Phx-Suns.Net

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

Cash Considerations barely edged out Boris Diaw's Harem.

Steve Nash
Dan Majerle
Devin Booker
Rex Chapman

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:41 pm

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

I'm glad someone finally mentioned KJ. I realize his personal life clouds a lot now, understandably, but prime KJ was a better player than prime Nash, IMO.

Kevin Johnson was better than a two time league MVP?

Todd Day
Chris Carr
Trevor Ruffin
Mario Bennett

Flagrant Fowl wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:00 pm

Kevin Johnson was better than a two time league MVP?

Being MVP doesn't really alter my feelings on this.

Superbone wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 1:07 am

BookTheGoat wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 11:57 pm

1. Nash
1. Book
3. STAT
4. Matrix

Yes, that’s on purpose.

Dude! Nobody is going to have a beef with that. You can’t have your username and NOT have Book #1 even if he has to share it.

Haha I love them both and obviously Steve had so much more success but Booker is like a beautiful flower that grew in the cracks of a sidewalk covered in shit.

Paul Westphal
Walter Davis
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:41 pm

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player play with the reckless abandon that Ronnie Lee did. He was a great athlete and literally did leave it out on the floor every night.

Charlie Smithy! wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:05 pm

Flagrant Fowl wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:00 pm

Kevin Johnson was better than a two time league MVP?

Being MVP doesn't really alter my feelings on this.

I am not sure Kevin Johnson was ever the clear best player on our team. He probably was the year before we traded for Barkley, but other than that I think Chambers was the best, or at least equal. And Hornacek was really close.

There is no doubt who the best player on our team was during those Nash MVP years.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:44 am

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:41 pm

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player play with the reckless abandon that Ronnie Lee did. He was a great athlete and literally did leave it out on the floor every night.

I had the pleasure of watching him live a few times at the Madhouse on McDowell. It was something to see.

Superbone wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:24 am

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:44 am

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:41 pm

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player play with the reckless abandon that Ronnie Lee did. He was a great athlete and literally did leave it out on the floor every night.

I had the pleasure of watching him live a few times at the Madhouse on McDowell. It was something to see.

The Ronnie Lee Floor Score

1. Mighty Joe Kleine
2. Super Mario Bennett
3. Anybody who knows what I’m talking about

Indy wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:07 am

Charlie Smithy! wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:05 pm

Flagrant Fowl wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 7:00 pm

Kevin Johnson was better than a two time league MVP?

Being MVP doesn't really alter my feelings on this.

I am not sure Kevin Johnson was ever the clear best player on our team. He probably was the year before we traded for Barkley, but other than that I think Chambers was the best, or at least equal. And Hornacek was really close.

There is no doubt who the best player on our team was during those Nash MVP years.

This was before my time as a Suns fan (and I am just looking at stats), but I feel like KJ's 89/90 and 90/91 seasons (both all-star years) would at least put him in that conversation at as the best player, pre-Barkley.

1993? No contest, obvs. C'est Barklique.

But 1994 and 1995? I would argue that, at least in the playoffs, KJ was our best player--and I feel like it's his two performances against the Rockets that probably lionized him in my mind. Looking him up in the playoffs on Bb-ref, KJ averaged 26.6 PPG in 1994 and 25 PPG in 1995. The latter coming on a .573(!) FGP. KJ even hit half of his threes in '95, though I imagine that was when the arc was shortened.

What's really interesting to me is that in his age 30 season in 1997, he was healthy, averaged 20 PPG, shot 50% (44% with the shorter arc). Only to go cooooompletely down the tubes next year at age 31.

I felt this way before KJ's personal life came to light (and certainly less this way after), but as a KJ-stan back in the day, I feel like Nash's success made a lot of Suns fans (again, pre-personal issues coming to light), in my mind, discount KJ's greatness, if not just gloss it over.

Understandably, this only increased (and I really have no problem with it, honestly) when it turned out that KJ had a thang for 'mentoring' teens.

Love what the guy did for us on the court (especially in the playoffs), and I do feel that he was a better (if only slightly) overall player than Nash (especially on the defensive end).

No comparison between Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers. Johnson was clearly better. from 1988 to 1992 he was the engine that ran the team. He was pretty much unguardable even with hand-checking.

Then, shortly after Barkley arrived Johnson started having injury problems. First from banging knees celebrating a victory, then from an undiagnosed hernia after trying to lift Oliver Miller in another celebration. (If I saw somebody try to life Oliver Miller that'd be the first thing I'd diagnose)

And as we saw later on, Johnson retired young because he had other interests - A) running his academy and B) running for political office

Barkley's first year he was the second-best player in the world. He was in the best shape of his career and motivated to prove the 76ers wrong for trading him. After that his conditioning clipped and he was not as focused on winning the championship. Johnson had a chance to be better if he had been healthy, but he wasn't.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:47 pm

Barkley's first year he was the second-best player in the world. He was in the best shape of his career and motivated to prove the 76ers wrong for trading him. After that his conditioning clipped and he was not as focused on winning the championship. Johnson had a chance to be better if he had been healthy, but he wasn't.

Arguably #1 as he did win MVP that year.

KJ was awesome, my favorite Sun ever and the reason I became a Suns fan. However, the off court stuff can't be discounted and it's permanently altered my "relationship" with him as a fan.

Also, I think Nash was clearly a top-5 player in the NBA at his peak and I don't think KJ ever hit that mark. Nash's teams leading the NBA in offensive efficiency for 9 straight years is insane. KJ may have thrived in this pace-and-space era, but Nash is its Godfather.

Shabazz wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 10:40 pm

KJ was awesome, my favorite Sun ever and the reason I became a Suns fan. However, the off court stuff can't be discounted and it's permanently altered my "relationship" with him as a fan.

Also, I think Nash was clearly a top-5 player in the NBA at his peak and I don't think KJ ever hit that mark. Nash's teams leading the NBA in offensive efficiency for 9 straight years is insane. KJ may have thrived in this pace-and-space era, but Nash is its Godfather.

This. So many mixed emotions when it comes to KJ, but my ultimate feeling is that he’s a disgusting human being. I was very ignorant to his off the court stuff but that HBO real sports segment really disturbed me. It won’t surprise me to see his name stripped from the ring of honor one day and if I’m being honest, I welcome it.

The Bobster wrote: ↑

Mon Nov 02, 2020 5:44 am

LazarusLong wrote: ↑

Sun Nov 01, 2020 6:41 pm

Connie Hawkins
Ronnie Lee
Kevin Johnson
Amare Stoudemire

I don't know if I've ever seen an NBA player play with the reckless abandon that Ronnie Lee did. He was a great athlete and literally did leave it out on the floor every night.

I don't think the Suns ever had a better trio of guards than when they had Westphal, Don Buse and Lee. Westphal was one of the smartest players to play for the Suns, Buse was a slick assists man and ballhawk on defense. Lee was akin to an NFL free safety, disruptive and predatory.