2001–02 Phoenix Suns season

The 2001–02 NBA season was the 34th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association.^[1] During the off-season, the Suns acquired All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury from the New Jersey Nets,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} re-signed former All-Star Suns guard and three-point specialist Dan Majerle, who was a member of the team when they appeared in the 1993 NBA Finals,^[7][8][9] and acquired John Wallace and Jud Buechler from the Detroit Pistons.^[10][11][12] Early into the regular season, Buechler was traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Bo Outlaw in November.^[13][14][15]

2001–02 Phoenix Suns season
Head coach	Scott Skiles (resigned) Frank Johnson
General manager	Bryan Colangelo
Owner(s)	Jerry Colangelo
Arena	America West Arena
Results
Record	36–46 (.439)
Place	Division: 6th (Pacific) Conference: 10th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
Stats at Basketball Reference
Local media
Television	KUTP Fox Sports Net Arizona Cox 9
Radio	KTAR
< 2000–01 2002–03 >

The Suns got off to a 18–13 start to the regular season, but soon began to slip under .500 as the season progressed, as head coach Scott Skiles resigned after a 25–26 start, and was replaced by assistant and former Suns guard Frank Johnson.^[16][17][18] The Suns posted a six-game losing streak in March, and lost eight of their final eleven games of the season, finishing in sixth place in the Pacific Division with a 36–46 record, and missing the NBA playoffs for the first time since the 1987–88 season.^[19] All home games were played at the America West Arena.

Marbury would lead the team in scoring and assists, averaging 20.4 points and 8.1 assists per game, becoming the first Suns player to average 20 or more points per game since Kevin Johnson during the 1996–97 season. In addition, Shawn Marion increased his scoring as well, averaging 19.1 points per game along with 9.9 rebounds per game, while Rodney Rogers and Tony Delk both continued to provide the team with scoring off the bench, before both being traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for top draft pick Joe Johnson midway through the season.^{[20][21][22][23]} Penny Hardaway returned to appear in 80 games, after being sidelined all but four games the season before, and averaged 12.0 points and 4.1 assists per game.^[24] Johnson, who earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors, rounded out a team rich in talent at the guard position. Tom Gugliotta was again plagued by knee injury, only playing just 44 games due to left quadriceps tendonitis.^[25][26]

The season was a disappointment for an organization looking to build a new core of talent. For the first time since the 1996–97 season, the NBA All-Star Game did not feature a Suns player. To complete the season on a low note, a franchise-record of 13 straight NBA playoff appearances was snapped when the Suns failed to qualify for postseason play.^[27] Following the season, Majerle retired after playing in his second stint with the Suns,^[28] and Wallace was released to free agency.

Offseason

NBA draft

Main article: 2001 NBA draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College / Club Team
2	51	Alton Ford	Forward	United States	Houston

Roster

2001–02 Phoenix Suns roster

Players

Coaches

Pos. No. Player Height Weight DOB From G 0 Randy Brown  (IN) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1968–05–22 New Mexico State G 11 Joe Crispin 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1979–07–18 Penn State F 4 Alton Ford 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 275 lb (125 kg) 1981–05–29 Houston F 24 Tom Gugliotta  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–12–19 NC State G 1 Penny Hardaway 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis G 2 Joe Johnson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1981–06–29 Arkansas G 9 Dan Majerle 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 222 lb (101 kg) 1965–09–09 Central Michigan G 3 Stephon Marbury 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1977–02–20 Georgia Tech F 31 Shawn Marion 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–05–07 UNLV F 45 Bo Outlaw 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1971–04–13 Houston G 10 Milt Palacio 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1978–02–07 Colorado State C 25 Jake Tsakalidis 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1979–06–10 Georgia (country) C 43 Jake Voskuhl 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1977–11–01 Connecticut F 22 John Wallace 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1974–02–09 Syracuse

Head coach Scott Skiles (resigned) Frank Johnson Assistant(s) Al Bianchi Jim Boylan Robin Pound Phil Weber Legend (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended (IN) Inactive Injured Roster Updated: February 20, 2002

Roster Notes

• Point guard Randy Brown was acquired by the Suns from the Boston Celtics in a mid-season trade, but was placed on the injured reserve list due to a right adductor strain, and did not play for the Suns this season.

Regular season

Standings

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Sacramento Kings	61	21	.744	–	36–5	25–16	15–9
x-Los Angeles Lakers	58	24	.707	3	34–7	24–17	16–8
x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	12	30–11	19–22	14–10
x-Seattle SuperSonics	45	37	.549	16	26–15	19–22	13–11
e-Los Angeles Clippers	39	43	.476	22	25–16	14–27	9–15
e-Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	25	23–18	13–28	12–12
e-Golden State Warriors	21	61	.256	40	14–27	7–34	5–19

#	Western Conference v t e
	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Sacramento Kings	61	21	.744	–
2	y-San Antonio Spurs	58	24	.707	3
3	x-Los Angeles Lakers	58	24	.707	3
4	x-Dallas Mavericks	57	25	.695	4
5	x-Minnesota Timberwolves	50	32	.610	11
6	x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	12
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	45	37	.549	16
8	x-Utah Jazz	44	38	.537	17
9	e-Los Angeles Clippers	39	43	.476	22
10	e-Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	25
11	e-Houston Rockets	28	54	.341	33
12	e-Denver Nuggets	27	55	.329	34
13	e-Memphis Grizzlies	23	59	.280	38
14	e-Golden State Warriors	21	61	.256	40

Record vs. opponents

2001-02 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHA	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MEM	MIA	MIL	MIN	NJN	NYK	ORL	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	TOR	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	1–3	0–2	2–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–4	1–1	0–3
Boston	2–2	—	2–1	2–2	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	3–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	3–1	4–0	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Charlotte	2–2	1–2	—	4–0	3–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	3–0	2–2	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
Chicago	1–3	2–2	0–4	—	1–3	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	2–0	0–4	0–2	2–0	1–1	1–3	2–2	0–2	0–4	3–1	0–3	1–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–4	0–2	1–3
Cleveland	1–3	0–4	1–3	3–1	—	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	2–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	0–2	1–2
Dallas	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	—	4–0	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	4–0	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	1–1	3–1	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–4	—	0–2	1–3	2–2	0–2	1–3	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	1–3	0–2
Detroit	3–1	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–1	2–2	1–1	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	3–1	1–1	4–0
Golden State	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	1–3	0–2	2–2	1–3	3–1	0–2	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–4	2–2	0–4	0–4	0–4	0–2	0–4	1–1
Houston	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	—	0–2	1–3	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–1	2–2	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	2–2	1–1	2–2	1–1
Indiana	3–1	0–3	1–3	4–0	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–2	1–3	1–1	1–3	2–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	3–1
L.A. Clippers	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–1	—	1–3	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–3	1–1	0–4	1–1
L.A. Lakers	1–1	0–2	2–0	0–2	2–0	3–1	3–1	2–0	3–1	4–0	2–0	3–1	—	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–2	2–2	3–1	3–1	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–0
Memphis	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–4	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	—	1–1	0–2	0–4	0–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	2–2	1–3	0–4	0–4	1–1	3–1	0–2
Miami	1–3	1–3	0–3	3–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	1–2	2–0	2–0	2–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	—	3–1	0–2	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–3	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–3	0–2	2–2
Milwaukee	3–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	0–2	2–0	2–2	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	—	0–2	1–2	1–3	2–1	1–3	0–2	0–2	0–2	2–0	0–2	4–0	2–0	3–1
Minnesota	2–0	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–2	1–1	2–2	2–2	4–0	2–0	2–0	—	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–2	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	1–1	3–1	2–0
New Jersey	1–2	1–3	3–1	4–0	3–1	0–2	1–1	1–3	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–0	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–1	1–1	—	4–0	3–1	2–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–1	3–1
New York	3–1	0–4	2–2	1–3	2–2	1–1	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–2	3–1	0–2	0–4	—	0–4	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–0	3–0	1–1	1–3
Orlando	3–1	1–3	1–3	3–0	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	2–0	2–0	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–3	1–2	1–1	1–3	4–0	—	3–1	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	3–1	1–1	2–2
Philadelphia	3–1	3–1	3–1	2–1	3–0	1–1	1–1	1–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	0–2	3–1	3–1	1–1	2–2	3–1	1–3	—	2–0	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	0–2	2–3
Phoenix	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	1–3	2–2	3–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	0–2	—	2–2	1–3	1–3	2–2	1–1	2–2	0–2
Portland	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	2–2	2–0	2–2	3–1	1–1	3–1	2–2	2–2	1–1	2–0	2–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–2	—	2–2	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–3	2–0
Sacramento	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–3	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	0–2	3–1	1–3	3–1	2–0	2–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	3–1	2–2	—	3–1	2–2	2–0	4–0	1–1
San Antonio	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–1	4–0	2–0	4–0	4–0	1–1	3–1	1–3	4–0	1–1	0–2	2–2	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	3–1	3–1	1–3	—	2–2	1–1	4–0	2–0
Seattle	2–0	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–3	1–3	1–1	4–0	2–2	2–0	3–1	1–3	4–0	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–2	1–3	2–2	2–2	—	2–0	1–3	1–1
Toronto	4–0	2–2	2–2	4–0	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–3	2–0	1–1	3–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	3–1	0–4	1–1	2–2	0–3	1–3	3–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	1–1	0–2	—	1–1	1–2
Utah	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–3	3–1	1–1	4–0	2–2	1–1	4–0	1–3	1–3	2–0	0–2	1–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–2	3–1	0–4	0–4	3–1	1–1	—	2–0
Washington	3–0	1–3	1–3	3–1	2–1	1–1	2–0	0–4	1–1	1–1	1–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–2	1–3	0–2	1–3	3–1	2–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–1	0–2	—

Awards and honors

Week/Month

• Shawn Marion was named Western Conference Player of the Month for March.
• Stephon Marbury was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played November 26 through December 2.
• Shawn Marion was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played March 25 through March 31.

Season

• Joe Johnson was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Player statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Season

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Charlie Bell*	5	0	8.4	.273	.000	1.000#	0.8	0.4	.0	.0	1.6
Jud Buechler*	6	0	9.0	.333	.333	.	1.3	0.5	.2	.0	1.0
Joe Crispin*	15	0	8.6	.411	.429^	1.000#	0.7	1.6	.3	.0	4.6
Vinny Del Negro	2	0	3.0	.250	.	.	0.0	1.0	.0	.0	1.0
Tony Delk*	41	1	21.4	.399	.320	.836	3.0	2.0	.8	.1	10.6
Alton Ford	53	0	8.5	.517†	.	.737	2.0	0.1	.1	.1	3.1
Tom Gugliotta	44	40	25.7	.422	.333	.757	5.0	1.8	.9	.7	6.5
Penny Hardaway	80	56	30.8	.418	.277	.810	4.4	4.1	1.5	.4	12.0
Joe Johnson*	29	27	31.5	.420	.333	.778	4.1	3.6	.9	.4	9.6
Dan Majerle	65	0	18.2	.343	.336^	.590	2.7	1.4	.7	.2	4.6
Stephon Marbury	82	80	38.9	.442	.286	.781	3.2	8.1	.9	.2	20.4
Shawn Marion	81	81	38.4	.469†	.393^	.845#	9.9	2.0	1.8	1.1	19.1
Bo Outlaw*	73	36	24.2	.550†	.500^	.417	4.6	1.7	.8	1.1	4.7
Milt Palacio*	28	1	9.7	.380	.143	.783	0.8	1.0	.3	.0	2.8
Rodney Rogers*	50	7	25.1	.466	.350^	.828	4.8	1.4	1.0	.3	12.6
Daniel Santiago	3	0	8.0	.500†	.	.	2.3	0.7	.0	.3	2.7
Jake Tsakalidis	67	47	23.6	.475†	.000	.698	5.6	0.3	.3	1.0	7.3
Jake Voskuhl	59	34	15.3	.554†	.	.752	4.3	0.3	.2	.4	5.0
John Wallace	46	0	10.7	.435	.385^	.870#	1.8	0.6	.2	.2	5.0

* – Stats with the Suns.
† – Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ – Minimum 55 three-pointers made.
# – Minimum 125 free throws made.

Player Statistics Citation:^[24]

Transactions

Trades

July 18, 2001	To Detroit Pistons Clifford Robinson	To Phoenix Suns Jud Buechler John Wallace $1.6 million trade exception
July 18, 2001	To New Jersey Nets Chris Dudley Jason Kidd	To Phoenix Suns Stephon Marbury Johnny Newman Soumaila Samake
October 29, 2001	To Chicago Bulls Soumaila Samake 2003 second-round draft pick ( Matt Bonner)	To Phoenix Suns Jake Voskuhl
November 15, 2001	To Orlando Magic Jud Buechler	To Phoenix Suns Bo Outlaw 2002 first-round draft pick ( Amar'e Stoudemire)
To Los Angeles Clippers Vinny Del Negro Cash considerations
February 20, 2002	To Boston Celtics Tony Delk Rodney Rogers	To Phoenix Suns Randy Brown Joe Johnson Milt Palacio 2002 first-round draft pick ( Casey Jacobsen)

Free agents

Additions

Date	Player	Contract	Former Team
July 6, 2001	Charlie Bell	Undisclosed	Michigan State Spartans
July 19, 2001	Dan Majerle	Signed to 1-year contract for $1 million	Miami Heat
August 29, 2001	Daniel Santiago	Re-signed to 1-year contract for $465,850	Phoenix Suns
September 27, 2001	Chris Andersen	Undisclosed	Fayetteville Patriots (NBA DL)
September 27, 2001	Dan McClintock	Undisclosed	Denver Nuggets
September 27, 2001	Derek Hood	Undisclosed	Snaidero Udine (Italy)
September 27, 2001	Kendrick Johnson	Undisclosed
January 7, 2002	Joe Crispin	Signed for rest of season	Southern California Surf (ABA)

Subtractions

Date	Player	Reason left	New team
September 28, 2001	Johnny Newman	Waived	Dallas Mavericks
October 7, 2001	Chris Andersen	Waived	Denver Nuggets
October 9, 2001	Dan McClintock	Waived	Skipper Bologna
October 11, 2001	Kendrick Johnson	Waived
October 20, 2001	Derek Hood	Waived	Mobile Revelers (NBA DL)
December 11, 2001	Charlie Bell	Waived	Phoenix Eclipse (ABA)
January 7, 2002	Daniel Santiago	Waived	Lottomatica Roma (Italy)

Player Transactions Citation:^[29]