COUNTDOWN 2025

[Charlie Smithy!]

He changed the game.

I know he walked so others could run, but I still wish he had shot more.

[Charlie Smithy!]

He changed the game.

Also I want to say it was on reddit, but I read somebody's take that Steve Nash was only as good as he was with us, because of all of the rule changes in the NBA during the offseason of which he was reacquired.

Please tell me there's no truth to this, shel!

[ShelC]

Not I.

[Split T]

They did change some of the hand checking rules that year, but Dallas had the number 1 ranked offense the year before with Nash at the helm

[Mori Chu]

I seem to have missed the #12 post for yesterday (Fri), so here it is a day late. #12 really doesn't have a lot of distinguished Suns. Pat Riley briefly wore it for the Suns in the '70s; Toby Bailey, Mickael Pietrus, Kendall Marshall, Torrey Craig (for a year; not his primary number), Richard Dumas (same); a few others. Currently Collin Gillespie wears it. But probably the two guys below are the most interesting to me. TJ Warren was a role player who never really amounted to much, but he gave us about 5 good years and was a capable scorer. Ish Wainwright was just an end-of-the-bench guy, but he was tough and strong and a good locker room presence.

[Mori Chu]

At #11, I'm going to go with Wesley Person. He played with us from 1994-97, and he had a reputation as a deadly marksman, much like his brother "The Rifleman" Chuck Person. Yes, another case of the Suns taking the inferior brother, but Wesley was a really good role player alongside those mid-90s contender teams. Other maybe-notable #11s: Clem Haskins, Zarko Cabarkapa, Pat Burke, Markieff Morris, Brandon Knight, Jamal Crawford, Abdel Nader, Bol Bol.

[Mori Chu]

I missed yesterday's pic again, but for Sunday at #10, there is one clear choice: The Brazilian Blur, Leandro Barbosa. Played with the Suns from 2003 - 2010 and briefly again in 2014; a key bench figure during the Nash / D'Antoni runs. Had a bit of tunnel vision and made a lot of mistakes, but he was one of the fastest players I've ever seen and could turn an entire game around with his bursts of scoring. Not quite the ideal backup PG to Nash, but a great player who helped us in some of our best ever seasons as a franchise. His best season was probably 2006-07 when he averaged 18.1 ppg and 43.4% 3pt. Meep meep!

[Mori Chu]

For today (Mon) at #9, you better believe there is only one choice, literally the only man who has worn #9 for the Suns, with his jersey retired and hanging in the rafters: "Thunder" Dan Majerle. Played for us in 1988–1995, and briefly came back in 2001–2002. Key component and third-man in the KJ/Barkley early-to-mid-90s contender teams. A Phoenix icon to this day.

[pickle]

No honorable mention for Malauch who is the 10th overall pick and wears #10?

[Superbone]

No honorable mention for Malauch who is the 10th overall pick and wears #10?

I think and I'm hopeful that he will be at the forefront of our minds in future countdown years.

And very cool that we are less than 10 days away from the start of the season and I will be there on opening night!

[Mori Chu]

No honorable mention for Malauch who is the 10th overall pick and wears #10?

Maluach probably deserved mention just because he's a current noteworthy player. Hopefully in a few years he'll be the guy we list at #10 above Barbosa!

[ShelC]

Barbs could be frustrating for sure, but he really was a fun player.

[Mori Chu]

Today at #8 we have a few interesting candidates. First I'll go with Eddie Johnson, who played for us from 1987 - 1990 and is still a Suns announcer and mainstay with the team. A bit before my time as a fan, but I know his shooting and scoring off the bench were always a welcome sight. More recently, Channing Frye played for us from 2009 - 2014 and was a sharpshooting big man who was a surprisingly big part of the late-Nash-era teams. Currently our own Grayson Allen wears #8. Lots of other honorable mentions: Rick Robey (1983-86), Tim Kempton (1992-94), Oliver Miller (1999-2000), Jalen Rose (2006-07), Tyler Ulis (2016-18), Frank Kaminsky (2019-2022). Who's your fave?

[Superbone]

A lot of great memories at number 8. It's wild that Oliver Miller only played for us for a year. He had a big, no pun intended, impact for us in that year.