Friday, April 1, 2011

The Twilight Zone: Where Former All-Stars Come to Retire

It's a joke that Florida is where everyone goes to retire. I feel that all of these aging players also have a place like Florida. I like to call that place Phoenix. So many great players have some sort of lineage to Phoenix. It may not be all great players. There are guys like Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kobe Bryant who look to stay on one team forever. But just looking at the players that have been on Phoenix, they all seem to be great players who are in the twilight of their career.

I'm just going to name players at this point. You have Steve Nash, 2-time MVP winner. There are other point guards like Jason Kidd and Stephon Marbury who have all played for the Suns. Shaquille O'Neal, arguably the best center of the last 20 years, had played for the Suns. A lot of great scorers have played for the Suns. There is Jason Richardson, famous for his high-flying abilities and his scoring for the Golden State Warriors. There is also Grant Hill, one of the great players from the 1990s. There is also Vince Carter, another high-flyer and high scorer for both the Toronto Raptors and the New Jersey Nets.

So this was more of a fun analysis for a team that looks like it is on the decline. I don't see them making the playoffs and if the NBA does lockout next season, I don't see many of these players coming back. Then retiring players will have to find a new team to flock to. But for now, Phoenix is where players come to retire. It is the Florida of NBA teams.

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