_______________The Story of the 2002-03 Phoenix Suns
_____Following a season of mediocrity and a sense of disappointment, the Phoenix Suns landed the ninth pick in the 2002 NBA Draft and selected the high-school phenom Amare Stoudemire. Determined to make a change in Phoenix, the team’s owners found a new General Manager in the legendary Charles Barkley. He vowed to turn the franchise around and try to accomplish something he had never attained in his illustrious career, a Championship trophy.
_____Barkley’s first order of business was to rid the Suns of the cancerous attitude that Stephon Marbury possessed. In a prophetic manner, Charles saw the future of the Suns being held in the hands of a skillful point-guard from Canada, none other than Steve Nash. Due to Starbury’s bloated, undeserved contract, a package of players was required to make the Nash Deal happen. The final deal sent Marbury, Bo Outlaw, and Jake Tsakalidis to the Dallas Mavericks for Nash, Nick Van Exel, and Evan Eschmeyer:

_____Barkley’s next order of business was to fill the major gap at the center position for the Suns. An aging Patrick Ewing had not been signed by any team from free agency, and Barkley knew the sting of not winning a championship, so Charles decided to give Patrick a chance to start for his Suns.
_____The next change for Phoenix needed to happen at the starting power-forward position. Tom Gugliotta was carrying an enormous contract and had not been able to produce for the team. Barkley found an ample replacement for Gugs in New York, where Antonio McDyess was residing. Because of Tom’s exorbitant contract, again a package of players had to be put together for the deal to go through. The final deal sent Nick Van Exel and Scott Williams to New York for McDyess and Felton Spencer:

_____After some preliminary workouts with the team, Barkley saw that Patrick Ewing was is no position to start for his team, so the only option was to trade him in replace for a more-able body at center. Further, the Suns were in need of a reputable back-up point guard. Both of these needs were discovered in Houston with the Rockets. Kelvin Cato and Moochie Norris would fill Barkley’s voids, and also give him a nice trade opportunity to get rid of Tom Gugliotta:

_____A final piece of Barkley’s recreation of the Suns came in a last free-agent signing. The backup shooting-guard for his current line-up was Casey Jacobsen, who was not a game-proven player, as Charles wanted, so he turned to a veteran of the position, Mitch Richmond. In Mitch, Barkley saw the same passion and drive he had possessed in his later years in the league.

_____So the pieces are now set for a change to be made in Phoenix, where a new team has risen out of the flames of recent disappointment and regret. The new starting line-up will take on challenges from the league’s greatest players and Barkley and his staff will develop the upcoming talent they have acquired in Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemite. Here is the final roster for the 2002-03 Phoenix Suns:
