RIP Walter Davis (1954-2023)

[Charlie Smithy!]

This one is especially tough. Paul Westphal and Walter Davis WERE Suns basketball to me as a kid. Along with Alvan Adams they were the backbone of the team in the late 70's.

Davis played with such enthusiasm and joy that we were all shocked when his drug problems came to light.

It was terribly sad the way his tenure with the Suns ended, but fortunately there was a mending of fences, much like with the Suns and Westphal and Barkley, who also left with bad feelings.

If you asked most people who grew up in the 70's who the most beloved Sun was it was easily Davis. R.I.P. Walter.

Bob, do you think he could have or would have had anything left in the tank as an off the bench microwave for us in 1993? Saw that he played with the Nuggets in 1992. Feels like it would have been a pretty awesome Capper for his career.

[The Bobster]

This one is especially tough. Paul Westphal and Walter Davis WERE Suns basketball to me as a kid. Along with Alvan Adams they were the backbone of the team in the late 70's.

Davis played with such enthusiasm and joy that we were all shocked when his drug problems came to light.

It was terribly sad the way his tenure with the Suns ended, but fortunately there was a mending of fences, much like with the Suns and Westphal and Barkley, who also left with bad feelings.

If you asked most people who grew up in the 70's who the most beloved Sun was it was easily Davis. R.I.P. Walter.

Bob, do you think he could have or would have had anything left in the tank as an off the bench microwave for us in 1993? Saw that he played with the Nuggets in 1992. Feels like it would have been a pretty awesome Capper for his career.

I don't think he was at the point with the organization where that would have been possible. Plus, that team was pretty well stocked as SF and SG (at least until Ceballos got hurt in the postseason).

[BKinSJC]

I changed my avatar out of respect (and the old Sarver cartoon GOAT was feeling a bit dated anyways). That SI cover from his rookie year is how I’ll always remember Sweet D, young, happy, athletic, and nearly unstoppable as a scorer.

He had bad injury luck and even worse addiction problems that the organization obviously didn’t know how to help him with at the time, but he’ll always be on my short list of favorites from my early years as a fan. RIP.

[Nodack]

He was before my time as a Suns fan. I’m sure I would have loved watching him play. I didn’t see what he died of. 69 seems too young.

[Superbone]

[LazarusLong]

On Feb. 25, 1983, Walter Davis set an all-time NBA record when he successfully scored his first 34 points against Seattle before finally missing a shot. He made his first 15 field goals and converted four straight free throws before missing a jumper with 55 seconds left in the game. Larry Costello had formerly held the record, having made all of his attempts on his first 32 points for the Syracuse Nationals in 1961.

[Uncle_Gene]

I remember watching him against the Lakers back in the day. He had a smooth jumper and was a great scorer.

R.I.P. Walter !

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

[The Bobster]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

[Superbone]

Congrats to Sweet D posthumously. At least his family can celebrate his life once again.

And I agree with you on Chambers and KJ.

[MightyMoog]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

A DPOY and a finals MVP.

I think Chambers and KJ will get in eventually. KJ just needs people to forget all his cringe behavior first.

[Charlie Smithy!]

If Karl Malone is in...🫠🫠🫠🥹🥹🥹

[Shabazz]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

I had this same thought when Billups got selected for the HOF. I watched both KJ and Billups and KJ was twice the player Chauncey was. Bad injury luck, team success (KJ didn’t have the benefit of playing in the awful 2000s EC) and the creepy stuff are the only reasons Billups is in the HOF instead.

[specialsauce]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

I had this same thought when Billios got selected for the HOF. I watched both KJ and Billups and KJ was twice the player Chauncey was. Bad injury luck, team success (KJ didn’t have the benefit of playing in the awful 2000s EC) and the creepy stuff are the only reasons Billups is on the HOF instead.

Might as well put Derek Fisher in the HOF.

Ridiculous. So diluted any more.

[Shabazz]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

I had this same thought when Billios got selected for the HOF. I watched both KJ and Billups and KJ was twice the player Chauncey was. Bad injury luck, team success (KJ didn’t have the benefit of playing in the awful 2000s EC) and the creepy stuff are the only reasons Billups is on the HOF instead.

Might as well put Derek Fisher in the HOF.

Ridiculous. So diluted any more.

I don’t think Chauncey doesn’t deserve to be there, but the HOF always seems to weigh team success much more heavily than individual brilliance. And team success is very much luck-based, except for the truly great players.

[The Bobster]

Well, it was a year too late for him to enjoy it, but Walter Davis has been elected into the Hall fof Fame.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/398 ... fame-class

Still, I don't know what makes Michael Cooper and Chauncy Billups more HoF worthy than Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson, except for team accomplishments.

I had this same thought when Billios got selected for the HOF. I watched both KJ and Billups and KJ was twice the player Chauncey was. Bad injury luck, team success (KJ didn’t have the benefit of playing in the awful 2000s EC) and the creepy stuff are the only reasons Billups is on the HOF instead.

Might as well put Derek Fisher in the HOF.

Ridiculous. So diluted any more.

I don’t think Chauncey doesn’t deserve to be there, but the HOF always seems to weigh team success much more heavily than individual brilliance. And team success is very much luck-based, except for the truly great players.

Let's put it this way - if the Lakers had drafted Larry Nance instead of the Suns and he had been playing PF for the on those teams, he'd be in the HoF by now. A lot of people probably won't agree, but Nance was a better player than Worthy.

[In2ition]

I wonder how things would have been different if the Suns won the coin flip? It's possible that Kareem would have stayed in Phoenix his whole career and the Suns would have become the NBA standard.

[Superbone]

I wonder how things would have been different if the Suns won the coin flip? It's possible that Kareem would have stayed in Phoenix his whole career and the Suns would have become the NBA standard.

Fun to think about. I'd love to check out that alternate reality world! (In before AIG recommends NBA 2K.)

[BKinSJC]

I wonder how things would have been different if the Suns won the coin flip? It's possible that Kareem would have stayed in Phoenix his whole career and the Suns would have become the NBA standard.

Fun to think about. I'd love to check out that alternate reality world! (In before AIG recommends NBA 2K.)

I think Kareem eventually has the same issues with Phoenix that he did with Milwaukee, as far as feeling too culturally dry. Kareem/Goodrich/Van Arsdale/Silas is a very good core for that era, though, and might have won a ring or two along the way.