More Suns turmoil: Bledsoe wants out
With the Suns in complete disarray, fans deserve to hear from Sarver
Dear Robert Sarver: Congratulations! You’re the owner of the hottest dumpster fire in professional sports. You’ve just fired your coach, even though Devin Booker, your best player, didn’t want the coach fired. Eric Bledsoe, your other best player, just got himself kicked off the team. And Josh Jackson, your top draft pick, doesn’t regret pulling what looked like an imaginary trigger in the direction of a heckler. (Jackson said that’s not what he was doing, by the way. He said it was a botched attempt at giving the guy the middle finger. And, really, man, that’s awesome, too! You drafted the only 20-year-old in America who doesn’t know how to properly flip somebody the bird!)
Look, Robert, I like and respect you. I’ve heard you take accountability for previous struggles, saying, “I’m a better owner today.” I’ve seen you give money to charities and strengthen your franchise’s connection to the community. I find you to be tough and smart, which is why I don’t understand why you didn't speak to the media on Monday. And I don’t mean on your team’s flagship radio network, I mean by calling a news conference or conference call or issuing a statement. Something. Anything.
General Manager Ryan McDonough said you were in a “banking meeting” and took all the shots, standing in front of a crush of cameras, microphones and lights. “I get paid a lot of money to sit here and get interrogated by you guys,” he said.
McDonough said he recommended replacing Earl Watson. But, Robert, it’s your team, so you had to sign off, right?
And, for the record, I disagree with that decision. Young people need stability, mentoring and accountability.
The team is on its fifth coach since 2013. That’s as stable as a two-legged chair.
Watson was the ultimate mentor and a guy with enough credibility to advise players to consult with a life coach and teach them how to be resilient. He’s gone now.
And there’s no accountability in making the coach into a scapegoat for problems that weren’t on him.
Watson is credited as a great communicator, someone who could tell players the truth. So, who better to tell them that their apparent lack of effort on the defensive end — and on the glass — has been pathetic?
“If these two programs are the future of the NBA, there’s no defense in the future,” Watson said after the 132-130 loss to the Lakers on Friday.
Defense, largely, is about effort. I don’t think it’s too much to ask players to play hard. And I don’t think that’s on the coach, not in the pros.
These players need to recognize, as Watson has said, that basketball isn’t promised.
“This is basketball; this is a gift,” Watson said after the 124-76 loss on opening night. “This is not something you go around thinking you’re owed.”
It’s a privilege to be a pro athlete. And don’t get me wrong, these guys have earned that privilege through hours and hours of work in the gym and film study and travel and sacrifice, but they need to show it every night that fans pay to watch them work.
Watson has said rebounding is about “fight.” Tyson Chandler has said it’s about “accepting the challenge.”
Neither is about coaching, it's about internal drive. Plus, McDonough needs to take some of the blame. He’s put together a roster without a bruising, veteran power forward who can teach, contribute and enforce.
This squad is asking Marquese Chriss to be a rebounder. But I’m not certain what evidence, aside from height, this team has that Chriss can be a glass cleaner. He averaged 5.4 boards per game in college. He pulled down 4.2 per game as a rookie last season. And this season, Chriss is averaging 8.3 rebounds per 48 minutes, compared to 9.3 per 48 minutes for Devin Booker.
I don’t think the offense has moved the ball enough. Through three games and three losses, the Suns have had more turnovers than assists twice and 19 of each in the loss to the Clippers.
Maybe that’s a problem of X’s and O’s, but if Jay Triano is the solution, where was he last week? Triano has been around the Suns as an assistant coach for a year. If he can improve things, he should have been able to do it already.
But back to my point, Robert, I really want to know how it feels to be you, right now.
It's clear you're a good decisionmaker. You purchased the team for $401 million in 2004. You got Steve Nash the same year and went on a run that changed the NBA and stopped just short of the Finals.
The team is now worth $1.1 billion, but you've been through five general managers, the longest postseason drought in franchise history and now this.
It’s no small feat.
Too bad you had that banking meeting Monday. I would have loved to hear from you, if only to hear you say you trust and support McDonough. Instead we got nothing.
Doesn't this city deserve more than that?