Saturday, February 09, 2008

You Will Be Missed Shawn...


Marion, a 6’7”, 228-pound forward, has averaged 18.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.89 steals, 1.35 blocked shots and 37.8 minutes in 660 games during his nine-year NBA career played entirely with Phoenix.
The ninth pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, Marion has averaged double figures in scoring in each of his nine seasons while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 34.2 percent from three-point range and 82.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally he has connected on at least 80 percent of his free throw attempts in each of his first eight seasons. Since the 2005-06 season, the 29-year old forward has averaged 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.98 steals, 1.58 blocks and 38.4 minutes while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. Marion, who earned Third Team All-NBA honors in 2004-05 and 2005-06, averaged a career-high 21.8 points during the 2005-06 campaign. Additionally, he teamed with Dwyane Wade as a member of the bronze-medal winning U.S. Olympic Team in 2004 and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2000. A six-time NBA Player of the Week and one-time Player of the Month, Marion finished fourth in the voting for the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Award after leading the NBA in steals (156).


The four-time NBA All-Star (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007) has started each of the 47 games in which he appeared this year for the Suns and has averaged 15.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.02 steals, 1.49 blocks and 36.4 minutes while shooting a career-high 52.6 percent from the floor, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 71.3 percent from the foul line. He has led the Suns in scoring five times this year and topped the squad in rebounds on 27 occasions. Marion was the Suns’ leader this season in minutes played (1,713), defensive rebounds (378), total rebounds (464), steals (95) and starts (47) and ranked second in field goals made (304), field goal percentage, offensive rebounds (86) and blocked shots (70). He joins Kevin Garnett as the only players in the NBA this season that rank in the Top 20 in both rebounds (14th) and steals (8th). Marion currently leads the NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.94) and is also ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage (17th), blocks (21st) and minutes (39th). Marion, who has recorded at least 30 double-doubles in each of the past seven seasons, has registered 23 double-doubles this season. One of his double-doubles this season was a 17-point, 24-rebound effort against the HEAT on Nov. 9 at Miami. The 24 rebounds were a season-high for Marion and tied as the fifth-highest single-game total against the HEAT in franchise history.
Marion finished his Suns career among Phoenix’s all-time leaders in minutes played (2nd-12,134), three-point field goals made (2nd-652), three-point field goals attempted (2nd-1,905), rebounds (2nd-6,616), steals (2nd-1,245), field goals made (3rd-4,879), field goals attempted (3rd-10,136), blocked shots (3rd-894), points scored (4th-12,134) and games played (5th-660).
In postseason play, Marion has appeared in 65 games and has averaged 17.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.52 blocks, 1.49 steals, 1.4 assists and 40.6 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 81.1 percent from the foul line. He departs Phoenix as the Suns’ all-time postseason leader in rebounds (706) and among the team’s playoff leaders in blocks (2nd-99), steals (3rd-97), three-point field goals made (3rd-63), three-point field goals attempted (3rd-182), points scored (5th-1,109), games played (5th-65), field goals made (7th-446) and field goals attempted (7th-963).
You will be missed Shawn, good luck in Miami!