Dan Majerle: Phoenix Suns Fans DIDN’T WANT HIM… Until they saw him play | FPP

Dan Majerle: Phoenix Suns Fans DIDN’T WANT HIM… Until they saw him play | FPP

He’s a prime example of a scrappy player especially in his early years when he first came to the league he played his game mostly inside the perimeter and would fight and scrap down low for rebounds and putbacks while also being willing to put his body on the line

Playing tight defense and Diving for loose balls and you have to mention the thunderous dunks which altogether made up the player that is Dan Marley he joined the Phoenix Suns right as they were turning over a new leaf and was a hardworking guy you couldn’t help but

Cheer for once they got Charles Barkley he became more of a three-point shooter which carried into the later part of his career his years in Phoenix were his best but his posts son’s time spent with Cleveland and Miami was still solid basketball and a great example of a

Player embracing his role as in Miami he became an early example of a 3 andd Type player a great starter but never a star or main option he has a career that can easily slip through the cracks but when you’re making multiple all-star teams and all defense teams that’s still

Pretty select company and definitely warrants more respect so that’s what Thunder Dan will get let’s jog your memory a Michigan native Dan Marley attended Traverse City High School where during his time there he would be a two-time Class A Allstate selection and during his senior season he would put up

Great averages of 37.5 points and 16 rebounds per game as he would eventually translate that into a spot at the University of Central Michigan going into the 1985 NCAA season there’s not a lot out there from Marley’s college career or mid 880s Chipawa basketball in general so I’ll give a more AB bridged

Summary of his college career as a freshman during the 85 season he quickly established himself as the team’s top player as he would be one of three players to average double figures with the other two being seniors but he was also the team’s top scorer and top rebounder while shooting nearly 57% from

The field however Marley would have a short season as a broken ankle would limit him to just 12 games and with one of the worst defenses in the nation Central Michigan finished 9 and 18 and missed the tournament Marley’s sophomore season would see the chipa was roll out

And improved defense but after losing two of their top scores to graduation their offense regressed but they would welcome Joo transfer Irvin Levy Marley was again the team’s top scorer and rebounder while finishing top five in the Mid-American Conference in both categories but the chipa was would go

Just 11 and 17 and again missed the tournament 87 would be a great year for Central Michigan as they would finish at 22 and8 behind the 35th ranked scoring defense which included a win over number eight ranked Western Kentucky as Marley again led the team in scoring and

Rebounding while also finishing top five in the conference in both categories yet he would miss seven games after again breaking his ankle and at this point you might be wondering how Marley was putting up such great rebounding numbers and shooting such a high percentage but when you find out he played center

Throughout his college career it makes a lot more sense and yes at about 6 and 1/2 ft he was one of the tallest players on the team but another reason for him playing Center was due to his ultra competitive nature and having no issue with doing the Dirty Work Down Low the

Chipa was would end up winning the Mac tournament to get an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament which was their first appearance in a decade but Reggie Miller and UCLA would beat them easily in round one with Marley recording 17 points and 13 rebounds on 40% shooting Marley wouldn’t have the same team

Success as a senior in 88 but individually he was incredible putting up career- high scor and rebounding numbers while also leading the team in steals and shooting over 52% as he would be the top scorer and rebounder in the Mac Central Michigan would still put together a winning season as they would

Enter the conference tourney at 18 and 12 but they would lose to Ohio in the semi-finals and wouldn’t get a tournament bid so Marley’s college career came to an end with him being a three-time first team All Conference member but he would have one more stop before the NBA as the Olympics were

Happening over the summer and the pretty much unknown Marley would have a spot on the team after winning MVP of the NBA’s Portsmith Invitational camp but he made sure his teammates knew who he was as the nation’s leading scorer hery Hawkins would say that he didn’t know who Marley

Was until he was beating him up in practice and Marley didn’t just fill a roster spot he started as he would lead Team USA in scoring across the eight games at over 14 points per game but it would be a disappointing Olympics as the US would only manage the bronze medal

But now it was time for the NBA draft and even though he would eventually become a fan favorite the Phoenix faithful didn’t initially approve of the Marley pick the Phoenix Sons select Dan Marley of Central Michigan University Marley was an unknown to most Phoenix fans so when he was taken in the

First round they were not happy but the Suns knew they got their guy we are very happy to select Dan Marley I cannot help how you feel all I can tell you is this we couldn’t be happier and I think you people will be sorry that you ever booed this young man

And Marley was still going to have to earn fans respect which he would definitely do but one thing he had almost instantly was a nickname which he had already gotten during his college Years but would be tweaked slightly in the NBA well the first game my rookie

Year we had an exhibition game back at Central Michigan and we went into the arena and during introductions the PA announcer for Central Michigan called me uh Dan Thunder Marley and Al McCoy was there being the professional he is uh picked up on me and instead of saying

Dan Thunder he called me Thunder Dan although Marley was joining his son’s team coming off at 28 and 54 season they were far from the team they were in 1988 the sons had hired veteran coach cotton Fitz Simmons and would now get a full season out of their second-year point

Guard Kevin Johnson who they had acquired in a trade with Cleveland the season prior and this was the same trade that had landed them the pick that became Marley alongside Johnson in the back court was a third-year Jeff Hornes SEC who was improving quickly but the big biggest addition was the first

Unrestricted free agent in NBA history in Tom Chambers who Phoenix had signed over the off season so this team was nice and would feature the top ranked scoring offense in the league Marley would come off the bench as a rookie but would get over 25 minutes per game as

His hustle and all out play on both ends of the floor kept him on the court and had fans warming up to him however he was now playing on the wing which was likely an adjustment from college as he would shoot below 42% from the field he

Would only appear in 54 games as he missed all of January and most of February due to an enlarged spleen but he would still record 22 games in double figures while even recording two double doubles as the Suns improved to 55 and 27 I would get a first round matchup

With Denver Marley had been playing well to end the year and would continueous play versus Denver as he would put up 17 points and seven rebounds in a game two win and then 13 points and six rebounds in a game three win as Phoenix swept Denver to advance to a matchup with the

Warriors the Suns would win this series in five as Marley averaged over 17 points and five rebounds Off the Bench as he would hit double figures scoring in every game and have two games with more than 20 points and now the suns were in the Conference Finals about to

Take on the defending Champion Lakers and although Phoenix was swept the average margin of victory was only about five points Marley would again hit double figures in each game while also averaging a steal per game but his efficiency dropped as he had just one game shooting over 39% but his rookie

Season had seen him average about 8 and 1/2 points four rebounds and two and a half assists per game the 1990 Suns continued their fast-paced high-scoring brand of play and although they had depth on the wings with guys like Jeff hornek and Eddie Johnson Marley continued to carve out a larger role

With his great two-way ability as he would get over five more minutes per game and improve his averages across the board this year he would appear in 73 games while even starting 23 of them he would hit double figures in 37 games and even record 32 points on 65% shooting in

An April 16th win versus golden Golden State in addition to this he would have 21 games with at least eight rebounds and even have eight double doubles the Suns would finish at 54 and 28th and we get a first round matchup versus Utah Marley would start strong averaging 17

Points and about six rebounds in the first three games but would then score a combined seven points in the final two games yet Phoenix would advance to round two versus the Lakers and this year they would get their Revenge after splitting the first two games Fenix would win

Three straight to take the series Marley would be up and down but would still average double figures while shooting nearly 48% from the field as the suns were returning to the Conference Finals this time they would face the Portland Trailblazers but unfortunately would fail to make it out of the West however

Marley would play an incredible series he would start with 11 points and seven rebounds on five of eight shooting and a game one loss Phoenix looked like they were going to tie up the series as at halftime of game two they led by 18 and Marley had scored 18 Off the Bench and

Although he would shoot 77% for the game he had just four points in a second half where Phoenix was outscored by 19 to lose by one and go home down 02 the Suns would blow out the Blazers in game three even though Marley had just two points

On 0 for six shooting but then in game four he would have 18 points and 10 rebounds as Phoenix again won easily to even the Series game five back in Portland would see Phoenix lose with Marley putting up 11 points and then even though they would lose game six and

The series Marley would end his postseason with 22 points 10 rebounds and five assists on over 53% shooting and for his regular season he would average about 11 points six rebounds and 2 and a half assists per game Marley had taken a big step forward in year three specifically with his efficiency as

After shooting about 42% from the field over his first two seasons he would shoot over 48% this year while also shooting nearly 35% from deep and they needed his extra scoring as an early season trade saw them send their aging Sixth Man Eddie Johnson to Seattle for Xavier McDaniel so although Marley’s

Minutes had dropped slightly he was still scoring better than last season as he would hit double figures in 59 games and record two double doubles which included a career-high 13 assists to go along with 21 points a November 10th win versus Denver additionally Marley was recognized for his great defensive play

As he would earn his first career second Team all defense selection so after two straight Conference Finals appearances Phoenix hadn’t really made any changes outside of the McDaniel trade as they would finish with a 55 and 27 record but another Conference Finals appearance just wasn’t in the cards Phoenix would

Take on Utah in round one but after splitting the first two games the Jazz would take the next two and the series after an eight-point game one Marley would agree to a contract extension which led to him averaging nearly 15 points per game over the next two games

But overall he struggled shooting below 38% for the series yet he would average over a steal per game but their postseason was over quicker than expected as Marley’s regular season saw him average about 13 and a half points five and a half rebounds and three assists per game 1992 would be another

Step forward for Marley but the Suns as a whole had lost a step they still were one of the West’s top teams but they had traded McDaniel to New York prior to the season and a 32-year-old Tom Chambers was starting to slow down but now Marley was the unquestioned sixth man on the

Team and would appear in all 82 games receiving nearly 35 minutes per game he would hit double figures in 74 games while recording five double doubles additionally this season would see Marley score his career high of 37 points on 60% shooting in November 29th defeat of Charlotte as overall he would

Finish third on the team in scoring behind a career-high 17.3 points per game while still shooting about 48% from the field and had now established himself as one of the League’s best deep threats as his 38.2% from Beyond The Arc would be a career-high and top 20 Mark

In the league and his great play saw him voted to his first career Allstar star game while also finishing third in Sixth Man of the Year voting Phoenix would continue their winning ways as they finished at 53 and 29 to get a first round playoff matchup with San Antonio

Injuries would be the theme of this series as Spurs star David Robinson would not play nor would Willie Anderson with Rod Strickland managing just two games and for Phoenix Chambers would miss game two with injury while Marley would miss game three but Marley did explode for 25 points on over 56%

Shooting in game one before going for two points on one of eight shooting in 21 minutes of action in game two but Fenix would win both as well as game three to advance to a matchup with Portland Marley would have one of the best playoff series of his career as he

Would average over 20 points while leading the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game he would hit double figures in every game have three games with at least 20 and have a 21 Point 11 rebound double double in a game four overtime loss as the Suns would only manage one

Win in the series before Portland closed it out in five but Marley season saw him average about 17 1/2 points six rebounds and 3 and 1/2 assists per game Phoenix definitely had a great core but with an aging Chambers on the decline they knew they had to make an improvement at power

Forward to have a real chance at winning and they got the perfect guy Phoenix orchestrated a trade which saw them receive Superstar forward Charles Barkley from Philadelphia and this boded well for Marley as Hornes SEC was part of the trade meaning that the Suns had a vacancy at the two guard which Marley

Would now occupy with the newly acquired Danny a acting as his backup his first season as a starter under new head coach Paul Westfall would arguably be his best he would finish second on the team in scoring on over 46% shooting and a career-high 1.7 steals per game for the

Second straight year he would shoot over 38% from deep but this season his 167 made threes would lead the league and his 39 minutes per game would be top 10 Marley would play and start in all 82 games hitting double figures in 71 of them and scoring at least 20 in 31 of

Them Mar Ley would earn his second straight All-Star selection while also being named second Team all defense fenix’s regular season would be filled with memorable moments with Marley’s best being an April 6th win over La when he hit a deep three with about 11 seconds left to tie the game then after

The Lakers would hit a go-ahead bucket with less than two seconds Marley made sure the Suns didn’t lose here’s the ball coming in maybe here comes in Marley turns and shs that’ll win the [Applause] game he would hit a bomb at the buzzer to give the Suns a one-point win which

Would end up being one of their league leading 62 wins on the season and they were able to accomplish this with Johnson being limited to just 49 games but they had Johnson come playoff time although they would really cut it close in a first round series with the Lakers

The Suns would fall behind 02 before getting it together to win three straight and take the series but Marley couldn’t find his shot this series he would shoot 30% or lower in three of the five games while hitting double figures just twice luckily his best performance

Would come in game five when he had 19 points and two blocks on eight of 13 shooting round two brought a now healthy Spurs team but Phoenix would take this series as well and Marley would give a much better second round showing as he would hit double figures in every game

As well as average a steel and a block per game he performed better than the Lakers series but his shot still wasn’t falling as he would shoot less than 40% from the field and go 9 of 28 from deep but great performances from the Suns Duo of Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson

Helped them through to a Conference Finals match up with Seattle Marley would have nine points and nine assists in a game one win before breaking out of his shell and going for 29 Points 10 rebounds and three blocks in a game two loss but it seemed like an outlier after

He averaged about 13 points on about 40% shooting over the next two games but with the series tied 22 and Phoenix coming off of a loss Marley would have one of the best playoff games of his career Barkley would have a 43-point triple double but Marley would do his

Own damage as he said of then playoff record with eight three-pointers as overall he would finish the game with 34 points seven rebounds and four assists on 12 of 17 from the field and eight of 10 from Deep with none more important than his final make as with about 20

Seconds left in the game and the Suns up by three they went to Marley who hit his final three of the game to act as the dagger and put the Suns up 3-2 in the series Marley came back down to earth in game six with 12 points on four of 11

Shooting as Seattle forced a game seven but the suns were able to last the sonics to take the series even though Marley had just 11 points on three of 11 shooting so now the Suns would be taking on the Michael Jordan Le bulls and although was completely out of Marley’s

Control he had a Target on his back which Michael Jordan would be going for love D and just because KRA liked him was enough for me you think he’s a great defensive play okay fine I’m sure that he’s not offensively Marley was solid as he averaged about 17 points and eight

Rebounds for the series series he would score double figures in every game including 28 points in a triple overtime game three win which saw him hit six three-pointers and he’d also put together an 11o 12 rebound game five but after shooting at least 54% in the first

Four games he would go a combined 10 of 27 from the field in the final two games as Chicago would win in six but the defensive end probably had him seeing Jordan His nightmares as Jordan averaged 41 points on over 50% shooting for the series but Marley’s regular season saw

Him average about 17 points 4 and 1/2 rebounds and four assists per game Chambers was gone going into 94 but the suns were bringing back all their important pieces and had added AC Green in free agency the Suns would get great production from Cedric sabalos yet he

Only played 53 games as he was recovering from a foot injury and wouldn’t make his first appearance until January Marley’s stats continue to be consistent and he would shoot over 38% from Deep for the third straight year as he would once again lead the league in made three-pointers but his overall

Efficiency would drop for the fourth straight year as his 41.8% shooting was a then career low nonetheless Marley would hit double figures in 65 games while recording three games with at least 30 Johnson and Barkley would each Miss time this year but the sun still featured the League’s top ranked scoring

Offense for the second straight season which led to a 56 and 26 record and a first round matchup versus Golden State Marley would put together a great performance in a three- game sweep of the Warriors as he would finish as one of three sons to average at least 20

Points while shooting 46% from the field and 40% from deep and also averaging 1.7 steals per game as round two would bring the Rockets this would be a rough series for Marley the first three games would see him score at least 12 points in each game yet he would only shoot about 39%

As the suns were up 2-1 after three but then Marley would disappear as over the next four games he would average four points on 17.6% shooting as the Suns would go one and three in those games to lose the series in seven but Marley’s regular season would see him average

About 16 1/2 points 4 and 1/2 rebounds and 3 and 1/2 assists per game Marley had something to cheer for over the summer as he and Kevin Johnson would both suit up for Dream Team 2 at the feba World Championships where they would easily win a gold medal the Suns

Had made some good offseason pickups going into 95 as they had signed forwards Danny Manning and Wayman Tisdale yet would trade away sabalos but also draft a great shooter who played shooting guard in Wesley Person so Marley would spend a lot more time playing all forward this year as after

Being an early season starter he would begin coming off the bench with person seeing more time in the starting lineup Marley still played all 82 games but would start 46 of them he would put up another season of over 15 points per game but after a few efficient years he

Would never again shoot above 42% for a season yet he was still a deep threat shooting over 37% from deep and tying for second and made threes which would earn him a spot in the 95 Three-Point Shootout and he would have a busy All-Star week weekend as he had also

Been voted to his final career All-Star game as a starter overall his season would see him hit double figures in 66 games while scoring at least 30 in four of them and averaging a career-high 4.1 assist per game the Suns would again deal with injuries as Johnson was

Limited to 47 games and a knee injury would end Manning season after 46 games but again even with all the injuries they dealt with they still feature the top two scoring offense and would finish the season at 59 and 23 to get a first round matchup with Portland Phoenix

Would end up sweeping Portland and Marley’s averages of 13 points per game on 50% from the field and nearly 58% from Deep looked great but in reality he played lights out in game one with 25 points on eight of 11 from the field and 7 of 10 from deep but he would then

Score a combined 14 points on four of 12 from the field in the final two games the second round would again bring a seven-game series versus Houston but again Phoenix would come up short the Suns would go up 3-1 before losing three straight as Phoenix still had a chance

To win in game seven but an unfortunate series of events for Houston which included Mario Ellie’s Kiss of Death three-pointer would seal the game and the series as Marley would average to six points on 30% from the field and 20% from Deep however he would also average

Nearly two steals a game but Phoenix’s season was over as Marley averaged about 15 1 12 points 4 and 1 half rebounds and four assists per game but it turned out that it wasn’t just his season that was over as his time in Phoenix had also

Come to an end the Suns felt they needed more help in the middle and had a lot of wing depth so Marley was packaged in a trade to Cleveland for veteran big man John hot rod Williams and Marley’s years in Phoenix had seen him become more and

More reliant on the three as he went from about 10% of his shots being by way of the three-pointer in 1991 to over 53% of his shots being deep balls in 1995 so he found himself in Cleveland but there had also been murmurs of a trade to the

Bulls which would have seen Marley incl including a package with Wesley Person and picks for an unhappy Scotty Pippen but there’s really nothing out there to say that this was anything more than a suggestion from Pippen himself Cleveland was a team going in a New Direction after trading away franchise Legend Mark

Price as they were moving forward with their younger up-and-coming point guard in Terrell Brandon Cleveland didn’t have stars like Barkley or Johnson but they had a solid core with other guys like Bobby Phils and Chris Mills Marley would be used as a reserve small forward playing in all 82 games yet starting

Just 15 of them and playing below 30 minutes per game for the first time in 5 years his scoring had dropped significantly yet he would still average double figes but a large contributing factor for his scoring drop was that he went from one of the League’s fastest

And highest scoring teams in Phoenix to a Cleveland team who would be the second lowest scoring offense in the NBA while playing at the League’s slowest Pace as defense was their strong suit allowing the lowest points per game in the league Marley would hit double figures in 43

Games and record two double doubles but he was only able to shoot about 40% from the field yet he was still a deep threat hitting threes at over 35% although the Cavs would start the year 0 and7 their great defense was able to carry them to

A 47- 35 record which would get them a first round match up versus New York but an inexperienced Cavs team was no match for the Knicks as they were swept however Marley would be a bright spot Off the Bench averaging nearly 17 points four rebounds and three assists while

Shooting over 43% from deep as he and Brandon were the only Cavs to average double figures but Marley’s first year in Cleveland would see him average about 10 1/2 points 3 and 1/2 rebounds and 2 and 1/2 assists per game yet Marley looked to be on the decline and wouldn’t

Be a part of Cleveland’s long-term plans as they would renounce his rights but in late August he would sign a three-year deal with Miami as they were going to get their first full season out of their newly formed Duo while being led by Pat Riley Marley wouldn’t be a huge part of

Miami’s regular season success as after being one of the League’s most durable players since he was drafted he would only managed 36 games this year due to a lingering back injury the heat were putting their faith into Marley as until the back issues he was a starter and

Overall would average at least 10 points for the final time in his career but his efficiency remained an issue as he again shot about 40% on 9.6 shot attempts per game yet those were majority three-pointers as he attempted 5.6 threes per game which really brought his overall average down as he shot two

Pointers at a 50% rate the 97 heat were good as even with Marley dealing with injury they finished as one of three 60- win teams at 61 and 21 Marley was ready for the playoffs and would have a solid first round series Off the Bench versus

Orlando he would be one of six Heat players and the only non-starter to average double figures while improving his shooting to nearly 49% from the field and although the series went the distance Miami was able to escape to a second round match up versus New York Marley would start this series slow

Scoring a combined 11 points in the first three games before putting up 11 points and going three for three from deep in game four but at that point Miami was down 3-1 and it wasn’t looking good in game five Marley would put up 12 points six rebounds and five assists in

A Heat win but this game would completely change the series as a late game scuffle saw some of the Nick’s best players being suspended which meant they were without Allen Houston and Patrick euwing in game six as well as Larry Johnson and John Starks in game seven Marley would have 18 points seven

Rebounds and six assists in a game six win then would have seven points and nine rebounds in a game seven win and although Marley’s scoring may not have been great it was his overall value this series as he averaged around six rebounds three assists and over a steal

Per game while shooting over 41% from Deep the Conference Finals brought a Michael Jordan Leed Bulls team and this series would not go well for the Heat or Marley as they would lose in five games with Marley averaging about five points on less than 27% from the field and less

Than 24% from deep but he would provide solid defense and as he had three games with two steals so his first season in Miami saw him average about 11 points 4 and 1 half rebounds and three assists per game 98 would see a big minutes drop for Marley as he continued coming off

The bench putting up his lowest numbers since his rookie year however he improved his overall shooting to nearly 42% and his 37.6% mark from Deep Was His Highest in 5 years but what seemed to be a common theme of Marley’s career was that often the most talented teams he

Played on dealt with significant injuries as morning would man 58 games while starting small forward Jamal Mashburn who had been acquired at last year’s trade deadline would manage just 48 games but even with the injuries Miami would still go 55 and 27 and get a first round matchup with New York Marley

Would put up eight points in game one in a starting role but in game two he would injure his groin which would ultimately end his playoffs as he didn’t appear again in a five-game series loss for Miami but his regular season would see him average about seven points 3 and 1

Half rebounds and two assists per per game the lockout shorten 99 season would see Marley back in a starting role after injuries to Von Leonard and Jamaal Mashburn and although a 33-year-old Marley would never be the same offensive player he once was he still provided good defense and longrange shooting he

Would put up similar scoring numbers to last year and would shoot below 40% from the field yet he would still be close to 34% from Deep with his best game of the year coming in an April 19th win versus Cleveland when he had 22 points on 8 of

11 shooting but the heat would finish with a 30 3 and 17 record which would get them the one seed versus New York although Marley would have a rough series shooting wise as he averaged four points on less than 20% shooting he would still pull down about six rebounds

And get a steal per game but this would be a historic series that Miami was on the wrong side of as a last second game five Allen Houston Runner would lead to Miami becoming the second one seed to lose to an eight seed but Marley season

Saw him average about seven points 4 and 1 half rebounds and three assists per game Marley was still a starter in 2000 but the heat were aging and this time Tim Hardway would miss 30 Games due to injury Marley would remain as more of a three andd player shooting above 36%

From deep and averaging close to a steel and a half per game he would play and start in 69 games and record Double figures in 18 of them while recording one of the best three-point performances in heat history during a January 11th defeat of Minnesota when he had 33

Points on 9 of 10 from Deep the heat were still one of the better teams in the East with the top five scoring defense as they would finish the year at 52 and 30 they would get Detroit in round one who they would sweep as Marley had a solid performance averaging 10

Points on over 47% from the field and 50% from deep and being a pest on the defensive end with 2.7 steals per game but round two once again brought the Knicks and once again it ended in defeat for Miami but it would be another battle as it went the distance Marley would

Struggle in the beginning scoring a combined 13 points in the first three games but he would then average 13 points 8.7 rebounds and two steals in Games 4 through six but Miami would come up one point short in game seven and for the regular season Marley would average

About 7 and 1 half points five rebounds and three assists per game 2001 would have Marley back in a bench roll but the bigger news was that a kidney disease was expected to keep mourning out all season however he would end up returning near the end of the year Marley was

Getting about 25 minutes per game but at this point pretty much exclusively shot threes yet would still average a steal per game even without more morning the heat were again able to put together a 50- win season as they had added guys like Eddie Jones Anthony Mason and Brian

Grant in the off season and they would make the playoffs and get a matchup with Charlotte but this would be an embarrassing loss for Miami as they were swept in three straight blowouts as Marley averaged about five points and three rebounds and his regular season saw him put up similar numbers at about

Five Points three rebounds and one and a half assists per game so his time in Miami was up but he’d be making a return to a familiar place for a farewell season in 2002 so Marley was back in Phoenix for the O2 season as a valuable veteran presence getting about 18

Minutes per game in 65 games his numbers were understandably low but he continued to be a player who could do a little bit of everything yet for the first time in his career he wouldn’t be on a good team as Phoenix would finish at 36 and 46 and

Miss the playoffs but his final season saw him average about 4 and 1/2 points 2 and 1/2 rebounds and 1 and 1 half assists per game Dan Marley ended his career care after 14 Seasons although he didn’t look like the same offensive threat once he left Phoenix he always

Had a spot in any rotation because there was nothing he wasn’t willing to do as even if the shots weren’t falling he would still give you defense and hustle and once a shooter always a shooter so teams would respect his range no matter what he was a perfect fit with those

Deep Suns teams of the ’90s as he didn’t have an ego and was one player that was available for them no matter what which would be a common theme the majority of his career as up until his final years he was one of the most durable players

In the league he was past his prime once he got to Miami but Pat Riley just needed him to play his role which he did as throughout his career he only knew winning basketball there were plenty of players who were better than him and he wasn’t the best at anything but he was

One of those rare players that could fill any and every section of the stat sheet and had the confidence to go toe-to-toe with the best and if you go from being booed at the draft to beloved by those same fans years later it’s safe to say your career was a success but

That’s it for today’s episode on Thunder Dan Marley hope you enjoyed it and make sure to subscribe for more videos like this one if you liked it check out this one on one of his Phoenix teammates or this one on the duo he played with in Miami thanks for watching and see you

Next time

He was a standout at the University of Central Michigan in the mid 80s, yet his name was unknown outside of the state. He quietly put together a college career that was good enough to get him a starting spot on Team USA in 1988. Then he would be booed by Suns fans when Phoenix made him their first round pick. But over the next 7 years, he won their hearts through his hard nosed play on both ends of the ball as a slasher and finisher in the beginning and then a great 3 point shooter near the end. He was a great defender and hustle player who would always put his body on the line which led to a lot of success in Phoenix alongside Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers and later on, Charles Barkley. After a great stretch in Phoenix he spent a year in Cleveland before embracing a 3 and D role on the great Miami Heat Teams of the late 90s. He never won a title, but he also only missed the playoffs once, in his final season. Thunder Dan Majerle was a player that was so easy to root for, and the epitome of a player you hated to play against, but loved having on your team.

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