Phoenix suns

1968–1976: Beginning

The Phoenix Suns became one of two teams that appeared in the NBA in the 1968–69 season (along with Milwaukee Bucks ). The basketball club was the first professional club not only in Phoenix, but also in Arizona . He remained the only team for almost 20 years (from 1973 to 1978, the nonexistent Phoenix Roadrunners club played at the All- Union Military Academy ) until the Phoenix Cardinals American football club moved from St. Louis in 1988. For 24 seasons, the team performed at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum venue. The club was owned by a group organized by Karl Eller, the minority owners were Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Vhavik Darji, Marvin Mayer and Richard Bloch. In addition to direct investors, celebrities also contributed: Andy Williams , Bobby Gentry and Ed Ames. The team had a group of critics, in particular, the NBA commissioner Walter Kennedy , who said that the Phoenix was "too hot", "too small", "too far" from success, as well as from the main NBA markets. This was stated even though the city metropolitan area of ​​Phoenix was constantly growing, and the Phoenix opposed itself to cities such as San Diego , Los Angeles , San Francisco and Seattle .

After constant lobbying by Bloch (who became President of the Phoenix Suns), in 1968 the NBA Board of Governors decided that on January 22, 1968, the Phoenix and Milwaukee would receive their own teams. For the "entrance" the club paid $ 2 million. The daily newspaper Arizona Republic organized a contest for the name of a new team and received 28 thousand responses. The winner received $ 1,000 and tickets for club home games for the entire debut season. The list of names included Scorpions, Rattlers, Thunderbirds, Wranglers, Mavericks, Timblevids, Mustangs, and Cougars. The name of the first creator of the team’s logo is known; it was Stan Fabe, who owned a commercial printing plant in Tucson. The first logo cost the team $ 200. He received the award after the local designer received about $ 5,000 for developing the logo, but he was not accepted by the management.

In the expansion draft of 1968, the Suns received two future members of the Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Oersdale Basketball Hall of Fame.

In 1968, the young general manager Jerry Colangelo , formerly a basketball agent for the Chicago Bulls ^[3] (the team that appeared in the NBA two years earlier) took over the team. He came along with head coach Johnny Kerr . In Chicago, in the first season with Collangelo and Kerr, the team won 33 matches and ended up in the playoffs (in addition, Kerr received the NBA Coach of the Year prize), while in Phoenix, the season turned out to be a failure with a win-loss ratio of 16–66, to reach playoffs did not have enough 25 wins.

At the end of the season, Goodrich and Van Oersdale were selected to participate in the All-Star Game . Goodrich, after two seasons at Suns, then returned to the former Lakers team, and Van Oersdale spent the rest of his career here, and subsequently even served as a club coach. The last place of the season brought the team several high peaks in the 1969 draft, but the first peak went to another expansion team, Milwaukee Bucks . Under the first peak, Milwaukee chose the legendary center Karim Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lewis Alsindor), and the “Suns” under the second number also chose the center Neal Walk ^[4] . The result almost immediately affected - “Bucks” won the NBA Final in 1971, and in 1974 they reached the Final again, and the “Suns” won the right to speak in the Final only once, in 1976. In the 1969–70 season, the Suns performed much better, finishing it with a score of 39–43, which allowed the team to get into the playoffs. However, in the first round, the Suns won the Los Angeles Lakers Western Conference winner, to whom they lost. The team finished the next two seasons (1970–71 and 1971–72) with 48 and 49 victories, respectively, but could no longer get into the playoffs until 1976.

1975–1976: Road to the Final

In the most successful season for themselves, 1975–76, the Phoenix made several key rearrangements for themselves. So, according to the results of the previous season, the former participant of the All-Star Game, quarterback Charlie Scott , was sold to Boston, and the 1974 NBA champion, quarterback Paul Westfal , moved to Phoenix. In addition, center picker and fan favorite Elwan Adams , as well as defender Ricky Sobers , were selected in the draft. In the middle of the season, the Suns and Buffalo Braves made a deal that resulted in Gar Heard joining Suns and center John Schumeit joining Buffalo . The season for Suns was very uneven, at first there was a series of 14–9 (the best record in the history of the team), then a recession of 4–18 followed, and a series of injuries overtook the team (including Dick Van Oersdale in February broke his arm). However, then the team managed to start, followed by a series of 24-13. At the end of the season, the team finished with a score of 42–40, which allowed for the first time since 1970 to take part in the playoffs. In the first round of the Western Conference, the Suns met with Seattle Supersonics , the series was won 4–2. In the final of the Western Conference, the current champion, the Golden State Warriors team, was defeated with a score of 4–3. As a result, the team for the first time in its history received the right to participate in the NBA Finals. In the final, the Suns met with the Boston Celtics , in which two future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame Dave Cowens and John Hawlichek soloed. The most important match (Match 5) of the series was held in Boston Garden , in which the "Suns" recouped from a difference of -22 and reached overtime. According to the results of the match, the players played three overtime, and the last one was Boston, which won with a score of 128–126. In the sixth match, “Boston” won away with a score of 87–80 and became the NBA champion.

1976–1988: From Success to Scandals

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the team spent several successful seasons, having hit the playoff zone eight times in a row. Problems on the site and beyond appeared in the mid-1980s. In 1987, 13 people involved in drug cases were identified in Maricopa County , three of whom were current Suns players ( James Edwards , Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezhik ). The prosecution was based in part on the interrogation of star player Walter Davis , who was granted immunity. None of the defendants was summoned to court, charges were dropped from two players, one received a probationary period. However, the case led to a large-scale scandal, it became a “ witch hunt ”, and the club incurred serious reputation costs at the local and national levels. The scandal allowed the general manager of the club, Jerry Colangelo, together with the group, to redeem the rights to the club from the former owners for a record at that time 44 million dollars. The drug scandal, as well as the loss in a plane crash of young center Nick Vanos, certainly affected the team's athletic performance.

1988–1992: Parish of Kevin Johnson

The return to the game began in 1988 when Kevin Johnson , Mark West and Tyrone Corbin moved to the team from Cleveland . In the opposite direction, the participant of the All-Star Game, heavy forward Larry Nance and Mike Sanders, proceeded. The exchange led to the strengthening of the team - the club participated in the playoffs thirteen times in a row. Heavy forward Tom Chambers (the first NBA in the history of the NBA) moved from Seattle, continued to improve his game, selected in the second round of the 1986 draft pick, Jeff Hornasek , and Dan Marley was selected in the 1988 draft (received as a result of an exchange with Kevin Johnson). In 1989, Kurt Rambis joined the Charlotte Hornets team, and the team reached the finals of the Western Conference, easily cracking down on the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round (4–1). In the final, the Suns lost to Portland. In 1991, the ratio of victories and defeats amounted to 55–27, however, in the first round of the playoffs, the Suns lost to Utah (3–1). In 1992, the team won 53 regular season matches with 29 defeats. Having four participants in the All-Star Game of the last two seasons (Chambers, Johnson, Hornasek and Marley), the Suns easily defeated the Spurs in the first round of the 1992 playoffs (3–0), but lost to Portland again in the semifinals ( 4-1). The most interesting was Match 4, in which the “Suns” lost in two overtime with a score of 153–151 (the largest score in the NBA playoffs). In this match, the Suns played the last match in the old Colosseum.

1992-1996: Era of Charles Barkley

In 1992, the Suns moved to a new arena in the suburbs of Phoenix, America's West Arena (now called the Toking Stick Risot Arena ). It turned out that unofficially the arena is called the "Purple Palace" (Purple Palace) because of its seats, which is very well coordinated with the team colors. From the " Philadelphia " was exchanged participant in the All-Star Game, heavy forward Charles Barkley . Jeff Hornasek , Andrew Lang and Tim Perry went to Philadelphia. Following the results of the NBA season 1992–93, Barkley received the title of MVP . In addition to Barkley, the team included some other key players, such as Danny Age and center Oliver Miller drafted by Arkansas and forward Richard Dumas (who was drafted in 1991, but was suspected of breaking the NBA rules for drug use in his debut season).

In 1992, Paul Westfall turned from an assistant into the head coach of the team, for whom the season in this post was his debut. Westfall already led the team, and was also part of the Suns of 1976, which reached the NBA Finals. At the end of the season, the Suns set a club record by gaining 62 victories in the regular season (the record lasted until the 2004–05 season). In the first round of the playoffs, the team beat the seeders under the eighth number of the Lakers, having recouped from 0-2 in a series of five matches. The leader was Charles Barkley , who scored 25+ points (except for the second match of the series, where he scored 18), as well as 10+ rebounds (in the second match he made 21 rebounds). In the semi-finals of the conference, the Spurs were waiting for them, who were beaten with a score of 4-2. Barkley was also the best player in the Suns, with Kevin Johnson leading almost all statistics. At the end of the conference, the Suns went to the Supersonics, each team won the home match and conceded away. But since the matches began on the Sanz venue, the decisive seventh match took place on the home venue, in which the team managed to win with a score of 123-110. Johnson and Barkley remained the leaders. In the seventh match, Barkley made a double-double , scored 44 points and made 24 rebounds. As a result, the team managed to reach the NBA Finals for the second time in the club’s history. In the final, the Suns team was waiting for the Chicago Bulls , in which future members of the Basketball Hall of Fame Michael Jordan and Scotty Pippen shone . In the series, a match was recorded with three overtime (Match 3), which was the second for Suns (after the 1976 Final), becoming a record for one NBA team in history ^{[5] [6]} Suns coach Paul Westfall was the only one who took part in two matches of the final series with three overtime (as a player in 1976 and as a coach in 1992). It should be noted that the most stubborn was the last match (Match 6), which ended with a score of 98–99 in favor of the Bulls. 3.9 seconds before the end of normal time, John Paccson scored a three-point shot, and in the last seconds Horace Grant made a block shot , not allowing the “Suns” to throw. Despite the defeat, around 300,000 fans took to the streets of Phoenix to celebrate the end of the season. ^[7]

The Suns continued to perform successfully in the regular season and in the following seasons. According to the results of four seasons (1992–1995), the ratio of wins and losses was 178–68. The team continued to strengthen the roster, with players like ACC Green , Danny Manning , Wesley Person , Wayman Tisdale and Elliot Perry . Despite winning the Pacific Division title in 1995, the Suns were knocked out of the Western Conference semifinals by the Houston Rockets team, and this happened twice, in 1994 and 1995. Both times it took seven matches to identify the winner. In 1995, the Suns lost their last three matches (Matches 5, 6, and 7). Manning was injured; in 1995, he suffered a ligament injury before a break for the All-Star Game. Both times, the Suns led the series and lacked one victory (2–0 in 1994, 3–1 in 1995), but each time the Rockets managed to return and recoup, and then win the series.

At the end of the 1994–95 season, Phoenix general manager Brian Colangelo (son of Jerry Colangelo) started a very strange exchange. Dan Marley, the All-Star Game participant, and the peak of the first draft round in exchange for John Williams were sent to Cleveland. The exchange was even stranger when you consider that Marley was a fan favorite and an informal team leader ^[8] . The rationale for this decision was the need for a high center, but was subsequently found to be erroneous, as the game of Williams did not meet expectations.

The 1995–96 season was disappointing, even though Michael Finley, a member of this year’s rookie team, got into the team during the draft. Finley, due to damage, could not take part in the playoffs. The Suns season ended with a score of 41–41, which brought them in the first round to the San Antonio Spurs . Westphal was fired mid-season and gave way to Fitzsimmons , who led the Phoenix for the third time in his career. In the wake of the deteriorating climate in the team, as well as in connection with the disagreements of Barkley and Collangelo, which resulted in newspaper pages, Barkley moved to Houston. In exchange, the Suns received Sam Cassell , Robert Orry , Mark Bryant, Chucky Brown, but the deal did not benefit the team. The feud between Collangelo and Barkley continues to this day, including why Charles was only a few times present at home matches of the Phoenix. In particular, he took part in the ceremony of removing his number ( 34 ) from circulation in 2004. As for the newly arrived players, a year later, three out of four changed the club, and the two most talented - Cassell and Orry regularly came into conflict with the coach, which negatively affected the overall climate in the team.

In the 1996 draft, the team received Steve Nash . Hearing an unfamiliar surname, fans accepted the player howling, as he did not speak at well-known college conferences at the college level and was a “dark horse”. In the first two seasons, he played the role of the third point guard, remaining behind Jason Kidd and Kevin Johnson. As a result, in June 1998, the Sons decided to sell it to Dallas in exchange for Martin Muirsepp , Bubba Wells, the rights to Pat Garrity and the upcoming peak of the first round ( Sean Marion was chosen for it).

1996–2004: Transitional period

After the sale of Barkley, in the 1996–97 season, the team entered with the worst performance in club history, losing all 13 starting matches. Fitzsimmons was forced to resign as head coach and was replaced by former team player Danny Aange .

After a squabble between the Age and Horri arranged during the match, the latter was sold to the Lakers in exchange for the former Suns player and Cedric Ceballos, a member of the All-Star Game . Cassell was later sold to Dallas, in exchange defender Jason Kidd appeared in the team. Possessing a low starting five, the “Suns” issued an 11-match winning streak and got into the playoffs. However, in the first round of the series, the team met Supersonics, who won the series with three to three victories. Despite the defeat already in the first stage of the playoffs, the “Suns” became the only NBA team at that time that got into the playoffs after losing the starting series 0-10 or worse, as well as one of the few teams that got into the playoffs off after a losing 10+ series in regular season matches (until 2002 and the Toronto Raptors ). Before preparing for the 2000 season, the Suns broke an “eternal” bunch (also called Backcourt 2000 , English Backcourt 2000 ) ^[9] Anferny Harduay and Kidd, which caused the anger of the fans of the club. It should be noted that the bunch did not work at full capacity due to the fact that Hardway missed several games in the 1999–2000 season, and Kidd broke his ankle before the club entered the playoffs of 2000 (Hardway was back in operation at that time ) As for the team, she with the returning Hardway in the first round of the playoffs knocked out San Antonio Spurs , who had a higher sowing with a score of 3–1. The Spurs performed without their main star, Tim Duncan , who missed the entire series. However, already in the second round with the returning Kidd and Hardway, the team lost to the future champion, the Los Angeles Lakers , with a score in the series 4–1.

In the 2001–02 season, the team did not make it to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years (result of the regular season 36–46). The season was related to the sale of one of the stars, Jason Kidd, who was traded at the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury . Oddly enough, the Nets were more at risk - Kidd was four years older, and shortly before the exchange, he was accused of domestic violence . In addition, they presented two different defender concepts ^[10] . The most successful in recent years was the 2002 NBA Draft , in which Amare Stademire was chosen under the common 9th number.

The 2002–03 season showed the importance of Cypress Creek High School graduate ( Orlando , Florida ) Stademire, who became a key player in the club. He was the first and only high school graduate at that time to receive the NBA Rookie of the Year 2002–03 prize (the next year LeBron James became such a graduate). In the season, the team performed much better (44–38) and again received the right to play in the playoffs. The star season also came from Marbury, who was in the NBA's third national team and got the right to play in the All-Star Game 2003. In the first round of the Sanz playoffs, San Antonio again fell. The team lost in a series of six matches (4–2) to the future NBA champion.

In the 2003–04 season, Phoenix did not make it to the playoffs. In the middle of the season, the team started an incomprehensible exchange, as a result, Marbury and Hardway left the club (went to New York), and in return they got Antonio MacDyess and the peak of the first round of future drafts (eventually went to Denver).

2004–2012: The Steve Nash Era

2004–2006: Nash becomes MVP

The beginning of the season was associated with changes in the management of the club. They were voiced by Jerry Colangelo, who said that the Phoenix Suns club for $ 401 million. sold to a San Diego investment group led by Takson-born Robert Sarver. Despite this, the team had an excellent season 2004–05, setting a record of 62–20, and also surpassing the 1992–93 season. Compared to last season, which ended with a win-loss ratio of 29-53, this was a major achievement. They also showed a record for changing the number of victories in one year (+33). This was primarily due to pre-season training. So, in the offseason, Steve Nash , a member of the All-Star Game , was signed, who moved from Dallas to the club where he began his professional career. In the same season, Nash won the title of MVP . Стадемайр и Мэрион были приглашены на Матч всех звёзд, а тренер Майкл Д'Антони в дебютном же сезоне стал Тренером года НБА . В плей-офф 2005 года «Финикс» получил первый номер посева в Западной конференции. «Санз» со счётом 4—0 обыграли «Мемфис», во втором раунде нанесли поражение сеянному под четвертым номером «Далласу» со счётом 4—2. Стив Нэш стал героем Матча 6, переведя игру в овертайм точным трёхочковым на последних секундах. В финале Западной конференции «Санз» вышли на « Сан-Антонио », проиграв будущему чемпиону со счётом в серии 1—4. Следует отметить, что в первых двух матчах не принимал участие Джо Джонсон, а в оставшихся выходил на 40 минут и в среднем набирал 18,3 очка. «Санз» потерпели поражение в первых двух матчах дома, затем проиграли один матч на выезде, после чего счёт в серии стал 0—3. Единственным светлым пятном стал Матч 4, который «Финикс» выиграл на выезде 111–106. Последним матчем в плей-офф стало домашнее поражение в Матче 5 со счётом 101–95. Лучшим бомбардиром команды в матчах со «Спёрс» стал Стадемайр, набиравший в среднем 37 очков (лучший показатель для новичка финала конференции).

Сезон 2005–06 начался с повреждения Стадемайра и вынужденной операции на колене 18 октября 2005 года. В итоге он пропустил весь сезон за исключением трёх матчей регулярного чемпионата. Кроме того, обмена в «Атланту» попросил Джо Джонсон , за которого «Санз» получили два пика первого раунда и Бориса Дьяо . Другими приобретениями этого сезона стали Раджа Белл и Курт Томас . Несмотря на видимое ослабление команды, «Финикс» занял первое место в Тихоокеанском дивизионе с соотношением побед и поражений 54–28 и были посеяны под вторым номером в Западной конференции. Нэш получил второй титул MVP регулярного чемпионата подряд, став вторым в истории разыгрывающим защитником (после Мэджика Джонсона ), завоевавшим два титула подряд. Дьяо также получил приз самому прогрессирующему игроку НБА .

В первом раунде плей-офф 2006 года «Финиксу» попался «Лос-Анджелес». Из-за более высокого посева шансы «Санз» оценивались выше, однако серия вышла достаточно сложной. После победы в Матче 1 на домашней площадке потрясающую игру показал атакующий защитник Коби Брайант , а Финикс проигрывал в серии 1—3. Однако игроки собрались и выиграли три встречи подряд, обеспечив общую победу 4—3. Во втором раунде «Санз» вышли на «Клипперс», которые достаточно легко разобрались с победителем дивизиона Денвером 1—4. Это была первая встреча команды в серии плей-офф в истории обоих коллективов ^[11] . Серия также была напряженной, команды обменялись победами на чужой площадке. После четырёх матчей счёт в серии был равным, 2–2. В пятом матче «Санз» проигрывали с разницей -19, однако выровняли игру и в двух овертаймах одержали победу со счётом 125—118. Лидером команды стал Мэрион, набравший 36 очков и совершивший 20 подборов. Стив Нэш отметился 13 результативными передачами. Однако героем матча стал Раджа Белл, который сравнял счёт трёхочковым за 1,1 секунды до конца первого овертайма ^[12] . И хотя в шестом матче на площадке соперника «Санз» проиграли (118—106), последняя решающая домашняя встреча осталась за ними с разницей +20 (127—107). Игра состоялась 22 мая 2006 года. В этом матче «Санз» установили еще несколько рекордов: это была седьмая победа подряд на домашней площадке «ЮС Эйрвейс-центр», а также забросили 15 трёхочковых. В финале Западной конференции «Санз» вышли на « Даллас Маверикс ». В данной паре аутсайдерами уже смотрелись сами «Санз». После того, как они выиграли первый матч в Далласе с разницей в один точный бросок (121—118), последовало поражение (98—105), счёт в серии сравнялся 1—1. Из двух домашних встреч «Финиксу» удалось выиграть только одну, но клуб повторил рекорд 1993 года по количеству побед в плей-офф. Успеху в серии способствовала игра (несмотря на потерю Стадемайра) Бориса Дьяо, Раджи Белла (который пропустил две игры серии из-за повреждения), а также опытного Леандро Барбозы. Кроме того, команда обладала запасом разных исполнителей и длинной "скамейкой", чего не хватало в предыдущие сезоны. После того, как счёт в серии стал 2–2, Даллас выиграл у себя дома (117—101), а главным действующим лицом стал Дирк Новицки , набравший 50 очков и 12 подборов. В решающем матче одержал победу и на выезде (93–102). Так, счёт в серии стал 2–4, а «Санз» вылетели из розыгрыша.

2006–2008: Семь секунд или меньше

При тренере Д'Антони «Санз» в нападении использовали тактику быстрого отрыва, ставшую известной как 7 секунд или меньше (формула, которая в дальнейшем получила признание и стала названием для книги, выпущенной издательством Sports Illustrated под авторством Джека Маккаллума ). Несмотря на критику защитных порядков «Санз», они начали пользоваться имеющимся и достаточно эффективным нападением, рассчитанным на быстрых бросках и передачах. Такая тактика оставляла мало шансов для защищающейся команде при высокой точности бросков, однако атакующей команде также было сложно перестроиться и организовать эффективную защиту. ^[13] Собрав в команде таких игроков как Стив Нэш, Шон Мэррион и Амаре Стадемайр (и в меньшей степени Джо Джонсон и Раджа Бэлл), «Финикс» стал одной из самых зрелищных команд лиги. ^[14]

Нэш, Мэррион и Стедемайр могли как решить эпизод самостоятельно (двух- или трёхочковый бросок), так и отдать результативную передачу. Роль разыгрывающего защитника выполнял Стив Нэш .

В сезон 2006–07 команда входила под лозунгом: «Только трофей!» ( англ. Eyes on the Prize ), а задачей становилось завоевание первого в истории клуба чемпионства. С 20 ноября по 22 декабря «Санз» выдали победную серию из 15 матчей, за которой практически сразу последовала ещё одна, 17-матчевая (с 29 декабря по 28 января). 14 марта «Санз» (49-14) встретились с « Даллас Маверикс » (52-10) в матче «больших ожиданий» для той и другой команды. Оба клуба боролись за верхние строчки посева в Западной конференции а Нэш вместе с Новицки претендовали на титул MVP . Хотя в матче в двумя овертаймами победу одержали «Санз», ^[15] первое место на Западе осталось за «Маверикс» (67-15), а Новицки с небольшим преимуществом победил в споре за звание MVP сезона. ^[sixteen]

Однако тогда как «Маверикс», посеянные под первым номером уступили «Уорриорз» в первом раунде, «Санз» с соотношением побед и поражений 61-21 смогли одолеть «Лейкерс» с Кобе Брайантом в пяти матчах первого раунда. После этого «Санз» вышли на своего извечного соперника « Сан-Антонио Спёрс », что стало отражением финала конференции 2005 года. В серии из шести матчей победили «Спёрс», а критики условно назвали серию "финалом НБА" 2006–07. Чемпионами стали баскетболисты «Сан-Антонио» ^[17] .

6 июня генеральным менеджером клуба и президентом по баскетбольным операциям стал бывший аналитик канала TNT Стив Керр . Приход Керра и ряда других менеджеров был частью сделки по продаже клуба Джерри Коланжело инвестиционной группе ^{[18] [19]} . Первым новичком стал лёгкий форвард «Орландо» Грант Хилл . Контракт был заключён на год (стоимость составила 1,8 млн.) с правом продления еще на год (2 млн.). Хилл, который долгое время страдал от последствий травмы, в «Санз» перезапустил карьеру и четыре сезона подряд выходил в стартовой пятёрке.

«Санз» окончили сезон 55-27, выиграв на два матча меньше «Лейкерс», которые выиграли дивизион. В первом раунде плей-офф «Санз» проиграли «Спёрс» в пяти матчах серии, впервые не преодолев эту стадию со времени прихода Нэша. Неоторые связывали это с обменом в середине сезона Шона Мэриона на Шакила О'Нила ^{[20] [21]} . Хотя Шакил был призван нейтрализовать центрового Тима Данкана, однако команда лишилась быстрого нападения, которое и привело её к финалу конференции ^[22] .

11 мая 2008 года главный тренер «Санз» Майкл Д'Антони покинул свой пост и перешёл в « Нью-Йорк Никс ».

2008–2010: Взлёты и падения

9 июня 2008 года главным тренером «Финикс Санз» стал Терри Портер , который ранее работал помощником главного тренера в команде « Детройт Пистонс ». Его просьба об отставке была удовлетворена после поражения от «Бостон Селтикс» в финале Восточной конференции 2008 года. В межсезонье у «Санз» были некоторые трудности с подписанием свободных агентов, так как команда могла попасть под действие "налога на роскошь". Были предприняты попытки подписать разыгрывающего Тайрона Лью , однако тот решил перейти в «Милуоки», где ему предложили большую зарплату. «Санз» на драфте НБА 2008 года под 15-м номером выбрали Робина Лопеса , а также получили права на Горана Драгича (от Сан-Антонио).

16 февраля «Санз» уволили Портера и наняли Элвина Джентри. Стиль, к которому команда хотела перейти, был представлен маленькой быстрой пятёркой и тактикой "7 секунд или меньше", либо "беги и бросай" ( англ. Run and gun ). 18 февраля Джентри начал тренерскую карьеру с матча против «Клипперс», в котором «Санз» одержали домашнюю победу со счётом 140–100. Шесть игроков отметились двузначными цифрами в графе "очки", а Леандро Барбоза набрал 24 очка. Однако существенным минусом такой тактики стал провал в защитных действиях команды, которая позволяла противнику забивать больше 107 очков за матч (27-й результат в лиге). В следующих двух матчах «Санз» набрали 140 очков. 20 февраля Стадемайр перенёс успешную операцию на глаз и выбыл на восемь недель. В остававшихся матчах при Джентри финишировали 18–13, однако по итогам сезона соотношение побед и поражений составило 46–36, а команда не попала в плей-офф. По итогам сезона команда находилась в разобранном состоянии, готовясь к переменам.

В сезоне 2009–10 игра команды стала более сбалансированной, «Санз» завершили сезон 54–2 и попали в плей-офф, где добрались до финала Западной конференции В первом раунде в шести матчах был обыгран «Портленд», затем в четырёх - «Спёрс». В третьем матче против «Сан-Антонио» "выстрелил" Горан Драгич , набрав 23 очка в четвёртой четверти. В финале конференции «Санз» вышли на «Лейкерс» и были обыграны в шести матчах.

15 июня 2010 года Керр подал в отставку с поста генерального менеджера и вернулся аналитиком в TNT. Делами клуба начали заниматься владельцы, последними действиями Керра и Давида Гриффина стали выбор на драфте 2010 года Гани Лаваля (46-й номер драфта) (60-й пик) и Дуэйна Коллинза .

2010–2012: Медленное падение без Амаре

С середины 2010-х «Санз» находились в режиме перестройки. В 2010 году команда предоставила статус свободного агента Амаре Стадемайеру . У игрока был обеспеченный пятилетний контракт с суммой около 95 млн.долл., однако всего он получил 71 млн., а остальная сумма ему полагалась при некоторых условиях, в том числе гарантии на 4 и 5 сезон предусматривали его физическую форму и отсутствие травм. Однако летом 2010 года «Санз» предоставили своему звёздному игроку статус свободного агента и он перешёл в « Нью-Йорк Никс », где гарантированно получал 100 млн.долл. Клуб также нанял баскетбольного агента Лона Бабби на пост президента по трансферной политике. Команда потратила около 80 млн.долл. и получила Тюркоглу , Чилдресса и Уоррика . Изменения в составе были призваны не только заменить ушедшего Стадемайра, но и увеличить глубину скамейки. 5 августа 2010 года команда наняла генерального менеджера Ланса Блэнкса, который должен был обеспечить процесс перехода. 19 декабря 2010 года «Санз» получили права на Винса Картера , Микаэля Пьетрюса и Марцина Гортата от «Орландо». Также была получена финансовая компенсация и драфт второго раунда ^[23] . Для обеспечения сделки «Санз» продали Джейсона Ричардсона , Эрла Кларка и недавно приобретенного Хедо Тюркоглу . 24 февраля 2011 года «Санз» получили Аарона Брукса , продали защищенный пик первого раунда, а также атакующего защитника Горана Драгича в « Хьюстон Рокетс ».

В «Санз» предполагали, что пропуск плей-офф даст возможность перестроить команду. В июне 2011 года на драфте НБА команда под общим 13-м номером выбрала тяжёлого форварда из Канзаса Маркиффа Морриса , брат-близнец которого также выступал в НБА за « Детройт Пистонс ». На драфте НБА 2012 году «Санз» под 13-м номером выбрали атакующего защитника Кендалла Маршалла , который на уровне колледжей установил несколько рекордов за сезон по результативным передачам в колледже ^[24] и конференции АСС ^[25] , а также получил Приз имени Боба Коузи ^[26] .

2012–н.в.: Эра после Стива Нэша

During the opening of the free agent market in 2012, Suns traded Steve Nan at the Los Angeles Lakers for two peaks of the first round (2013 and 2015), as well as two peaks of the second round (2013 and 2014). After the deal, Houston managed to get Goran Dragic again, sign Minnesota striker Michael Beasley , and also offered Houston to buy Louis Skola , agreeing to amnesty his contract (after the lockout ). At Phoenix itself, the contract with Josh Childress was terminated. There was also a three-way deal with New Orleans Hornets and Timberwolves to sell Robin Lopez and Hakim Warrick to the Hornets, the 2014 peak of the second round in Minnesota in exchange for light forward Wesley Johnson , the right to choose the top 14 protected draft the peak of future seasons, as well as rights to Brad Miller and Jerome Dyson . Later, the last two players were expelled, and the Suns signed a one-year contract with Jermaine O'Neill . Also, following a performance in the NBA Summer League, a contract was signed with PJ Tucker . On September 20, Channing Fry was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy ; as a result, he missed the entire 2012–13 season, although he went out on the home site to go home with Tom Lender and Tom Chambers. On January 12, 2013, the Suns became the fourth team in league history to win 2,000 regular season matches. The record was set in a guest game against the Chicago Bulls . In addition, the match was the last under the leadership of Alvin Gentry. January 18, 2013, a day after the victorious home streak of 24 matches ended in defeat for Milwaukee Bucks , Gentry decided to leave the team ^[27] . Two days later, Lindsay Hunter, a representative of the Suns coaching staff, was appointed coach before the end of the season. Two assistants to the head coach, Dan Marley and Elston Turner, quit. On February 21, 2013, it was announced that the Suns had exchanged the 2013 second round peak at Houston in exchange for Marcus Morris , heavy brother's twin brother Markiff Morris ^[28] . A day later, the Suns announced the sale of Toronto's Sebastian Telfair in exchange for Iranian center Hamed Haddadi and the peak of the second round of the 2014 NBA draft . The team finished the first season after Steve Nash left with a win-loss ratio of 25–57, the second worst result in club history. The worst was the first ever NBA team season.

On April 22, 2013, it was announced that the general manager, Lance Blanks, was fired (he has held this position since August 5, 2010) ^[29] . On May 7, 2013, Ryan MacDona, who previously served as the assistant coach of the Celtics, was appointed to the post of general manager ^[30] . On May 26, 2013, the Suns hired former player Jeff Hornasek as head coach, replacing Lindsay Hunter . A day later, the Suns hired Washington Director of Human Resources, Pat Connally, and former Lakers assistant Ronnie Lester to search for young talent. ^[31] In addition, Emilio Kovacic was hired for the role of international scout. Trevor Buckstein became assistant general manager ^{[32] [33]} . Prior to the official appointment of assistants, the team also left Igor Kokoshkov , who moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers . The team also began a new season with some logo changes, the violet color in most elements was replaced with black, but purple remained in the colors of the form.

In the 2013 NBA draft , which took place on June 27, the team selected under the fifth fifth number of the Ukrainian center Alexei Len , and under the 57th number Alex Oreakhi. The overall 30th draft number was exchanged at Warriors for Archie Goodwin and Malcolm Lee . On July 2, 2013, the Suns took part in a tripartite deal that also included the Los Angeles Clippers and Milwaukee Bucks . As part of the deal, the team abandoned Jared Dudley, who went to the Clippers along with the peak of the second round of the 2014 draft. In exchange, defender Eric Bledso and light forward Caron Butler , who had previously played for the Clippers, joined the team. On July 27, Luis Skola went to Indiana, followed in the opposite direction by Gerald Green , Miles Plumley , as well as the protected peak (top 14) of the first round of the 2014 draft. On August 29, the Suns sold Butler to Milwaukee in exchange for center-back Vyacheslav Kravtsov and defender Isha Smith . In addition, on September 3, Michael Beasley was expelled from the team. The last deal before the start of the new 2013–14 season was the sale of Polish center Marcin Gortat , defenders Kendall Marshall and Shannon Brown and Malcolm Lee to Washington Wizards. In exchange, the club received a veteran Emeku Okafor and a protected peak of the first round (top 12) of the 2014 draft.

The club was predicted a bad start, but the season showed the opposite. The beginning of the season showed a 16–10 win-loss ratio. The creator of the team’s success was Eric Bledso , but in a match against the Clippers he got a knee injury that happened in the ratio. As a result, the player missed 33 matches of the season due to an injury in which the Suns played 17–16. Almost 50% of the victories were achieved jointly by Gerald Green, Markiff and Marcus Morris, Channing Fry and Miles Plumley. In addition, in the middle of the season, Goran Dragic “shot” in which the team issued a segment 36–27 and made it possible for the team to get into the playoffs, and Dragic - in the participants of the All-Star Game. In the last games of the season, the Phoenix competed for a place in the playoffs with Dallas and Memphis, and the calendar brought the three teams together in the last week of the regular season. Until the last week, the results of the Phoenix were 47–32, and both opponents - 48–32. The Phoenix lost both matches to Dallas and Memphis, but won against Sacramento and ended the 48–34 season. “Dallas” defeated “Phoenix” and lost to “Memphis”, stopping at a ratio of 49–33, while “Memphis” defeated both and beat these clubs in the table with a final result of 50–32. Thus, Memphis finished seventh, Dallas eighth, and Phoenix ninth. This was a big disappointment for the “Sons”, who did everything to get into the playoffs in a difficult Western conference.

In the 2014 NBA Draft, Phoenix received a sophomore from North Carolina State University , forward TJ Warren , Canadian defender from Syracuse Tyler Ennis , Serbian attack defender Bogdan Bogdanovich , and center forward from Wisconsin Green Bay Alec Brown. After trying to sign one of the “star” players such as LeBron James , Carmelo Anthony or Chris Bosch , losing the key player Channing Fry (transferred to Orlando Magic ), Suns decided to sign Thomas Aiza , point guard, with Sacramento , offering him four-year contract for 27 million dollars. Alex Oriahi was offered in exchange, and an exception of $ 7 million was also included ^[34] . On September 24, 2014, the club and Eric Bledso agreed a five-year contract worth $ 70 million. It was preceded by a long history with no suggestions from both sides. ^[35] A few days later, on September 29, 2014, contracts with Markiff and Marcus Morris were renewed, four-year contracts of both were valued at 52 million, with Markiff receiving 32, and Marcus remaining $ 20 million. ^[36] Before the sales deadline for NBA players, February 19, 2015 Suns also decided to renew their roster. After injuries, as well as the decision to exchange, the team left Goran Dragic and his brother Zoran , who transferred to the Miami Heat in exchange for Danny Granger and two first-round spades from Miami (draft 2017 and 2021). The deal was tripartite, and New Orleans also took part in it. ^[37] Immediately after the exchange, the Sons stunned the public with yet another exchange. Defender Brandon Knight was bought from Milwaukee Bucks , and Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumley were sent in exchange. In addition, the Lakers' first round rush of 2015 was sent to Philadelphia. ^[38] Isaiah Thomas was sold to the Boston Celtics , in exchange the team received Marcus Thornton and the peak of the first round of 2016 from the Cleveland Cavaliers . ^[39]

2015 - n. at. : Signing Devin Booker

In the 2015 NBA draft, Phoenix, under number 13, received an offensive defender, Devin Booker . He became the youngest player in club history and was drafted by the Suns at the age of 18. In an official match, he made his debut two days before reaching the age of 19 in a game against the Dallas Mavericks . Also in the same year, point guard Andrew Harrison was drafted under number 44, who was immediately exchanged at Memphis Grizzlies for heavy striker John Luer .

On February 1, 2016, the team relieved head coach Jeff Hornasek of his duties ^[40] . It was later announced that the former Suns player Earl Watson would be the interim head coach. Immediately, the club was reshuffled. On February 19, Markiff Morris set off for Washington. Chris Humphries , Dejuan Blair and the peak of the first round of the draft of 2016 followed in the opposite direction. On March 14, 2016, it became clear that the team would miss the playoffs for the sixth season in a row, which was the worst series (previously the team hadn’t hit the playoffs five times from 1970 to 1975). However, there were some achievements in the season. Young Devin Booker , previously only a substitute, moved into the leadership position due to the grasses of the leaders (Bledso and Knight). He was the first of the club (after Stademire in 2003) to get into the NBA rookie team ^[41] . On April 19, 2016, Watson officially became head coach and took on new assistants, including Canadian Jay Triano , former club players Tyrone Corbin , Marlon Garnett and Scott Duncan. At the 2016 draft, the fourth center number was the Croatian center Dragan Bender , from “Washington” Marquez Criss appeared on the team, as well as point guard Tyler Ulis . Criss was received due to the sale of the “Sons” of the 13th and 28th pick draft, Bogdan Bogdanovich went with the peak of 2020 from Detroit to the “ Sacramento Kings ”. In the period of additional applications of free agents in 2016, the favorites of the club's fans Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley returned to the team, who entered into new contracts with Suns.

The team finished the season 2016-17 without any significant improvements both in the quality of the game and in the statistics. There were no improvements either due to the return of Eric Bledso to the system, or the development of his own youth (Booker). Booker in the debut season became a member of the NBA rookie team, in the second season he was in the lead in the “Suns” by the number of points (22.1 on average per match), although he was not yet 20 years old. Another Phoenix player, heavy forward Marquez Criss , got into the second team of newcomers, Tyler Ulis added cool after the break for the All-Star Game. At the 2017 draft, Phoenix had a high fourth peak, thanks to which they got the rights to promising light forward Josh Jackson . The other two peaks were the 32nd ( Devon Reed was chosen) and 54th ( Alec Peters ). Both players were sent to the Northern Arizona Suns Development League team. The team tried to work on the market of free agents, but not very well. Also, before the start of the new season, both centers - Alexey Len and Alan Williams received qualifying offers. A four-year contract with the club was signed by light forward TJ Warren . As a result, Bledso (14.5 million), Knight (13.6 million), Chandler (13 million) and Dudley (10 million) remained the highest paid players for the new season. The remaining players received less than $ 10 million per year. ^[42]

The new season 2017-18 was the anniversary for the club, the 50th in the NBA ^[43] , as well as the 25th at the Talking Stick Rizot Arena . The starting segment of the 2017-18 season, the team began with a difference of wins and losses of 4-7. The chosen tactics again became the “easy five” game with a single “pillar” - Chandler. In the starting five went Warren, Chriss, Chandler, Booker and James. Earl Watson was fired on October 22, 2017, and his assistant, Canadian Jay Triano , took the place of head coach. ^[44] The contract with him was calculated until the end of the season.

On November 8, 2017, the club held an exchange, according to which Bledso transferred to Milwaukee Bucks , and the Phoenix Suns received instead of center Greg Monroe and the right to choose the first and second rounds of the draft in 2018 ^[45] .

Notes:

• ¹ In 1987, he also temporarily served as head coach.
• ² Also served as assistant coach (2008–2013).
• ³ Number used for some time by Grant Hill (2008–2012).
• ⁴ In 1996, he was on the list of “50 Best Players in NBA History”.
• ⁵ He was also an assistant to the head coach (1988–92) and head coach (1992–1996).

Recent Seasons Statistics

• Team official website