BASKETBALL BLOOMS IN THE DESERT THE SONORAN DESERT PROVIDES A SCENIC BACKDROP FOR ARIZONA’S MANY GOLF COURSES 8 BASKETBALL BLOOMS IN THE DESERT
PAUL SILAS I’m off to Pumpkinville Such a declaration may have been made in the 1860s near what is now Phoenix Arizona Taking advantage of the irrigation system the native Hohokam people had left behind settlers experienced success with crops such as pumpkins Before long the settlement was renamed Phoenix because the town was reborn from an older city Today Phoenix is the capital city of Arizona and headquarters to various companies such as American Express and Best Western hotels The warm climate of The Valley of the Sun also makes it a popular winter destination for tourists As its population and tourism increased Phoenix became an attractive contender to host a major sports franchise A group of investors that included singer Andy Williams actor Tony Curtis and composer Henry Mancini convinced the National Basketball Association NBA to grant the city a new franchise The pumpkin this time 9
FORWARD PAUL SILAS PALMED 11 7 REBOUNDS PER GAME IN THE 1969 70 SEASON in the form of a basketball would be making a comeback in Phoenix as the Suns hit the court in 1968 Phoenix hired head coach Johnny Red Kerr who had spent the previous two seasons getting another expansion team the Chicago Bulls up and running to guide the Suns However Kerr was less successful with the Suns who lost about four out of every five games in their inaugural season The bright spots in the otherwise dim season were guards Gail Goodrich and Dick Van Arsdale both of whom averaged more than 20 points per contest in the 1968 69 season Phoenix also boasted some solid rebounders but the defense was lacking and the Suns gave up more points than any other NBA team that season Still Arizona fans remained enthusiastic filling the seats at Veterans Memorial Coliseum I didn’t know how long we would last said Coach Kerr I didn’t know if people actually cared about basketball and would come out to the games But they did and they loved it The Suns would rise higher in the next three seasons starting with a berth in the 1970 Western Division playoffs This improvement 10
COURTSIDE STORIES The Toss of a Coin A 16 66 record in the Suns first season was difficult for some Phoenix fans to take but by finishing with the worst record in the Western Conference the team earned a chance to get the first pick in the 1969 NBA Draft And in that draft there was a huge prize looming sensational University of California Los Angeles UCLA center Lew Alcindor Unfortunately to get Alcindor who would later change his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar the Suns had to win a coin toss over the Milwaukee Bucks a fellow expansion team that owned the Eastern Division’s worst mark The Bucks won the toss and took Alcindor who would lead them to the 1971 NBA title and the Suns settled for center Neal Walk While Walk would have a respectable career averaging 14 7 points per game in 5 seasons for Phoenix the Suns would always wonder What if We had a group of young guys that would have fit perfectly with Alcindor said Suns general manager Jerry Colangelo We would have been in a prime position to have a good long run if we had won that coin flip 11 The Toss of a Coin
