also a good assist guy, averaging a little over 4 assists per game. Beyond the excellent stats, he was a ton of fun to watch.

1: Steve Nash The first time I remember watching Steve Nash, he made a couple of fantastic drives to hoop leading to some improbably finishes. I thought it was a fluke. It wasn't. After coming back over from the Dallas Mavs, Nash led the NBA in 5 out of the 8 following seasons. Steve was also a great shooter. Twice he led the league in free throw shooting. Steve shot 50.4% from the field, including 43.5% from beyond the arc. Nash's overall stats with the Suns are somewhat diminished by his first two seasons in the league where he spent a lot of time on the bench. For his 10 seasons with the Suns, Nash averaged 14.4 ppg and 9.4 assists. While not getting any extra consideration, Nash gets a footnote for being a Tom Petty look alike.

So, there's my list. How does it compare to yours? Let me know. (respectfully)

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