Phoenix Suns: Who Will Be The Next Player To Enter The Ring Of Honor?
1. Shawn Marion
Why He’ll Make It: Raise your hand if you were a Suns fan who was depressed by David Blatt’s inexplicable decision to not give Shawn Marion a single minute of playing time in the NBA Finals for a Cleveland Cavaliers team that definitely needed some help off the bench! (Everyone’s hand raises.)
Regardless of the way the Matrix went into retirement, his time in Phoenix was invaluable to an organization that badly needed his defense, athleticism and versatility as the glue guy on those great Suns teams of the mid-2000s. Through nine seasons with the team, Marion averaged 18.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
He also made four All-Star teams and two All-NBA appearances during that time, and during the 2005-06 season with Stoudemire injured, Marion stepped up to lead the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks. Among the Suns’ all-time leaders, Marion ranks first in total win shares, second in rebounds, second in steals, third in blocks and fourth in points.
Now that he’s retired, it’s only a matter of time before he earns his rightful place among the franchise’s all-time greats in the Ring of Honor.
Why He Won’t Make It: Like Stoudemire, Shawn Marion is a no-brainer for the Ring of Honor. It’ll happen eventually. But with the Suns inducting Steve Nash in the next few weeks, perhaps the front office won’t be as hasty to add another player to its ranks.
Will the Suns wait until the start of next season? That would make the most sense, since it could become an almost annual ceremony for the star trio of those great Suns teams — Nash gets in at the start of the 2015-16 season, Marion gets his day in the sun at the start of 2016-17 and Stoudemire, who will either retire next summer or the following summer, earns his big night to start 2017-18.
With Marion officially retired, the countdown to his induction is officially ticking away.
Next: Can Eric Bledsoe Become A Leader For The Suns?