Shawn Marion

[Gaddabout]

But I do know this:

1. He DID give half effort at times

I challenge you on this one. You can't be his size and play the 4 and pull down the numbers he did and mail it in very often. My only complaint about him on the floor was his love of shooting the 3 from the corner.

 

[Gaddabout]

Oopsy. I stand corrected. I also say that Marion as a point guard? Pul-leeeze. He would be a better center.

Marion actually was a decent passer, but he had no ball skills, which is why the decision to move him to '4' was so easy. There was some discussion in his first year about someday making him a point guard, but that was back when Colangelo thought he would eventually improve his handling. The thought was he would never be a great shooter, which is what you look for in a small forward, but his size, athleticism, and body control would be a huge advantage at the 1 or the 2.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I challenge you on this one. You can't be his size and play the 4 and pull down the numbers he did and mail it in very often. My only complaint about him on the floor was his love of shooting the 3 from the corner.

in one of the articles in this thread it talks about how Nash ripped the team a new one for not giving full effort and that a lot of it was directed at Marion.

 

[Gaddabout]

in one of the articles in this thread it talks about how Nash ripped the team a new one for not giving full effort and that a lot of it was directed at Marion.

That may have been at the end of his stay here, but it wasn't the case most of his career. For all the wrong reasons, I don't doubt Marion started to give up, especially his last season. I just didn't personally witness it or recognize it when it happened.

 

[DeAnna]

In all the games I saw him play, I never witnessed him half-arseing it.

And yes, he was out of position, but that was the coaching staff that wanted him at the 4.

I watched a bit of the Spurs-Mavs game and he was on the bench in the 4th qtr. Announcers were still talking about he doesn't do well in half court offenses, but still exels in an open court game.

 

[Cheesebeef]

That may have been at the end of his stay here, but it wasn't the case most of his career. For all the wrong reasons, I don't doubt Marion started to give up, especially his last season. I just didn't personally witness it or recognize it when it happened.

the article was referrencing a speech Nash made after Game 1 of the suspension series in 2007 against the Spurs when we were still legit title contenders.

 

[leclerc]

I suggest if Marion had spent as much time in the off-season working on his ball handling and shooting as he did putting together fart rockets like a teenage gear head, he could've played the 1, 2, or 3 on most any team and got paid a king's ransom. But he never really got any better from his third season on. His fault.

He's got small hands. Can't do it.

 

[BC867]

Intellectually, Shawn Marion is a man-child.

Extremely immature in his decision making on the court, evidently in the locker room, with the Press and, I can tell you first hand, with the public.

What do you do in a case like that? What does he do? What does the team do?

I don't know if there is an answer. 'Any ideas?

Of course when you put a jock into the Nuevo Riche, whether the salary is $6.6 or $17 million, because he excels at a schoolyard sport, can any logic come out of it?

Especially while everyone from school teachers to laborers struggle to pay their bills and save for retirement.

Shawn Marion is just a symbol of the stupidity. And I am a sports fan. But most of my involvement is in front of the TV now.

 

[Superbone]

But I don't *hate* him and I still have fond memories of him in a Suns uniform.

Speaking of which, do you think he will be in the Suns' Ring of Honor some day?

 

[GorrilaLips]

Marion had a strange shaped head and face. Much like Roy from the blazers, kind of like predator.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Speaking of which, do you think he will be in the Suns' Ring of Honor some day?

he absolutely DOES NOT belong there. Can't cheapen that thing with every good player who comes through the doors and that's all Marion ever was... a good player. He didn't change the team and he was never even part of a Final team. Putting him up there would be insult to everyone else IMO.

 

[Bufalay]

Can't cheapen that thing with every good player who comes through the doors

Like Majerle?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

No "Tortilla" comments, Cheese?

Those were memorable days. Was it Sanders or Chap that was soft Marion's loyal defender?

I was definitely a Marion defender.

Suns all time list:

Minutes Played #2
FGs Made #3
FGs Attempted #3
3 Point FGs Made #3
3 Point FGs Attempted #2
Points #4
Rebounds #2
Steals #2
Blocked Shots #3

He is a lock for the Ring of Honor. Strangely there will be those that boo him when he inducted. Easily the most polarizing Sun ever.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

"Your thread


Your open letter to Shawn Marion was trashed.

If you think something may piss people off then don't post it.

Yours did and was quickly moving towards flaming."

-Chris Sanders

That would be the whole "polarizing" I was speaking of. Of course back then I thought I knew what was best for the board. Now I just pretty much let things run themselves except for the occasional troll/spammer.

 

[Gaddabout]

Easily the most polarizing Sun ever.

I would vote Walter Davis, but I get your point.

 

[Gee!]

I suggest if Marion had spent as much time in the off-season working on his ball handling and shooting as he did putting together fart rockets like a teenage gear head, he could've played the 1, 2, or 3 on most any team and got paid a king's ransom. But he never really got any better from his third season on.

Im intrigued.. What is a fart rocket? I need to know more..

 

[AzStevenCal]

I would vote Walter Davis, but I get your point.

I wasn't there during the drug scandal and it occurred during a 10 year stretch where I rarely got to see Suns games so I didn't realize he'd fallen so low in popularity. At least I'm assuming you're talking about the damage down by the scandal. As far as I knew, Davis was one of the most popular Suns ever (behind only Westy, Dick VA and AA). I always thought Connie Hawkins was a fairly polarizing player. There's no questioning his talent but he drew an awful lot of criticism in the Valley back then.

Steve

 

[Cheesebeef]

Like Majerle?

To be honest, I've got no problem putting Thunder in there because a) he was BELOVED in a way Marion never was and up until his last two years, the guy ALWAYS brought it in the playoffs, as a key member of 3 teams that made the WCF and a huge part of the team that went to the Finals.

But I can see Thunder being up there questioned. I just happen to believe he belongs because of what I wrote above. Not to mention that he NEVER showed the ridiculous me first attitude that Marion did, nor bash the team like Marion did.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I was definitely a Marion defender.

Suns all time list:

Minutes Played #2
FGs Made #3
FGs Attempted #3
3 Point FGs Made #3
3 Point FGs Attempted #2
Points #4
Rebounds #2
Steals #2
Blocked Shots #3

He is a lock for the Ring of Honor. Strangely there will be those that boo him when he inducted. Easily the most polarizing Sun ever.

strangely... like people don't have a legitimate gripe over a player taking a HUGE contract, then never getting better and always shrinking like a penis in cold water once the playoffs started.

all those numbers say to me is that he was a good player and the longest tenured Sun. not much else. Ring of Honor to me is for Game-Changers. Era defining players. Not third wheels for teams that never accomplished even a Conference Title.

 

[Bufalay]

Wait, Marion wasn't terrible in the playoffs. He just sucked against the Spurs. He was his normal self against everyone else. I know that the Spurs were the most important opponent, but the guy didn't just fall apart because he was mentally weak or something. The Spurs were just a bad match-up for him.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I think Marion was just a big dumb kid and a few evil people took advantage of him (exaggeration intended). He really was set up by all the media types who realized how easy it was to manipulate the guy. They'd tell him he was great and then ask him repeatedly how come he never got any respect. Shawn was just immature and uneducated enough to believe that crap and the next thing you know his insecurities were ruling his mind and his mouth.

Steve

 

[Superbone]

I would vote Walter Davis, but I get your point.

This is the first time I've ever heard anybody say Davis was a polarizing player.

 

[Gaddabout]

Im intrigued.. What is a fart rocket? I need to know more..

Ha! Street bikes. Little street bikes. They sound like farts to me.

 

[Gaddabout]

I wasn't there during the drug scandal and it occurred during a 10 year stretch where I rarely got to see Suns games so I didn't realize he'd fallen so low in popularity. At least I'm assuming you're talking about the damage down by the scandal. As far as I knew, Davis was one of the most popular Suns ever (behind only Westy, Dick VA and AA). I always thought Connie Hawkins was a fairly polarizing player. There's no questioning his talent but he drew an awful lot of criticism in the Valley back then.

Davis was the first pro player to really betray the confidence of the people. If you listened to sports talk radio back then (and I did religiously), people were evenly split on how it impacted his legacy. More than anything, seeing Davis in a Nuggets uniform (and then in a Jail Blazer uni in 91!!!!) REALLY REALLY hurt. It was like seeing Randy Johnson in a Giants uniform.

But I think you needed to have the 70s/early 80s connection to have a strong opinion. If you caught on to the team in the 90s, there's a disconnect there and the Suns PR machine treats Davis like the incident never happened.

 

[AzStevenCal]

But I think you needed to have the 70s/early 80s connection to have a strong opinion. If you caught on to the team in the 90s, there's a disconnect there and the Suns PR machine treats Davis like the incident never happened.

I've been a Suns fan since the beginning but I moved to So Cal in 85 and from then until DirecTV/League Pass became available to me (95 or 96) I was lucky to see more than a dozen Suns games a year. I frequently drove around my neighborhood at night so I could pick up a very long distant KTAR broadcast but I was far enough removed that I didn't realize how strong the negative feelings became.

Walter had very little left by the time he ended up in Portland but if memory serves me correctly he had some of his best games against that team. It makes sense they'd give him a try but to be honest I didn't remember him going anywhere past Denver.

Steve