The Suns were underachieving.
In December of 1989, this was unacceptable. Phoenix had just come off its best season and deepest playoff run in years, riding the dynamic duo of Kevin Johnson and Tom Chambers all the way to 55 wins and the Western Conference Finals.
The fresh success and hope was met by a dud of a start to the 1989-90 campaign. Despite a minimally changed roster, Phoenix began the season 7-10. Kevin Johnson's health (hamstring) was a factor. So was Tyrone Corbin departure. The defensive and hustle-minded small forward had been lost in the previous summer's expansion draft.