2000–01 Phoenix Suns season

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The 2000–01 Phoenix Suns season was the 33rd season for the Phoenix Suns, members of Pacific division in the National Basketball Association. The Suns were coached by Scott Skiles, who enjoyed his first full season as head coach as the Suns finished the regular season with a 51–31 record. For a franchise-record 13th season in a row, the Suns earned a trip to the playoffs but would later lose in the first round. America West Arena was the home court venue for the Suns.

The Suns were led by point guard Jason Kidd, who again topped the league in assists per game while earning another All-NBA First Team selection and All-Defensive First Team (after being selected to the Second Team the year previous). He was also the team's lone representative in the All-Star Game. Shawn Marion averaged a double-double, leading the team in scoring at 17.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game). Kidd and Clifford Robinson were the other starters to provide the majority of the team's scoring, while reserves Tony Delk and Rodney Rogers brought offensive firepower from the bench, averaging 12 points per game. Anfernee Hardaway was the teams's highest-paid player but played in just four games, battling injury.

For the fourth season in a row, the Suns finished third in the Pacific division. The team earned a first-round match-up with the third-seed, Sacramento Kings. Phoenix would take Game 1 but lose the next three in a row, losing three games to one.

Offseason

NBA Draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	Nationality	College
1	25	Iakovos "Jake" Tsakalidis	Center	Georgia

Roster

Phoenix Suns roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB (Y-M-D) From 1.5 !G 8 USA ! Del Negro, Vinny 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1966–08–09 North Carolina State 1.5 !G 00 USA ! Delk, Tony 73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 189 lb (86 kg) 1974–01–28 Kentucky 6.0 !C 14 USA ! Dudley, Chris 83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1965–02–22 Yale 2.5 !G/F 17 USA ! Elie, Mario 77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1963–11–26 American International 4.0 !F 24 USA ! Gugliotta, Tom 82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1969–12–19 North Carolina State 1.5 !G 1 USA ! Hardaway, Anfernee  79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1971–07–18 Memphis 1.5 !G 32 USA ! Kidd, Jason 76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1973–03–23 California 4.0 !F 31 USA ! Marion, Shawn 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1978–05–07 UNLV 1.5 !G 2 USA ! Perry, Elliot 72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 150 lb (68 kg) 1969–03–28 Memphis 5.5 !F/C 30 USA ! Robinson, Clifford 82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1966–12–16 Connecticut 4.0 !F 54 USA ! Rogers, Rodney 79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 1971–06–20 Wake Forest 6.0 !C 15 PRI ! Santiago, Daniel 85 !7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 256 lb (116 kg) 1976–06–24 Saint Vincent 6.0 !C 25 GEO ! Tsakalidis, Iakovos 86 !7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 285 lb (129 kg) 1979–06–10 Georgia (country)	Head coach Scott Skiles (Michigan State) Assistant coach(es) Jim Boylan (Marquette) Frank Johnson (Wake Forest) Phil Weber (North Carolina St.) Athletic trainer(s) Aaron Nelson (Iowa State) Casey Smith (Arizona State) Strength and conditioning coach(es) Robin Pound (Michigan State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured

Depth chart

Pos.	Starter	Bench	Reserve	Inactive
C	Jake Tsakalidis	Chris Dudley	Daniel Santiago
PF	Clifford Robinson	Tom Gugliotta
SF	Shawn Marion	Rodney Rogers
SG	Mario Elie	Vinny Del Negro		Penny Hardaway
PG	Jason Kidd	Tony Delk	Elliot Perry

Regular season

Standings

Playoffs

Game log

Awards and honors

All-Star

• Jason Kidd was voted as a starter for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game. It was his fourth All-Star selection. Kidd finished second in voting among Western Conference guards with 1,062,837 votes.

Season

• Jason Kidd was named to the All-NBA First Team. Kidd also finished eighth in MVP voting.
• Jason Kidd was named to the All-Defensive First Team. Kidd also finished 11th in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
• Jason Kidd led the league in assists per game, with a 9.8 average, and total assists with 753.
• Shawn Marion finished 11th in Defensive Player of the Year voting, and fourth in Most Improved Player voting.
• Rodney Rogers finished sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting. Rogers won the award in 2000.
• Tony Delk finished tenth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.

Player statistics

Season

* - Stats with the Suns.
† - Minimum 300 field goals made.
^ - Minimum 125 free throws made.

Playoffs

References

• Standings on Basketball Reference