1986–87_Phoenix_Suns_season

1986–87 Phoenix Suns season
1986–87 Phoenix Suns season
Head coach	John MacLeod (22–34); Dick Van Arsdale (14–12)
General manager	Jerry Colangelo
Owners	Karl Eller, Don Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, Richard L. Bloch
Arena	Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Results
Record	36–46 (.439)
Place	Division: 5th (Pacific); Conference: 9th (Western)
Playoff finish	Did not qualify
	Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Local media
Television	KNXV-TV
Radio	KTAR
< 1985–86	1987–88 >

1986–87 Phoenix Suns season

NBA team season

The 1986–87 Phoenix Suns season was the 18th season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association and their final season under the original ownership group led by Karl Eller, Donald Pitt, Don Diamond, Bhavik Darji, Marvin Meyer, and Richard L. Bloch.^[1] The Suns started their fourteenth season under head coach John MacLeod. At 22–34 (.393) in late February, management decided to replace the longstanding MacLeod with Dick Van Arsdale,^[2] a former Suns player from the 1975–76 Finals team (coached by MacLeod), who was working as the team's color commentator for TV and radio at the time, despite having no prior coaching experience.

Quick Facts Phoenix Suns season, Head coach ...

Phoenix went 14–12 (.538) in those last 26 games under Van Arsdale to finish at 36–46 (.439), and missed the 16-team playoffs by one game. All of the Suns' home games were played at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

Walter Davis again led the Suns in scoring, averaging 23.6 points for the season. The Suns had another 20-point scorer in Larry Nance, who garnered a career-high 22.5 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds a game. Third-year point guard Jay Humphries averaged 7.7 assists per game to go with 11.3 points per game. For the 32-year-old Davis, it was an All-Star season for him, his 6th in 10 seasons with the Suns, and would be the last time of his career he was honored as an All-Star.

This season was notably infamous for being the key point where the Phoenix Suns organization was hit with a drug scandal that stayed behind the scenes until around the end of this season. On April 17, 1987, one day before the Suns would play their final game of the regular season against the Los Angeles Clippers, Maricopa County law enforcement officials revealed that five present at the time or former Suns players were indicted on drug-related charges, with six more present at the time or former Suns players being linked to the case by that time.^[3] Interestingly enough, despite the indictments, Jay Humphries and Grant Gondrezick were both allowed to play in the final game of the season while All-Star Walter Davis and rookie William Bedford were not allowed to do so despite their immunity from the case.^[4]^[5] The scandal would also involve a gambling case regarding a February 21, 1987 game between the Suns and the Milwaukee Bucks where at a nightclub called Malarkey's, James Edwards and two Bucks players named Jack Sikma and Paul Mokeski (according to Malarkey's manager James Jordan) allegedly claimed that the game between them would not exceed a total of 226 points scored (which was correct since it favored the Bucks 115–107 that night).^[6]^[7] While the scandal would eventually end with no major punishments being involved for any of the players that were named in the case outside of Gondrezick serving three years of probation for tampering with a witness,^[8]^[9] it would lead to a very hectic and uncertain offseason period for the Suns as they entered the upcoming season following this one.

Regular season

Record vs. opponents

More information Team, ATL ...

1986-87 NBA Records
Team	ATL	BOS	CHI	CLE	DAL	DEN	DET	GSW	HOU	IND	LAC	LAL	MIL	NJN	NYK	PHI	PHO	POR	SAC	SAS	SEA	UTA	WAS
Atlanta	—	3–3	4–2	4–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–0	5–1	3–3	1–1	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–0
Boston	3–3	—	6–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	5–1	2–0	0–2	3–3	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	1–1	4–2
Chicago	2–4	0–6	—	5–1	1–1	1–1	3–3	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–0	0–2	4–2	3–2	4–2	3–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	2–0	0–2	3–3
Cleveland	2–4	2–3	1–5	—	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	3–3	2–0	0–2	1–5	4–2	4–1	2–4	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	0–2	2–4
Dallas	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–0	—	4–2	1–1	5–0	3–3	0–2	5–0	3–2	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–0	3–2	2–3	5–1	4–2	5–0	3–3	1–1
Denver	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	—	0–2	4–1	3–3	1–1	2–3	0–5	1–1	2–0	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–2	2–4	5–1	2–3	2–4	1–1
Detroit	3–3	2–3	3–3	5–1	1–1	2–0	—	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	5–1	6–0	5–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Golden State	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–5	1–4	1–1	—	4–1	0–2	6–0	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	1–1	1–5	4–2	4–1	4–1	4–2	2–3	0–2
Houston	1–1	0–2	2–0	2–0	3–3	3–3	1–1	1–4	—	2–0	4–1	1–4	0–2	1–1	1–1	0–2	3–2	2–3	5–1	5–1	1–4	3–3	1–1
Indiana	3–3	1–5	2–3	3–3	2–0	1–1	3–3	2–0	0–2	—	2–0	0–2	2–4	5–1	3–2	2–4	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	4–2
L.A. Clippers	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–5	3–2	0–2	0–6	1–4	0–2	—	0–6	0–2	1–1	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–6	1–4	1–4	2–4	2–3	0–2
L.A. Lakers	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	2–3	5–0	1–1	4–2	4–1	2–0	6–0	—	1–1	2–0	2–0	2–0	5–1	5–1	5–0	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Milwaukee	3–3	3–3	2–4	5–1	0–2	1–1	3–3	2–0	2–0	4–2	2–0	1–1	—	4–2	4–2	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	4–1
New Jersey	0–5	2–4	2–3	2–4	0–2	0–2	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–5	1–1	0–2	2–4	—	5–1	3–3	1–1	0–2	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	2–4
New York	1–5	2–4	2–4	1–4	0–2	0–2	0–6	0–2	1–1	2–3	2–0	0–2	2–4	1–5	—	3–3	1–1	0–2	2–0	1–1	0–2	1–1	2–4
Philadelphia	3–3	3–3	3–3	4–2	0–2	2–0	0–5	1–1	2–0	4–2	2–0	0–2	3–2	3–3	3–3	—	1–1	2–0	2–0	1–1	2–0	1–1	3–3
Phoenix	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–3	2–3	1–1	5–1	2–3	1–1	5–1	1–5	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–1	—	2–4	2–3	2–3	1–5	4–1	0–2
Portland	1–1	0–2	1–1	1–1	3–2	2–3	2–0	2–4	3–2	2–0	6–0	1–5	2–0	2–0	2–0	0–2	4–2	—	3–2	4–1	4–2	3–2	1–1
Sacramento	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	1–5	4–2	1–1	1–4	1–5	1–1	4–1	0–5	0–2	2–0	0–2	0–2	3–2	2–3	—	3–3	2–3	1–5	1–1
San Antonio	0–2	0–2	1–1	1–1	2–4	1–5	1–1	1–4	1–5	0–2	4–1	1–4	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	3–2	1–4	3–3	—	1–4	2–4	0–2
Seattle	0–2	0–2	0–2	1–1	0–5	3–2	0–2	2–4	4–1	1–1	4–2	2–4	0–2	2–0	2–0	0–2	5–1	2–4	3–2	4–1	—	3–2	1–1
Utah	0–2	1–1	2–0	2–0	3–3	4–2	1–1	3–2	3–3	1–1	3–2	2–3	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–1	1–4	2–3	5–1	4–2	2–3	—	1–1
Washington	0–5	2–4	3–3	4–2	1–1	1–1	3–3	2–0	1–1	2–4	2–0	1–1	1–4	4–2	4–2	3–3	2–0	1–1	1–1	2–0	1–1	1–1	—

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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article 1986–87_Phoenix_Suns_season, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[AllTimeSunsPersonnel-1] [1]
https://basketball.realgm.com/nba/teams/Phoenix-Suns/23/staff-members/Historical/player

[chheco-2] [2]
"Van Arsdale chosen Phoenix head coach". Tuscaloosa News. (Alabama). combined reports. February 27, 1987. p. 21.

[3] [3]
Keteyian, Armen. "DARK CLOUDS OVER SUN COUNTRY". Sports Illustrated Vault | SI.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[4] [4]
"3 SUNS PLAYERS ARE INDICTED IN DRUG INVESTIGATION". The New York Times. April 18, 1987. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[5] [5]
"Clippers vs Suns, April 18, 1987". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[6] [6]
Anderson, Dave (April 21, 1987). "SPORTS OF THE TIMES; THE N.B.A. HOLDS ITS BREATH". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[7] [7]
"Bucks vs Suns, February 21, 1987". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 16, 2024.

[8] [8]
"After an off-season darkened by drugs and death, – 11.23.87 – SI Vault". Sports Illustrated.

[9] [9]
"Last of the Suns' drug cases won't be pursued". Eugene Register-Guard.

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Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	6	William Bedford	Center	United States	Memphis State
2	31	Joe Ward	Guard	United States	Georgia
2	39	Rafael Addison	Forward	United States	Syracuse
2	46	Jeff Hornacek	Guard	United States	Iowa State
3	55	Kenny Gattison	Forward	United States	Old Dominion
4	77	Grant Gondrezick	Guard	United States	Pepperdine
5	101	Greg Spurling	Center	United States	Carson–Newman
6	123	Jim McCaffrey	Guard	United States	Holy Cross
7	147	Damon Goodwin	Guard	United States	Dayton

Pacific Division v t e	W	L	PCT	GB	Home	Road	Div
y-Los Angeles Lakers	65	17	.793	–	37–4	28–13	24–6
x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	16	34–7	15–26	17–13
x-Golden State Warriors	42	40	.512	23	25–16	17–24	17–13
x-Seattle SuperSonics	39	43	.476	26	25–16	14–27	15–15
Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	29	26–15	10–31	14–16
Los Angeles Clippers	12	70	.146	53	9–32	3–38	3–27

#	Western Conference v t e
#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB
1	z-Los Angeles Lakers	65	17	.793	–
2	y-Dallas Mavericks	55	27	.671	10
3	x-Portland Trail Blazers	49	33	.598	16
4	x-Utah Jazz	44	38	.537	21
5	x-Golden State Warriors	42	40	.512	23
6	x-Houston Rockets	42	40	.512	23
7	x-Seattle SuperSonics	39	43	.476	26
8	x-Denver Nuggets	37	45	.451	28

9	Phoenix Suns	36	46	.439	29
10	Sacramento Kings	29	53	.354	36
11	San Antonio Spurs	28	54	.341	37
12	Los Angeles Clippers	12	70	.146	53

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game

Player	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3FG%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
Alvan Adams	68	40	24.9	.503	.000	.788	5.0	3.3	.9	.5	11.1
Rafael Addison	62	12	11.5	.441	.320	.797	1.7	0.7	.4	.1	5.8
William Bedford	50	18	19.6	.397	.000	.581	4.9	1.1	.4	.7	6.7
Walter Davis	79	79	33.5	.514	.259	.862	3.1	4.6	1.2	.1	23.6
James Edwards	14	9	21.7	.518	.	.771	4.3	1.4	.4	.5	12.0
Kenny Gattison	77	14	14.3	.476	.000	.632	3.5	0.5	.3	.4	5.2
Grant Gondrezick	64	1	13.1	.450	.235	.701	1.7	1.3	.4	.1	5.5
Jeff Hornacek	80	3	19.5	.454	.279	.777	2.3	4.5	.9	.1	5.3
Jay Humphries	82	82	31.5	.477	.185	.769	3.2	7.7	1.4	.1	11.3
Larry Nance	69	67	37.2	.551	.200	.773	8.7	3.4	1.2	2.1	22.5
Ed Pinckney	80	65	28.1	.584	.000	.739	7.3	1.5	1.1	.7	10.5
Mike Sanders	82	4	20.2	.494	.118	.781	3.3	1.5	.7	.3	10.5
Bernard Thompson	24	2	13.8	.400	.000	.818	1.3	0.8	.5	.2	4.6
Nick Vanos	57	14	11.2	.411	.000	.644	3.2	0.8	.3	.4	2.9

1986–87_Phoenix_Suns_season

1986–87 Phoenix Suns season

Offseason

NBA draft

Roster

Regular season

Standings

Record vs. opponents

Awards and honors

All-Star

Player statistics

Season

Transactions

Free agents

Additions

Subtractions

References

External links

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Date	Player	Reason Left	New Team
June 8, 1986	Rod Foster	Waived
July 31, 1986	Rick Robey	Free agent
August 13, 1986	Charles Pittman	Free agent	Pallacanestro Varese (Italy)
August 20, 1986	Georgi Glouchkov	Waived	Mobilgirgi Caserta (Italy)
October 23, 1986	Sedric Toney	Waived	New York Knicks
October 28, 1986	Charles Jones	Waived	Portland Trail Blazers