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 season, Buechler was traded to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Bo Outlaw in November.^[13][14][15]

The Suns got off to a 18–13 start, but soon began to slip under .500 as the season progressed as head coach Scott Skiles struggled to a 25–26 record, and was replaced by 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, finishing the regular season at 36–46, and missing the playoffs for the first time since 1988.^[19] All home games were played at 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. Shawn Marion increased his scoring as well, averaging 19.1 points per game along with 9.9 rebounds per game. 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 All-Star Game did not feature a Suns player. To complete the season on a low note, a franchise-record of 13 straight 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.

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

2001–02 Phoenix Suns roster

Players

Coaches

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

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

• Point guard Randy Brown was acquired from the Boston Celtics at midseason, but did not play for the Suns this season due to a right adductor strain.

• 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.

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

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

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)

Player Transactions Citation:^[29]

• Standings on Basketball Reference

• 2001–02 NBA season