| | PHOENIX -- The Suns brought Charles Barkley to Phoenix to
win an NBA championship. He almost did it in 1992-93, his lone MVP
season.
Yet as Barkley retires from the NBA, the memories in Phoenix are
decidedly mixed about his four seasons with the Suns.
"There's never been any question in anyone's mind about his
physical ability and his basketball ability and his uniqueness as a
player," Suns owner Jerry Colangelo said. "The controversy has
always been about playing to his own rules on and off the court."
Colangelo and Suns vice president Cotton Fitzsimmons engineered
the trade that brought Barkley from Philadelphia for Jeff Hornacek,
Andrew Lang and Tim Perry.
"When Charles came into the press conference, he hugged me and
said thanks for getting him out of purgatory," Colangelo said.
Colangelo said Barkley was one of the top 15 or 20 players ever,
and the Suns had him in his prime. Barkley averaged 23.4 points for
Phoenix, 26.5 in the playoffs.
"His tenaciousness, his desire. From the time he took the
court, he really got after it," Fitzsimmons said. "He loved the
crowd. He thought he was bigger than life and he is. He'll tell you
that. That's his quote."
Barkley's first season in Phoenix was magnificent. He averaged
25.6 points and 12.2 rebounds and beat out Michael Jordan as the
league's most valuable player.
The Suns won a franchise-record 62 regular-season games and
advanced to the finals against Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
Barkley averaged 27.3 points in the finals, including a 42-point,
13-rebound performance in Game 2. But the Bulls won the title in
six games. It was the closest Barkley ever got to a championship.
"It was a terrific year, and he brought international exposure
to this franchise because he was an extraordinary talent and
entertainer," Colangelo said. "The remaining three years left
something to be desired in that we fell considerably short of our
goal. One might say that beyond the first year, it was a little bit
downhill."
In 1996, the Suns were eliminated by San Antonio in the first
round, and Barkley wanted out. He made some bitter comments about
the Suns' management and virtually forced a trade to Houston for
Chucky Brown, Mark Bryant, Sam Cassell and Robert Horry.
"Charles orchestrated his leaving Philadelphia. He cussed the
franchise, the owner and everybody," Fitzsimmons. "He
orchestrated his trade from here. He tried to make it look like we
wanted to trade him, and he's the one who wanted out. He thought he
had a better chance to win there than here."
Barkley still lives in Phoenix. He is a fixture on area golf
courses, and given his persona, he will not fade into the
background.
"The things that stand out to me are just the daily things he
does to make you laugh," said Suns coach Danny Ainge, who played
with Barkley for three seasons in Phoenix. "You can talk about him
being a comedian and entertainer and all those things, but those
things can go a long way with a team.
"Being loose and playing loose is a lost art, in some ways.
That's why I think had Charles been teamed up with the right kind
of people around him throughout his whole career, I think he would
have championship rings, as would Patrick Ewing, as would Karl
Malone."
There is a ring of honor for the top Suns players. There is no
promise that Barkley will ever be among them.
"At the appropriate time, we'll deal with it," Colangelo said.
"I think we've been more than fair in recognizing those who made a
contribution."
Barkley played his final game in Phoenix on Dec. 1. He had 23
points and 13 rebounds as Houston lost to the Suns in double
overtime.
Afterward, Barkley ripped official Mike Mathis by name and
blamed him for the loss. The result was a $20,000 fine.
It was the last of many.
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