Suns All-Time Top 10

[The Bobster]

I like seeing my all-time favorite Sun Dan Majerle mentioned on these lists. Its hard to put him in place of anyone on your original list.

One of my all-time favorites too. Here's my list of favorite Suns over the years in no particular order:

Majerle (All out hustle and defense in the early years. Great 3 point shooter later. I remember going to a game against the 76ers where Majerle totally frustrated then 76er Charles Barkley with his tenacious defense.)
Barkley (League MVP first year with Suns; Finals appearance first year with Suns; A top all-time player; Tells it like it is.)
Nash (Came on like gang busters after returning to the Suns. Took the league by storm. 7 seconds or less. Incredibly imaginative with his passes and incredibly fun to watch. Maybe my all-time favorite Sun.)
Stoudemire Unbelievably powerful. Came straight out of high school and shocked the league. Incredible power dunks through his competitors. Unbelievably fun to watch. Nash and him together were a powerful force. Similar to Stockton/Malone but on another level aesthetically.)
Nance (Extremely graceful and powerful dunker; A pleasure to watch; Great all-around guy.)
Ronnie Lee (Fan favorite. I remember white knee pads and headband. All-out hustle and diving on the floor frequently.)
KJ (Just talking basketball, folks. One of the all-time great Suns PGs. Finals appearance in 93.)
Dick Van Arsdale (The Original Sun. Hard worker at all times. Skilled too but nothing fancy. Long time Sun in the early years of the franchise. Consistently very good over many years.)
Paul Westphal (Westy was ambidextrous. He was a gamer and always brought his A game. Extremely fun to watch and always very competitive.)
Walter Davis (Sweet D. Silky smooth high jump shot release. The Greyhound. Transitioned from small forward to guard. Put up buckets.)

My list is pretty similar - Alvan Adams, Deandre Ayton, Charles Barkley, Leandro Barbosa, Mikal Bridges, Walter Davis, Jeff Hornacek, Kevin Johnson, Rich Kelley, Ronnie Lee, Larry Nance, Ricky Sobers, Paul Westphal

[The Bobster]

Favorite Suns Coach - 1. Cotton, 2. McLeod, 3. Westphal

I probably like Al Bianchi better than any of them though!

[LazarusLong]

I like Sobers, if for nothing else, that he elbowed and shoved Rick Barry in the 76 Western Conference finals.
Barry was MIA for the rest of the game.

[LazarusLong]

Favorite Suns Coach - 1. Cotton, 2. McLeod, 3. Westphal

I probably like Al Bianchi better than any of them though!

Love Bianchi's Finals ring, with his famous inscription dedicated to Richie Powers ...

[The Bobster]

The man could throw a clipboard!

[Mori Chu]

How about a Top-10 Suns #10 List. That is, the best players ever to wear #10 for the Suns? Here's the list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... _number#10

Dick Snyder (1968–1969)
Fred Taylor (1970–1971)
Jeff Webb (1972)
Phil Lumpkin (1975–1976)
Don Buse (1977–1980)
Rod Foster (1983–1986)
Greg Grant (1989–1990)
Duane Cooper (1993–1994)
David Wood (1996)
Sam Cassell (1996)
Dexter Boney (1997)
Milt Palacio (2002)
Diante Garrett (2012-2013)
Leandro Barbosa (2003–2010, 2014)
Zoran Dragić (2014-2015)
Seth Curry (2015)
Sonny Weems (2015-2016)
Chase Budinger (2016)
Derrick Jones Jr. (2016–2017)
Shaquille Harrison (2018)
Emanuel Terry (2019)
Ty Jerome (2019-2020)
Jalen Smith (2020-2022)
Damion Lee (2022-)

A real motley crew, I must say. The Brazilian Blur is on there (best Suns #10 of all time?) as well as current Sun Damion Lee.

[The Bobster]

I'm going with Don Buse or Leandro Barbosa

[Superbone]

I like seeing my all-time favorite Sun Dan Majerle mentioned on these lists. Its hard to put him in place of anyone on your original list.

One of my all-time favorites too. Here's my list of favorite Suns over the years in no particular order:

Majerle (All out hustle and defense in the early years. Great 3 point shooter later. I remember going to a game against the 76ers where Majerle totally frustrated then 76er Charles Barkley with his tenacious defense.)
Barkley (League MVP first year with Suns; Finals appearance first year with Suns; A top all-time player; Tells it like it is.)
Nash (Came on like gang busters after returning to the Suns. Took the league by storm. 7 seconds or less. Incredibly imaginative with his passes and incredibly fun to watch. Maybe my all-time favorite Sun.)
Stoudemire Unbelievably powerful. Came straight out of high school and shocked the league. Incredible power dunks through his competitors. Unbelievably fun to watch. Nash and him together were a powerful force. Similar to Stockton/Malone but on another level aesthetically.)
Nance (Extremely graceful and powerful dunker; A pleasure to watch; Great all-around guy.)
Ronnie Lee (Fan favorite. I remember white knee pads and headband. All-out hustle and diving on the floor frequently.)
KJ (Just talking basketball, folks. One of the all-time great Suns PGs. Finals appearance in 93.)
Dick Van Arsdale (The Original Sun. Hard worker at all times. Skilled too but nothing fancy. Long time Sun in the early years of the franchise. Consistently very good over many years.)
Paul Westphal (Westy was ambidextrous. He was a gamer and always brought his A game. Extremely fun to watch and always very competitive.)
Walter Davis (Sweet D. Silky smooth high jump shot release. The Greyhound. Transitioned from small forward to guard. Put up buckets.)

My list is pretty similar - Alvan Adams, Deandre Ayton, Charles Barkley, Leandro Barbosa, Mikal Bridges, Walter Davis, Jeff Hornacek, Kevin Johnson, Rich Kelley, Ronnie Lee, Larry Nance, Ricky Sobers, Paul Westphal

Nice. Barbosa, Bridges, and Hornacek should be on mine as well.

[Cap]

KJ at #3? No way. Knock him off the list.

considering only their games played with the Suns?

Sorry. Just can’t do it. The rest of life matters.

[The Bobster]

KJ at #3? No way. Knock him off the list.

considering only their games played with the Suns?

Sorry. Just can’t do it. The rest of life matters.

So are you saying Shaq is the greatest Suns player ever then?

[Cap]

KJ at #3? No way. Knock him off the list.

considering only their games played with the Suns?

Sorry. Just can’t do it. The rest of life matters.

So are you saying Shaq is the greatest Suns player ever then?

Because of that thing about saving the world from an arms dealer or something? That was just a movie.

[Superbone]

KJ at #3? No way. Knock him off the list.

considering only their games played with the Suns?

Sorry. Just can’t do it. The rest of life matters.

So are you saying Shaq is the greatest Suns player ever then?

Pretty sure he’s talking non-basketball activities.

[JeremyG]

First game watched (at least that I actually paid attention to): 1993 NBA Finals Game 6.

Top 10 Suns:

(Stats/awards are only from their time with the Suns)

1. Charles Barkley (4 seasons, 23/12/4, 4x All-Star, 1x MVP, 1x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-NBA Second Team, 1x All-NBA Third Team)
2. Steve Nash (second stint: 8 seasons, 16/3/11, 6x All-Star, 2x MVP, 3x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-NBA Second Team)
3. Devin Booker (8 seasons, 24/4/5, 3x All-Star, 1x All-NBA First Team)
4. Walter Davis (11 seasons, 21/3/4, 6x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Second Team, Rookie of the Year)
5. Kevin Johnson (12 seasons, 19/3/10, 3x All-Star, 4x All-NBA Second Team, 1x All-NBA Third Team)
6. Paul Westphal (first stint: 5 seasons, 23/2/6, 4x All-Star, 3x All-NBA First Team, 1x All-NBA Second Team)
7. Connie Hawkins (5 seasons, 20/9/4, 4x All-Star, 1x All-NBA First Team)
8. Shawn Marion (9 seasons, 18/10/2, 4x All-Star, 2x All-NBA Third Team)
9. Jason Kidd (5 seasons, 14/6/10, 2.1 spg, 3x All-Star, 3x All-NBA First Team, 2x All-Defensive First Team, 1x All-Defensive Second Team)
10. Amare Stoudemire (8 seasons, 21/9/1, 5x All-Star, 1x All-NBA First Team, 3x All-NBA Second Team, Rookie of the Year)

[JeremyG]

So rather than argue about Deadre Ayton for another couple of months

I see what you did there though. Isn't Deadre a woman's name?

I'm pretty sure I must have watched before the 75-76 season but that is the first I remember. I became a huge fan that year. I remember watching the Finals in my parents living room with long red shag carpet and flipping out when Gar Heard hit the shot Heard around the world.

I like your list. I'd probably move Book above Kevin Johnson now. As far as what it would take for Booker to achieve top status, there are various scenarios. Becoming league MVP like Barkley did his first year with us. Winning the Suns first NBA championship. A few more years of stellar top 10 play for the Suns to name a few.

After decades of hearing about Gar Heard and "the Shot Heard 'Round the World," with the help of your capitalization, I finally made the connection between his last name and the word "heard"!

[JeremyG]

How about a Top-10 Suns #10 List. That is, the best players ever to wear #10 for the Suns? Here's the list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... _number#10

Dick Snyder (1968–1969)
Fred Taylor (1970–1971)
Jeff Webb (1972)
Phil Lumpkin (1975–1976)
Don Buse (1977–1980)
Rod Foster (1983–1986)
Greg Grant (1989–1990)
Duane Cooper (1993–1994)
David Wood (1996)
Sam Cassell (1996)
Dexter Boney (1997)
Milt Palacio (2002)
Diante Garrett (2012-2013)
Leandro Barbosa (2003–2010, 2014)
Zoran Dragić (2014-2015)
Seth Curry (2015)
Sonny Weems (2015-2016)
Chase Budinger (2016)
Derrick Jones Jr. (2016–2017)
Shaquille Harrison (2018)
Emanuel Terry (2019)
Ty Jerome (2019-2020)
Jalen Smith (2020-2022)
Damion Lee (2022-)

A real motley crew, I must say. The Brazilian Blur is on there (best Suns #10 of all time?) as well as current Sun Damion Lee.

I remember Milt Palacio!!! He was a point guard I believe?

[BKinSJC]

How about a Top-10 Suns #10 List. That is, the best players ever to wear #10 for the Suns? Here's the list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... _number#10

Dick Snyder (1968–1969)
Fred Taylor (1970–1971)
Jeff Webb (1972)
Phil Lumpkin (1975–1976)
Don Buse (1977–1980)
Rod Foster (1983–1986)
Greg Grant (1989–1990)
Duane Cooper (1993–1994)
David Wood (1996)
Sam Cassell (1996)
Dexter Boney (1997)
Milt Palacio (2002)
Diante Garrett (2012-2013)
Leandro Barbosa (2003–2010, 2014)
Zoran Dragić (2014-2015)
Seth Curry (2015)
Sonny Weems (2015-2016)
Chase Budinger (2016)
Derrick Jones Jr. (2016–2017)
Shaquille Harrison (2018)
Emanuel Terry (2019)
Ty Jerome (2019-2020)
Jalen Smith (2020-2022)
Damion Lee (2022-)

A real motley crew, I must say. The Brazilian Blur is on there (best Suns #10 of all time?) as well as current Sun Damion Lee.

I remember Milt Palacio!!! He was a point guard I believe?

Buse was pretty good but didn't entirely fit with the MacLeod-era Suns. Barbs was probably the best Sun out of that bunch; Sam Cassell probably had the best overall career of the group.

[The Bobster]

How about a Top-10 Suns #10 List. That is, the best players ever to wear #10 for the Suns? Here's the list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... _number#10

Dick Snyder (1968–1969)
Fred Taylor (1970–1971)
Jeff Webb (1972)
Phil Lumpkin (1975–1976)
Don Buse (1977–1980)
Rod Foster (1983–1986)
Greg Grant (1989–1990)
Duane Cooper (1993–1994)
David Wood (1996)
Sam Cassell (1996)
Dexter Boney (1997)
Milt Palacio (2002)
Diante Garrett (2012-2013)
Leandro Barbosa (2003–2010, 2014)
Zoran Dragić (2014-2015)
Seth Curry (2015)
Sonny Weems (2015-2016)
Chase Budinger (2016)
Derrick Jones Jr. (2016–2017)
Shaquille Harrison (2018)
Emanuel Terry (2019)
Ty Jerome (2019-2020)
Jalen Smith (2020-2022)
Damion Lee (2022-)

A real motley crew, I must say. The Brazilian Blur is on there (best Suns #10 of all time?) as well as current Sun Damion Lee.

I remember Milt Palacio!!! He was a point guard I believe?

Buse was pretty good but didn't entirely fit with the MacLeod-era Suns. Barbs was probably the best Sun out of that bunch; Sam Cassell probably had the best overall career of the group.

Buse was actually a pretty good fit - he just didn;t have the shooter's mindset that Westphal and Davis did. Plus, he was a great defender. He had led the league in assists with Indiana in 1976-77, but MacLeod put the ball is Westphal's hands a lot so he ended up second on the team with the Suns in 1977-78.

[BKinSJC]

How about a Top-10 Suns #10 List. That is, the best players ever to wear #10 for the Suns? Here's the list:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_P ... _number#10

Dick Snyder (1968–1969)
Fred Taylor (1970–1971)
Jeff Webb (1972)
Phil Lumpkin (1975–1976)
Don Buse (1977–1980)
Rod Foster (1983–1986)
Greg Grant (1989–1990)
Duane Cooper (1993–1994)
David Wood (1996)
Sam Cassell (1996)
Dexter Boney (1997)
Milt Palacio (2002)
Diante Garrett (2012-2013)
Leandro Barbosa (2003–2010, 2014)
Zoran Dragić (2014-2015)
Seth Curry (2015)
Sonny Weems (2015-2016)
Chase Budinger (2016)
Derrick Jones Jr. (2016–2017)
Shaquille Harrison (2018)
Emanuel Terry (2019)
Ty Jerome (2019-2020)
Jalen Smith (2020-2022)
Damion Lee (2022-)

A real motley crew, I must say. The Brazilian Blur is on there (best Suns #10 of all time?) as well as current Sun Damion Lee.

I remember Milt Palacio!!! He was a point guard I believe?

Buse was pretty good but didn't entirely fit with the MacLeod-era Suns. Barbs was probably the best Sun out of that bunch; Sam Cassell probably had the best overall career of the group.

Buse was actually a pretty good fit - he just didn;t have the shooter's mindset that Westphal and Davis did. Plus, he was a great defender. He had led the league in assists with Indiana in 1976-77, but MacLeod put the ball is Westphal's hands a lot so he ended up second on the team with the Suns in 1977-78.

This is kind of what I meant - Buse, offensively, was run as a pure point in Indiana and had the ball and directed the offense almost all the time. The MacLeod Suns almost always spread that around between both guards, and then a lot of touches went to Alvan Adams passing from the high post to cutters, too. Buse was still valuable, but he was never going to lead the league in assists in that system.

[LazarusLong]

He was a Sun for only two seasons, but Gail Goodrich deserves a mention.
After a stellar college career at UCLA (winning two NCAA championships), Goodrich was a third guard for the Lakers behind Jerry West and Archie Clark. Lakers did not protect him in the expansion draft, and Suns management grabbed him.
In Phoenix, he got a chance to start and did well – in his first season, he scored 40, 43 and 47 points. For the season, Goodrich averaged 23.8 ppg — sixth in the league and tops on the team. He was selected for the 1969 NBA All-Star Game. In 1969–70, Goodrich averaged 20.0 ppg and 7.5 apg for a Suns team that made the playoffs and gave the Lakers a run for the money.
Suns management opted for height and traded for 7-foot center Mel Counts before the 70-71 season. Goodrich became a starter for the Lakers, winning an NBA title with the record-setting 71-72 team, averaging 25.9 ppg.
From the 1968–69 season through the 1975–76 season, Goodrich averaged 22.4 points a game, among the best in the NBA during that period, while also averaging over five assists per game.

[The Bobster]

"Stumpy" could really score. I was a little surprised he made it to the Hall of Fame, but he had a great college career at UCLA, so that was obviously what seperated him from the pack.

I think Van's tenacity and dependability has kind of been forgotten over the years. If there aver was a "Mr. Sun" it was him, and I enjoyed his color commentary alongside Al on the television broadcasts before he took over as interim coach. His health isn't what it was, so you don't see much about him anymore, but he's as much a pillar of the franchise as anyone (including Jerry C.)