With the Phoenix Suns deciding to not pick up Leandro Barbosa’s team option, officially ending his third stint with the franchise, many Suns fans immediately began debating the question of whether or not he deserves a spot in the Suns’ Ring of Honor.
In his first era with the Suns, Leandro Barbosa benefited heavily from three guaranteed Ring of Honor members, Steve Nash (enshrined in 2015), Amar’e Stoudemire, and Shawn Marion. He further contributed from Head Coach Mike D’Antoni’s instant offense which allowed the speedy Brazilian to fly around the court with Road Runner-like speed (earning him the sound effect of ‘beep beep,’) while dashing to the rim for quick-as-lightning layups and dropping back for wide-open three’s.
That core of star players are not as successful as they would eventually be without the services of Barbosa and his offense off the bench. In fact, because of the longevity of his first stint, any reference to the7 Seconds of Less core cannot be fully explained without the mention of Leandro Barbosa. For the rest of our lives, when those teams are discussed, his contributions will forever be mentioned alongside of the other three most recognizable players.
But is that enough for him to deserve a spot in the Suns’ eternal sanctorium next to those other players? Or were their individual accomplishments so great that Leandro will never receive the full credit he deserves? Also, how do his stats compare to those of other Suns greats who are not in the Ring of Honor? Would his addition be worthy of the group? Or would his placement in the Ring be a silent insult to those players with equal or better statistics who have not received such an honor?