Suns: Brandon Knight Already Showing Leadership
With the Markieff Morris situation at DEFCON 1, strong opinions have been brandied about on both sides of the debate. From “the Morris twins deserved what they got!” to “the Suns botched yet another personnel situation,” the blame game has been a popular one in Phoenix over the last few weeks.
And that’s before we even talk about the more prevalent topic of whether the Suns should trade him ASAP or hold on to him for the time being.
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As the rest of Suns Twitter consumes itself trying to point the finger in the right direction (and trust me, we’ll get into that debate soon enough since there’s not much else to talk about until training camp gets closer), it’s worth noting that there are a few silver linings amidst all the negativity.
One such silver lining: Brandon Knight stepping up and being a vocal leader about a potentially problematic situation.
To be fair, Archie Goodwin already went on record with his thoughts about the whole Markieff Morris-Marcus Morris situation, giving his support to Keef on SiriusXM NBA Radio last week:
"“I can’t speak too much on that situation but I can say that the last couple years I’ve been with (him), Markieff is a great guy, one of my favorite guys to be around,” Goodwin said. “He’s a really positive guy to me and for everybody else. He’s always been a team-first guy.“I love Markieff. I love Marcus. I hope (Markieff) stays with us. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that situation. That’s why I really can’t speak on it. I really enjoy being around him and I wish the best for him whether he is with us or another team.”"
If the Suns still want to retain their starting power forward, Goodwin’s allegiance to Keef will only help rebuild bridges. But unlike Goodwin’s stance, which simply states that he likes Keef and kind of takes the easy way out, Knight had more to say on the matter.
Last Friday, Knight opened up to Jared Greenberg and Rick Fox SiriusXM NBA Radio:
"“That’s really all I can speak on that matter — just want him to be happy,” Knight said. “If he stays with us, we’d definitely love to have him. Great player. I’m looking forward to playing with him. But if not, it’s a business. Like I said, I just want Markieff to be happy. That’s the main thing. I love him as a player. I love his game. So as of now, I’m excited to play for him.”"
On the surface, these comments seem nearly interchangeable with Goodwin’s. But when you take a closer look at what Knight is really saying, you’ll notice that he’s taking a more resolute stance of leadership.
Like Goodwin, Knight acknowledges that he likes Markieff and respects him as a player. Like Goodwin, he acknowledges that he doesn’t really know what’s going to happen with this complicated situation. But unlike Goodwin, Knight makes a point of noting that the Phoenix Suns’ 2015-16 season will go on with or without him.
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It’s “I hope he stays” vs. “we’d love to have him if he stays.” It’s “I wish him the best no matter what team he’s on” vs. “we’d love to have him, but if not, it’s a business and we wish him the best.”
Considering that this is coming from a 23-year-old who only played 11 games with the team last season, this is a bold statement to make, but it’s one that’s grounded in his commitment to his new home.
Goodwin has developed a relationship with the Morris twins, so his comments likely just stemmed from that. Knight’s supportive statements seem to come from a genuine care for the team and the understanding that A) the Suns won’t be as good in 2015-16 without Morris and B) Phoenix will have to find a way to get over it if worse comes to worst.
It may not seem like much, but Brandon Knight is the first starter (other than Keef, obviously) to speak his mind on the tension that threatens to dismantle the Suns’ season before it even begins. Goodwin has an interesting perspective to provide, but he’s never hesitated to speak his mind and it usually hasn’t come from a place of leadership.
Fans may be anti-Markieff right now, but getting him to be as amiable as possible is the key to either keeping him and making the playoffs this season or (at the very least) getting him to build his trade value back up so the Suns don’t take a loss in a potential deal.
To that end, Knight’s pro-Keef comments are realistic, positive, supportive and establish the kind of tone the rest of the team should take — all qualities of leadership you like to see from a player the front office expects to be vocal as he grows more comfortable with the team.
Next: Drawing Up Potential Markieff Morris Trades