The 1987âÂÂ88 Phoenix Suns season was the 19th season for the Phoenix Suns in the National Basketball Association. The Suns were coming off from a controversial drug scandal that occurred during the previous season. In April 1987, three active players, James Edwards, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick, and two former Suns players, Gar Heard and Mike Bratz, were all indicted by a county grand jury on drugs charges; All-Star guard Walter Davis was not indicted, but was found by a grand jury to have used cocaine after leaving a rehabilitation program, and was suspended by the Suns. The team also dealt with tragedy during the off-season, when second-year center Nick Vanos was killed in an airlines crash on August 16, 1987, at the age of 24; Vanos and his fiancee, Carolyn Cohen, 25, were among 156 victims killed in the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash in Detroit, Michigan. For the season, the team wore a circular patch featuring Vanos' #30 jersey number on their uniforms as a tribute.
Despite finishing with a 36âÂÂ46 record the previous season, the Suns received the second overall pick in the 1987 NBA draft, and selected power forward Armen Gilliam from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. During the off-season, the team acquired Eddie Johnson from the Sacramento Kings, hired assistant coach John Wetzel as their new head coach, and released Gondrezick to free agency. In October, General Manager Jerry Colangelo became the team's new owner and restructured the franchise.
Under Wetzel, and with the addition of Gilliam and Eddie Johnson, the Suns got off to a 7âÂÂ8 start to the regular season. However, the team struggled posting a 10-game losing streak between January and February, and held a 13âÂÂ29 record at the All-Star break. At mid-season, the Suns traded All-Star forward Larry Nance, and Mike Sanders to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for rookie point guard Kevin Johnson, Mark West and Tyrone Corbin; the team also traded Humphries to the Milwaukee Bucks in exchange for three-point specialist Craig Hodges, and dealt Edwards to the Detroit Pistons. The Suns posted a nine-game losing streak between February and March, and finished in fourth place in the Pacific Division with a 28âÂÂ54 record; this season would be the last time that the team failed to qualify for the NBA playoffs until the 2001âÂÂ02 season.
Davis averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while Eddie Johnson averaged 17.7 points per game, and Gilliam provided the team with 14.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. In addition, Kevin Johnson contributed 12.6 points, 8.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game in 28 games after the trade, while West provided with 11.8 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game in 29 games, and Hodges contributed 10.1 points per game in 23 games. Meanwhile, second-year guard Jeff Hornacek averaged 9.5 points, 6.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game, Corbin provided with 7.7 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in 30 games, Alvan Adams averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game, and Bernard Thompson contributed 5.2 points per game, but only appeared in just 37 games.
The Suns finished 17th in the NBA in home-game attendance, with an attendance of 452,354 at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum during the regular season. Following the season, Davis signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets, while Adams retired after thirteen seasons in the NBA with the Suns. Meanwhile, Wetzel was fired as head coach after only one season, and Thompson was left unprotected in the 1988 NBA expansion draft, where he was selected by the Charlotte Hornets expansion team.
The Suns finished the 1986âÂÂ87 season with the seventh worst record in the league, but managed to secure the second pick in the 1987 draft through the Draft Lottery. They lost the first pick to the San Antonio Spurs, who selected future Hall of Fame center David Robinson. With the second pick the Suns selected forward/center Armen Gilliam from UNLV. Gilliam averaged 17.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in three years with the Runnin' Rebels. In his senior year, he led the team to a 37âÂÂ2 record while averaging 23.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. On October 8, the Suns signed Gilliam to an undisclosed contract, which general manager Jerry Colangelo stated was "for a long period of time", and was "the largest contract ever signed by a rookie with the Phoenix Suns." Gilliam would play part of three seasons with the Suns, averaging 14.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in 145 games, before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in December 1989.
The Suns traded the 30th pick to the Portland Trail Blazers in 1985. With the pick the Blazers would select forward Nikita Wilson. The Suns acquired the 46th pick from a trade with the Detroit Pistons in 1983. With the pick they would select guard Bruce Dalrymple from Georgia Tech. On October 3, Dalrymple was signed to a one-year contract, but was waived on October 13 before ever playing for the franchise.
The Suns used their third-round pick to select forward Winston Crite from Texas A&M. Crite averaged 12.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in four years with the Aggies. Crite would play part of two seasons with the Suns, averaging 2.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 31 games, before being waived in December 1988.
On April 17, 1987, the Maricopa County attorney's office announced indictments against 13 individuals in relation to a cocaine-trafficking investigation. The indictees included Suns players James Edwards, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick, and former players Garfield Heard and Mike Bratz. Edwards, Gondrezick and Bratz were charged with three counts of conspiracy to traffic in or possess a narcotic drug, while Humphries and Heard were charged with one count. A number of other current or former Suns players (Walter Davis, William Bedford, Alvin Scott, Johnny High, Don Buse and Curtis Perry) were named in the indictments but not charged. Other indictees were: Terrence Patrick Kelly, a waiter at Avanti's restaurant in Phoenix; Wynn and Kim Lesure, local businessmen; James Jordan, manager of Malarkey's nightclub in Phoenix; Joseph Beninato, a team photographer; Ramon Vives, owner of Avanti's restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale; Kevin Merriweather, roommate of Suns' center William Bedford; and an undisclosed team ticket taker.
The investigation began as a gambling probe in February 1987. While at Malarkey's night club on February 21, a group including James Edwards and two other NBA players allegedly claimed that that night's Suns-Bucks game (a 115âÂÂ107 Milwaukee victory) would not exceed 226 points. No further evidence was cited and no mention of gambling was made in the indictments. The drug charges were in part based on testimony from Suns star Walter Davis, who was subpoenaed in March and offered immunity in exchange for testimony. Davis stated that he first used cocaine with then-teammate Garfield Heard during the 1978âÂÂ79 season, and admitted to using the drug with multiple teammates. Davis had first admitted to his drug problem in December 1985 when he left the team mid-season to enter a drug rehabilitation program. Upon news of the indictments, Davis was suspended and re-entered a drug rehab program. Suns rookie center William Bedford was also granted immunity in exchange for testimony.
The story, dubbed "Waltergate", received nationwide news coverage and damaged the team's reputation. General manager Jerry Colangelo stated, "We got crucified. We were tried, convicted and hung in 72 hours." The prosecution started falling apart in July. Davis' initial questioning did not include dates, locations and other details. When questioned in regards to the details, Davis could not provide them. No defendant in the case went to trial. Edwards and Humphries were required to join a drug counseling program. Gondrezick pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness and received three-years of probation. Terrence Patrick Kelly pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to sell a narcotic drug and was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five-years of probation. Wynn Lesure pleaded no contest to conspiracy to possess a narcotic drug and received three-years of probation. All other charges were dismissed. This scandal led to the original ownership of the team looking to sell the franchise to someone else, potentially to move them elsewhere as well.
On August 16, 1987, Suns center Nick Vanos and his fiancée Carolyn Cohen were among 156 killed in the Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crash. Vanos and Cohen, who had spent four days on vacation in Michigan, were returning to Phoenix when the flight crashed after takeoff due to pilot error. Separate lawsuits were filed against Northwest Airlines by the Suns and Vanos' parents. The team filed a property damage suit against the airline, due to the three years remaining on Vanos' five-year contract, claiming the center to be "irreplaceable". Nick's parents, Peter and Josie, filed a wrongful death suit seeking $13.85 million in damages.
Vanos had spent most of his two seasons as a backup center. Appearing in 11 games his rookie season, Vanos averaged 4.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Through 57 games in his sophomore season, he averaged 2.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. Vanos' role would increase late in the season due to injuries to centers James Edwards and William Bedford. He would start the final 10 games of the season, during which the team would go 9âÂÂ1. His production jumped to 7.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game during the stretch. His promising developments would lead the Suns to trade Bedford, their number one pick in the 1986 draft, to the Detroit Pistons the day before the 1987 draft. With their longtime center Alvan Adams nearing retirement, and with the oft-injured Edwards facing trial on cocaine conspiracy charges, Vanos was expected to be the team's starting center to start the 1987âÂÂ88 season.
The 7'2", 260 pound left-hander had become a cult favorite with Suns fan. He had developed a 145-member fan club, which sold "Let Nick Play" T-shirts. The Suns dedicated the 1987âÂÂ88 season to his memory, and the players wore a black #30 patch on their jerseys throughout the year.
Another Suns player caught up in the drug scandal, Johnny High, died after crashing his car, at a high speed, into a freeway underpass.
On October 14, 1987, a group headed by Suns general manager and vice president Jerry Colangelo purchased the franchise from owners Richard L. Bloch, Donald Pitt and Don Diamond for a then-record $44.5 million. Colangelo headed JDM Sports Inc., the general partnership group that owned a controlling interest of the franchise. 10 other limited partners assisted with the purchase, including the Greyhound Corporation, the El Dorado Investment Company, and the Phoenix General Basketball Partnership group, which included Suns legend and former interim coach Dick Van Arsdale, team physician Paul Steingard, team orthopedist Richard Emerson, and team podiatrist Michael Kates. Colangelo assumed the role of chief executive officer and team president. Van Arsdale replaced Colangelo as vice president.
In the wake of the damaging drug scandal, Bloch, Pitt and Diamond were prepared to sell the team. Colangelo feared potential buyers planned to relocate the franchise to another city. The sale was finalized on October 16, just days before the October 19 "Black Monday" stock market crash happened. Colangelo later stated that if the deal had not been completed prior, it would not have happened, and that the team likely would've been sold and relocated.
On June 11, the Suns signed free agent guard Joe Ward, forward Bill Martin and guard Victor Fleming. Ward, the Suns second-round pick in 1986, had been the team's final preseason cut the previous season. Ward was again cut before the season. Martin had previously played for the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in between stints with the CBA. Martin appeared in 10 games with the Suns before being waived on December 26. Fleming, the brother of Vern Fleming, was waived on October 19, re-signed on October 21, and waived again on November 1.
In early October, the Suns signed free agent forward Jeff Cook, and centers Greg Spurling and Ozell Jones. Cook had previously played with the franchise from 1979 to 1983, and had just returned from a stint in Italy before re-signing with Suns. He would appear in just 33 games and spend much of the season on the injured list. Spurling was waived on October 21, while Jones was waived on November 1. On October 20, the Suns signed restricted free agent center Alton Lister to a four-year offer sheet worth $3.5 million. The SuperSonics matched the offer, keeping him in Seattle.
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 18 | December 15, 1987<br>8:30 PM MST | @ L.A. Lakers | L 97âÂÂ122 | | | | The Forum<br>17,371 | 7âÂÂ11
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 33 | January 16, 1988<br>7:30 PM MST | L.A. Lakers | L 96âÂÂ107 | | | | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br>14,471 | 13âÂÂ20
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 54 | February 28, 1988<br>8:30 PM MST | @ L.A. Lakers | L 97âÂÂ111 | | | | The Forum<br>17,505 | 17âÂÂ37
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 60 | March 11, 1988<br>5:30 PM MST | @ Detroit | L 88âÂÂ116 | | | | Pontiac Silverdome<br>21,612 | 17âÂÂ43 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 64 | March 19, 1988<br>7:30 PM MST | L.A. Lakers | W 102âÂÂ95 | | | | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br>14,471 | 20âÂÂ44 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 68 | March 26, 1988<br>7:30 PM MST | Detroit | L 103âÂÂ108 | | | | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br>14,025 | 22âÂÂ46
|-style="background:#fcc;" | 77 | April 15, 1988<br>7:30 PM MST | @ L.A. Lakers | L 114âÂÂ117 | | | | The Forum<br>17,505 | 26âÂÂ51 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 81 | April 22, 1988<br>7:30 PM MST | L.A. Lakers | L 112âÂÂ117 | | | | Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum<br>14,077 | 28âÂÂ53
This was only the second year in franchise history that the Suns were not represented in the All-Star Game.
|- align="center" bgcolor="" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || 25 || 20.1 || .496 || .500 || .844 || 4.5 || 2.2 || 1.0 || .5 || 7.5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 65 || 0 || 13.4 || .452 || .000 || .787 || 3.2 || 0.6 || .3 || .4 || 4.4 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 33 || 0 || 10.9 || .237 || .000 || .821 || 3.2 || 0.4 || .3 || .2 || 1.5 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | * || 30 || 1 || 19.7 || .488 || .333 || .825 || 4.3 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .1 || 7.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | || 29 || 0 || 8.9 || .500 || . || .760 || 2.2 || 0.5 || .2 || .3 || 3.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 68 || 48 || 28.7 || .473 || .375 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .887<small>^</small> || 2.3 || 4.1 || 1.3 || .0 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 17.9<small>+</small> |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 43 || 42 || 32.0 || .469 || .000 || .635 || 7.8 || 1.7 || .3 || .7<small>+</small> || 15.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 55 || 53 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 32.9<small>+</small> || .475 || . || .679 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 7.9<small>+</small> || 1.3 || 1.1 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .5<small>+</small> || 14.8 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 23 || 0 || 20.1 || .489 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .544 || .844 || 1.4 || 1.9 || .7 || .1 || 10.1 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 82 || 49 || 27.4 || .506 || .293 || .822 || 3.2 || 6.6 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 1.3<small>+</small> || .1 || 9.5 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 50 || 33 || 31.1 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | .545 || .188 || .741 || 3.0 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 7.1<small>+</small> || 1.2 || .1 || 12.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 73 || style="background:#FF8800;color:#423189;" | 59 || 29.8 || .480 || .255 || .850 || 4.4 || 2.5 || .5 || .1 || 17.7 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 28 || 25 || 31.2 || .463 || .200 || .859 || 4.3 || 8.7<small>+</small> || 1.5<small>+</small> || .3 || 12.6 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 10 || 0 || 10.1 || .314 || .000 || .615 || 2.7 || 0.6 || .5 || .0 || 4.0 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 5 || 0 || 6.8 || .313 || . || 1.000<small>^</small> || 1.2 || 0.0 || .6 || .0 || 2.8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | * || 40 || 34 || 36.9<small>+</small> || .531 || .400 || .751 || 9.9<small>+</small> || 3.1 || 1.1 || 2.4<small>+</small> || 21.1<small>+</small> |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 35 || 5 || 13.3 || .480 || .000 || .736 || 1.8 || 0.9 || .5 || .1 || 5.8 |- align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0f0" | || 37 || 7 || 15.3 || .465 || .000 || .717 || 2.1 || 1.4 || .6 || .0 || 5.2 |- align="center" bgcolor="" | * || 29 || 29 || 31.6 || .521 || .000 || .568 || 8.3<small>+</small> || 0.8 || .8 || 2.3<small>+</small> || 11.8
<small>* â Stats with the Suns.</small><br> <small>^ â Minimum 125 free throws made.</small><br> <small>+ â Minimum 50 games played.</small>
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