Phoenix Suns 2010-11 Media Guide - NBA Media Central

Season Review 85-86
156
Review85-86
Review85-86
Season
RECORD
In the weeks preceding the opener, the Suns confirmed their desire
to go with youth and speed by trading veteran Maurice Lucas to the 32-50
Los Angeles Lakers and allowing Kyle Macy to sign with Chicago. All-Star
forward Larry Nance was a contract holdout throughout training camp and preseason
before coming to terms one game into the regular season. Opening night’s starting lineup
consisted of Jay Humphries and Walter Davis at guard, Alvan Adams at center, with Mike
Sanders and Charles Jones at forward.
Phoenix got off to the then worst start in franchise history, going 0-9. During that
period, the Suns successfully negotiated for the services of Georgi Glouchkov, a center
from the Bulgarian National Team, who became the first Eastern Bloc player to play in the
NBA. At first, Glouchkov captured national media attention, as well as the affection of
Phoenix fans, but communication difficulty, not to mention achilles tendinitis, would
drastically curtail his playing time as the season progressed.
Both Davis and Adams passed the 12,000-point plateau for their NBA careers with
Davis taking over the Suns all-time scoring lead. Davis led the team in scoring (21.8), while
Nance became the club’s top rebounder (8.5). For the first time in their history, the Suns
did not place a player on the squad for the NBA All-Star Game.
The Suns attendance held its own for the season, with an average of 11,121 per game.
The Suns could never recover from their 0-9 beginning and finished the year 32-50, failing
to make the playoffs for the first time in nine seasons.
FRONT ROW: Assistant Coach John Wetzel, Head Coach John MacLeod, Rod Foster, Walter Davis, Bernard
Thompson, Mike Sanders, Jay Humphries, Assistant Coach Al Bianchi, Trainer Joe Proski.
BACK ROW: Charles Pittman, Alvan Adams, Larry Nance, James Edwards, Nick Vanos, Rick Robey, Georgi
Glouchkov, Ed Pinckney, Charles Jones.