Phoenix Suns 5-on-5: Were the Morris twins right in calling out fans?
1. Were the Morris twins right in calling out the fans after Saturday night’s game?
Gerald Bourguet: If by “right” you mean they were accurate in their assertions, yes. But if we’re talking “right” as in right and wrong, it probably wasn’t a good idea to antagonize a fan base that’s always had a reputation of being fair weathered. US Airways has never really had a reputation of being a formidable place to play, but calling out the fan base was just a bad move. The Morris twins’ first complaints came after the big Oklahoma City Thunder win, but going on record just minutes after one of the worst performances against the season (vs. the San Antonio Spurs) just made it seem like they were deflecting the attention away from the bigger issue.
Scott Chasen: I’m not sure its ever right to call out fans, but I think there is something to be said that they were unhappy with crowd support. I will say this though: Markieff Morris made a smart move by responding to fans on Twitter following those comments. I thought that was really clever from a PR perspective.
Spencer Hann: Yes and no. Their statements about the lack of home-court advantage were valid and the hard truth. However, it wasn’t their place to speak on the matter and the comments could not have come at a worst time. A 27 point loss to the Spurs at home, with only 24 first half points and they want to talk about the fans failing to do their job? No, not a good look.
Eric Saar: It’s never really okay to call out you’re fan base. They are fanatics and many of them don’t have the correct perspective and will take it wrong. Right there you’ve alienated some people, who may never come to the game again. Maybe you don’t want them, if they are that fair-weathered, but still it’s a bit counter-productive.
Mark Harris: Yes and no. Yes because the crowd presence hasn’t been consistent and it hasn’t always been that loud. But that Saturday night the Suns lost 101-74 to the Spurs, not exactly what you would call a “close game.” So I don’t think Morris should call out the fans after that game, because big fan support wouldn’t have mattered anyway, but he certainly does have a point.