Fansided

NBA franchise all-time power rankings: Which organization comes out on top?

By Josh Eberley

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Los Angeles Lakers legends Ervin Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal share a laugh with Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor during the unveiling ceremony for a bronze statue to honor Baylor in Star Plaza at Staples Center on April 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 06: Los Angeles Lakers legends Ervin Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O'Neal share a laugh with Hall of Famer Elgin Baylor during the unveiling ceremony for a bronze statue to honor Baylor in Star Plaza at Staples Center on April 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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DENVER-FEBRUARY 19: NBA All-Stars (L-R) Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns pose for photos during the East/West All-Stars Media Availability at the Colorado Covention Center during the 2005 NBA All-Star weekend on February 19, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the term and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images)
DENVER-FEBRUARY 19: NBA All-Stars (L-R) Shawn Marion, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire of the Phoenix Suns pose for photos during the East/West All-Stars Media Availability at the Colorado Covention Center during the 2005 NBA All-Star weekend on February 19, 2005 in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the term and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images) /

17. Phoenix Suns

50 Seasons

Record: 2167-1885, .535 W-L%

Finals Appearances: 2

Championships: 0

All-Time Starting Five

G: Steve Nash, 2005-06
G: Kevin Johnson, 1990-91
F: Shawn Marion, 2005-06
F: Charles Barkley, 1992-93
C: Amar’e Stoudemire, 2007-08

Average PER: 24.82

If the coin had just come up heads. Alas, nearly 50 years after the Suns lost out on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar they are still looking for their first title.

What if Jordan retired a year earlier and it was Barkley’s Suns and not Hakeem Olajuwon’s Rockets that hit the pinnacle with the Bulls absent? What if Stoudemire isn’t hurt in 2006? What if Robert Horry didn’t cheap shot Nash in 2007?

The Suns have had some very, very good teams fall just short of the mark. They’ve been lost in the desert since they traded Nash to the Lakers in 2012 but perhaps Deandre Ayton can do what Alvan Adams couldn’t.

Ayton, Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, and Mikal Bridges highlight a promising young core that looks to be on the upswing.

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