Phoenix Suns: Ranking the 10 Best Players of the Past Decade

The Phoenix Suns are one of the more successful regular season teams. Unfortunately, the success has not translated to championships and has only led to two Finals appearances.

They have also not been blessed with many great players throughout their history, and those that have come there have not stayed for a very long time.

The last decade in Phoenix can easily be described as the "Steve Nash Era."

Many players have come and gone, but this list will highlight the 10 best players to have played for the Suns during that time.

This list will specifically rank the importance of each player to the franchise over the last 10 years.

10. Boris Diaw

Boris Diaw was a tough player to place in this article.

He played three full seasons in Phoenix and was traded in the first part of 2008.

His numbers were in no way stellar, save for in 2006 when he won the Most Improved Player award.

His passing skills were above average for a man his size, and he gave Nash another shooter on the perimeter to stretch out the defense.

On the other end of the floor, he has shown consistent improvements through the years, but he was never someone who would rack up the steals on the defensive end.

His overall talent helped the team greatly, and they would not have been as successful had it not been for his solid production.

Every team needs a guy who can do it all, and Diaw is a great example. His stats are not that flashy, but he produces.

9. Jared Dudley

Another great example of a guy who can do it all.

He is not great at any one thing, but he can contribute at least to some degree in every category.

However, he is better in that category than Diaw was.

His improvement can be clearly seen over the last few seasons, and he has been getting more minutes as a reward for his progress.

At 26, he is still not in his prime, and as he is in the middle of his best year yet (31.4 MPG and 12.8 PPG), he could look for a very solid couple of years ahead.

Dudley is the type of guy who is perfect to put next to a star player, and if the Suns get lucky and land one, he could provide solid support either off the bench or as a starter.

He has a solid three-point stroke as shown by his career percentage (41 percent), and his defense is above average.

Consistent player who will only improve as time goes on.

8. Joe Johnson

Johnson is a great player, and I doubt many can argue, but with Phoenix he was still just developing, all the while promising talent.

His scoring ability was evident pretty early, and it was clear that he was going to be a special player, but he was traded in 2005 for Boris Diaw and a few first-round picks.

While with the Suns, he started out as a developing prospect, and by the time he left he was averaging 17 points and five assists per contest.

Since then, he has become one of the most consistent (and overpaid) players in the league, and we can only wonder what would have become of him had he stayed in Phoenix.

7. Raja Bell

Another player who could do everything well on the court.

However, he also had a few things that he was great in.

He was a top defender in Phoenix, and his three-point percentage never dipped below 40 percent in the desert.

He played solid minutes every night and was willing to do anything he needed to help his team win.

That, of course, included flopping, for which he became notorious, and his daily dives were always a great source of comedy.

Bell was not a very athletic player, so he made up for it by developing fundamentals and by beating his opponents with brains rather than speed or strength.

His production since leaving Phoenix has been very inconsistent, but that could be forgiven since he has played for three different teams since he left Steve Nash.

6. Jason Richardson

There will be people who say this is too high for Richardson, but honestly I believe that without him the Suns would have been one of the worst teams in the entire league.

Richardson was a known athlete who also showed his range while teaming up with Steve Nash and became a dangerous offensive weapon for the Suns.

He still had the ability to fly above the rim, but opponents could not afford to sleep on him behind the arc.

Richardson was also a key player when the Suns made their deep playoff run in 2010.

During those 16 games, Richardson averaged just barely under 20 points a game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 47 percent from deep.

He was dangerous when on the floor with Amar'e and almost led the Suns to the Finals.

5. Grant Hill

Grant Hill does not stuff the stat sheet or get awards, but he does lead the Suns team and provides an all-around game that Suns fans love.

His field-goal percentage is always floating around 50 percent, and his lock-down defense always plays a factor in games.

Hill has also improved his deep stroke with the Suns, and while not deadly from range, leaving him open could end up costing the opposing team three points.

Veteran player with solid fundamentals and great leadership abilities.

4. Leandro Barbosa

Every team needs a guy off the bench who they can rely on, and the Suns had that man in Leandro Barbosa.

He was lightning quick and a good all-around player as well.

His shot was good, and his driving ability was above average thanks in large part to his ability to fly around the court.

He won the 2007 Sixth Man of the Year award, and he averaged 18 points to go along with four assists that year.

His size has been his greatest setback as a player, as he stands at 6'3" but does not have the basketball IQ or passing skills to be a PG while being too small to play SG.

That is why his production along with his minutes saw such a drastic drop after he left Phoenix, where he was utilized perfectly by D'Antoni.

Used so perfectly that he earns the No. 4 spot on this list.

3. Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion was an amazing player when he was in Phoenix, and while he was only 6'7", he could be counted on to average close to 20-10 every season.

Combine that with great defensive ability, and you have one of the top NBA players in the league.

Marion could do it all well on the court, and if he had an open look behind the arc, you could be sure it was going in. On the breakaway, the whole crowd would get up to see him fly.

It is not often that we seen all-around talents like Marion, and the only reason he is not higher is due to his role.

He played big minutes every night and was counted on as support while other players were the focus of the defense.

Basically, he was a sidekick to a sidekick for a large part of his stay in Phoenix.

2. Amar'e Stoudemire

This guy was made to play alongside Steve Nash.

He was great when running the pick and roll, and to go along with his freakish athleticism he developed a solid mid-range jumper that he could fall back on.

It was his dominant scoring ability that helped give the Suns success through the 2000-2010 decade.

He was the go-to man when it came to scoring and improved nearly every season.

His defensive game left much to be desired, but I cannot rank the No. 1 scoring option on the team any lower.

His importance to the Suns was only upstaged by....

1. Steve Nash

Alright, this should be a giant surprise to...nobody.

Steve Nash is no doubt going to be in the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility—which, the way he is playing, could be some time away.

While with the Suns, Nash has led the league in assists five times, including last season when he was 37 years old.

Since coming to the Suns in 2005, Nash has won two MVPs, has been selected to six All-Star Games and has missed the playoffs just twice.

He has been the emotional leader of this team and the captain that has taken it through any adversity it has faced.

This includes a new coach, loss of a star and loss of key players in the offense.

Nash has been that one constant that could always be relied on to perform no matter the surroundings, and I am willing to say that he is not only the greatest Suns player of the last decade, but the greatest Suns player of all-time as well.

The day he leaves will be a sad day, but most fans will be very happy if him leaving will end up giving him that elusive, well-deserved ring.

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