The 1996–97 Phoenix Suns season was the 29th season of the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association (NBA). After an 0–8 start, coach Cotton Fitzsimmons was replaced by former Suns guard Danny Ainge, who led the team to a 40–34 finish. This team would also be the first and only NBA team to start out the season with a 10+ losing streak, yet make it to the playoffs by the end of the season. As the seventh seed in the Western Conference, the Suns faced the Seattle SuperSonics in the first round of the Playoffs, losing 2–3 in a closely contested series.
The season was marked by a number of major trades. In the offseason, superstar forward Charles Barkley was traded to the Houston Rockets for Sam Cassell, Robert Horry, Mark Bryant and Chucky Brown. Cassell was later traded, alongside Michael Finley and A. C. Green, to the Dallas Mavericks for future-superstar Jason Kidd, Loren Meyer and Tony Dumas. Robert Horry was also traded, along with Joe Kleine, to the Los Angeles Lakers for former Suns forward Cedric Ceballos and Rumeal Robinson. It was a season that would not be matched in terms of moves until the 2014-15 season.
Offseason
NBA Draft
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The Suns used their first-round pick to select point guard Steve Nash from Santa Clara. Nash averaged 14.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in four years with the Broncos. On July 24, the Suns signed Nash to a three-year rookie contract for $3.2 million. He would spend his first two seasons with the Suns playing a limited role behind All-Star guards Kevin Johnson and Jason Kidd, before being traded to the Dallas Mavericks in 1998. Nash would later return to the franchise as a free agent in 2004, winning consecutive MVP awards in 2005 and 2006.
The Suns received the 39th pick from a trade with the Detroit Pistons in 1994. With the pick they would select power forward Russ Millard from Iowa. Millard averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in four years with the Hawkeyes. Millard would sign with Italian club Pallacanestro Varese before the season and would never play in the NBA.
The Suns used their second-round pick to select power forward Ben Davis from Arizona. Davis averaged 12.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per game in two years with the Wildcats. On September 25, the Suns signed Davis to a one-year rookie contract for $220,000. Davis spent much of the year on the injured reserve with a finger injury. He would appear in 20 games, average 1.5 points and 1.4 rebounds in 4.9 minutes a game. Davis would sign as a free agent with the New York Knicks after the season. He would later return to the Suns shortly in the 1999–2000 season, appearing in just five games before being waived.
Roster
| Phoenix Suns roster |
| Players |
Coaches |
| Pos. |
# |
Nat. |
Name |
Height |
Weight |
DOB (Y-M-D) |
From |
| C |
45 |
 |
Brown, Mike |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
257 lb (117 kg) |
1963–07–19 |
George Washington |
| PF |
2 |
|
Bryant, Mark |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
245 lb (111 kg) |
1965–04–25 |
Seton Hall |
| SF |
1 |
|
Ceballos, Cedric |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
1969–08–02 |
Cal State Fullerton |
| SG |
3 |
|
Chapman, Rex |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
185 lb (84 kg) |
1967–10–05 |
Kentucky |
| PF |
43 |
|
Davis, Ben |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
1972–12–26 |
Arizona |
| SG |
27 |
|
Dumas, Tony |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
190 lb (86 kg) |
1972–08–25 |
UKMC |
| PG |
7 |
|
Johnson, Kevin |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
180 lb (82 kg) |
1966–03–04 |
California |
| PG |
32 |
|
Kidd, Jason |
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
205 lb (93 kg) |
1973–03–23 |
California |
| C |
17 |
 |
Llamas, Horacio |
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
285 lb (129 kg) |
1973–07–17 |
Grand Canyon |
| PF |
15 |
|
Manning, Danny |
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
1966–05–17 |
Kansas |
| C |
40 |
|
Meyer, Loren |
6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
257 lb (117 kg) |
1972–12–30 |
Iowa State |
| PG |
13 |
 |
Nash, Steve |
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
1974–02–07 |
Santa Clara |
| SG |
11 |
|
Person, Wesley |
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
1971–03–28 |
Auburn |
| PF |
23 |
|
Tisdale, Wayman |
6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
240 lb (109 kg) |
1964–06–09 |
Oklahoma |
| C |
18 |
|
Williams, John |
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) |
215 lb (98 kg) |
1962–08–09 |
Tulane |
|
- Head coach
- Assistant coach(es)
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (DP) Unsigned draft pick
- (FA) Free agent
- (S) Suspended
 Injured
|
Depth chart
Regular season
Standings
Playoffs
The Suns came into the playoffs as the seventh seed, facing the 1996 Western Conference champion Seattle SuperSonics in the first round. In game one, Rex Chapman set a playoff record with 9 three-pointers, finishing the game with 42 points and leading the Suns to a 106–101 upset in Seattle. The Sonics responded with a 44-point blowout in game two, evening the series 1–1. The Suns recovered at home in game three. After an early 15-point deficit, Wesley Person led the team to a comeback 110–103 victory with 29 points and 10 rebounds. The Suns had a chance to close the series at home in game four. Behind by eleven points in the final two minutes of regulation, the Suns cut to lead to two before fouling Detlef Schrempf with 5.4 seconds remaining. Schrempf would miss the second of two free throws, giving the Sonics a 107–104 lead. Rex Chapman would respond with a famous turnaround three-pointer to send the game into overtime. The Sonics would outscore the Suns 15–8 in extra time to gain a 122–115 victory. The Suns would head back to Seattle tied 2–2 for a deciding fifth game. The Suns turned to small ball, starting four guards (Jason Kidd, Kevin Johnson, Rex Chapman and Wesley Person) along with center Hot Rod Williams. The Sonics would dominate the first half, leading by 22 at the break. A third quarter rally would bring the lead to eight, and a Wesley Person three-pointer to open the fourth quarter brought the lead to just five. But the Sonics would go on a 19–7 run in the final six minutes to claim a 116–92 victory.
Game log
Awards and honors
Week/Month
- Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Week for games played March 24 through March 30.
- Kevin Johnson was named Player of the Month for April.
All-Star
Season
Injuries/Missed games
- 10/31/96: Kevin Johnson: Abdominal hernia; placed on injured reserve until November 24
- 10/31/96: Mark Bryant: Torn knee cartilage; placed on injured reserve until December 6
- 10/31/96: Hot Rod Williams: Toe surgery; placed on injured list until November 26
- 11/14/96: Sam Cassell: Flu; did not play
- 11/23/96: Wayman Tisdale: Shoulder tendinitis; placed on injured list until December 30
- 11/26/96: Ben Davis: Finger ligament damage; placed on injured reserve until January 12
- 11/26/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
- 11/27/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
- 11/29/96: Sam Cassell: Personal reasons; did not play
- 12/06/96: Darrin Hancock: Bilateral knee bruises; placed on injured reserve until waived on December 10
- 12/21/96: Joe Kleine: Back spasms; did not play
- 12/28/96: Kevin Johnson: Flu; did not play
- 12/30/96: Tony Dumas: Injured finger; did not play
- 12/30/96: Jason Kidd: Collarbone hairline fracture; placed on injured list until December 14
- 01/06/97: Robert Horry: Two-game team suspension (threw towel at coach Danny Ainge); out until traded on January 10
- 01/10/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
- 01/12/97: Tony Dumas: Bruised knee; placed on injured list until April 20
- 01/13/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
- 01/13/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
- 01/14/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
- 01/14/97: Rex Chapman: Sprained ankle; did not play
- 01/18/97: Mark Bryant: Abdominal strain; did not play
- 01/29/97: Rex Chapman: Fractured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 2
- 02/11/97: Hot Rod Williams: Flu; did not play
- 02/26/97: Danny Manning: Sore leg; did not play
- 03/02/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until March 13
- 03/09/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
- 03/11/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
- 03/13/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; did not play
- 03/13/97: Loren Meyer: Strained lower back; placed on injured list until March 25
- 03/17/97: Mark Bryant: Bruised foot; placed on injured reserve until April 20
- 03/22/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
- 03/26/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
- 03/28/97: Cedric Ceballos: Bruised knee; did not play
- 03/28/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
- 03/30/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
- 04/02/97: Wayman Tisdale: Personal reasons; did not play
- 04/05/97: Ben Davis: Injured finger; placed on injured reserve until April 20
- 04/15/97: Wesley Person: Flu; did not play
- 04/18/97: Wesley Person: Flu; did not play
- 04/19/97: Danny Manning: Injured foot; did not play
Player statistics
Season
* - Stats with the Suns.
† - Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ - Minimum 82 three-pointers made.
# - Minimum 125 free throws made.
+ - Minimum 50 games played.
Playoffs
# - Minimum 10 free throws made.
Transactions
Trades
Free agents
Additions
Subtractions
References
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