Suns Column: A Farewell To Marcus Morris
“At the same time it’s a business, so forget Phoenix,” Marcus Morris said at his introductory press conference with the Detroit Pistons a few weeks ago.
“For them to trade me without consent or telling me was like a slap in the face, because of the contract I took from those guys and the money I took from them,” he continued, reaffirming the justification most Suns fans felt when general manager Ryan McDonough shipped him away. “I’m happy to be here. I’m a Piston. I’m a Bad Boy. I’m ready to get started.”
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But Morris wasn’t done talking about his displeasure with the Phoenix Suns at that press conference, and after a combative Friday on Twitter, most fans feel vindicated by the departure of the self-admitted bad boy.
Even though the trade went through weeks earlier, Suns Twitter yesterday basically turned into one digital version of the Von Trapp family’s goodnight song.
Except instead of being a pleasant sing-along “goodnight” from adorable little German children, it was a bunch of profanity-laced “GTFO”s showing Morris the door in 140 characters or less — and Mook wasn’t afraid to let the world know the feeling was mutual.
It’s astounding how quickly the relationship between Mook and the Suns turned from this:
Great season.. Thanks to all the Suns fans for your support all year!! Sorry we didn't make the playoffs but we will next year.
— Marcus Morris (@MookMorris2) April 17, 2014
To this:
https://twitter.com/MookMorris2/status/627154302348333056
From the Morris twins’ perspective, learning that Mook had been unceremoniously shipped off to Detroit to make room for LaMarcus Aldridge was, admittedly, a slap in the face.
It would’ve been unreasonable to expect the Morris twins to play their entire NBA careers together, but when Phoenix paired them up and signed them both to four-year extensions last summer, it seemed like they’d at least get to enjoy their primes together. “Team FOE,” right?
No dice.
When Phoenix first acquired Marcus Morris in the middle of a miserable 2012-13 season it felt like little more than a PR stunt. But it wound up representing a good faith move that paid off when the Morris twins both turned in career seasons for a 48-win Suns team the following season.
After an entire year of turning the other cheek to the Morris twins’ detrimental actions, however, a “slap in the face” felt warranted. Once Marcus sparked the match with a few incendiary tweets, it was time to hit back, and Arizona Sports radio personality John Gambadoro wasn’t the only one who took advantage of the opportunity.
@MookMorris2 When is the next court date? I can give you a ride then.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) July 31, 2015
There’s no question that the Morris twins became a bad influence on each other in Phoenix. As their games developed, the two were emboldened by their improvement and by each other’s presence. They grew confident together, and that confidence segued into a reckless, cocky demeanor. The rotten fruit borne of that confidence was poor decision-making both on and off the court.
Last season, the Morris twins alone picked up more technical fouls than the Spurs, Celtics and Lakers, and had more player technical fouls than 17 of the 30 NBA teams. That’s unacceptable no matter who you are in this league.
Can you imagine if LeBron James and Kyrie Irving had a stat like that to their names? Can you picture what the public condemnation would look like if it were Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook being that irresponsible?
Now replace those bonafide stars and franchise players with the good but not great Morris twins and it’s easy to see why that kind of not-so-fun fact was simply unacceptable. And that’s before broaching the off-court controversies.
In a road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Marcus Morris screamed at head coach Jeff Hornacek on the sideline during a timeout. After a 27-point blowout at home against the San Antonio Spurs, he and Markieff publicly called out the fan support at US Airways Center.
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(I wasn’t in the locker room for that tandem outburst, but in the home game just before that — a monumental feel-good home win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in which Eric Bledsoe won his personal duel with Russell Westbrook — the Morris twins were also bantering about the lack of crowd support. They just didn’t go on the record until the following game.)
Then the Suns’ 2014-15 season reached its lowest point when it was reported that the Morris twins would face felony aggravated assault charges for an incident involving a man who had allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to their mother and was knocked to the ground and beaten while he was down.
“Family Over Everything” had suddenly been twisted into a horrible new meaning that would’ve made Hector Salamanca and his set of twins proud.
The fact that an off-court incident was the low point of the season — in a year that saw the Suns trade away their most popular player in Goran Dragic and miss the playoffs for the fifth season in a row — is not something that can just be swept under a rug.
And so the question needs to be asked: Just what did Marcus Morris believe the Suns organization owed him?
This sense of entitlement from a mediocre, replaceable player like Marcus Morris is why I'm glad he's gone. pic.twitter.com/jVtNnCaTYk
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) July 10, 2015
There wasn’t a no-trade clause in his contract. Contrary to popular belief, this kind of thing happens every day in professional sports. Even with the Suns missing out on LaMarcus Aldridge, the trade moving Marcus Morris to the Motor City was a defendable decision, and yesterday’s Twitter rampage was tangible proof that the Suns are better off without having to coddle that kind of toxic relationship.
From the fans’ perspective, Marcus Morris’ sense of entitlement could be the main talking point here. Their main takeaway could also be Phoenix owing him absolutely nothing after uniting him with his brother Markieff Morris, especially once Mook screamed at his head coach in the middle of a game, verbally bashed his team’s fans and racked up aggravated assault charges.
But above all, the audacity of a backup small forward who averaged 10.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game last season is what will stand out to the Suns supporters.
I like serviceable bench tweeners who scream at coaches, get tons of technical fouls, get charged w/ assault, and verbally abuse their fans
— Scott Howard (@ScottHoward42) July 31, 2015
No one will look back on Mook’s time with the Suns fondly, and that was probably the case before yesterday’s Twitter rant. Remember when Marcus Morris went full NBA Jam mode against the Utah Jazz in February and put up a career-high 34 points in an important home win? Probably not, and neither will anyone else in Phoenix after this.
There will be questions about Markieff Morris’ future now, and rightfully so. The two have nearly identical personalities, and Marcus isn’t the only one still facing felony aggravated assault charges.
Keef can take advantage of this opportunity to build on his on-court success and thrive without his brother around — the same person who started the online feud by calling his own brother’s team a bunch of “clowns.” For his reputation as a professional, that’s Markieff’s best course.
But it’s not a given by any means, and there are still questions that have to be answered first. Just how upset is he with the organization for trading away his twin brother? Will he demand a trade? And did Marcus Morris provide legitimate insight about his brother’s intentions amidst all the bitter tweeting?
There’s a chance that this bad blood between the Suns boils over and affects the team’s relationship with Markieff, the better player between the two brothers. After a summer spent rebuilding team chemistry and locker room leadership, Keef represents the powder keg that could ignite the Suns to a playoff spot or detonate the team’s infrastructure and bring this whole thing crumbling down.
Bearing that in mind, perhaps taking the high road — both for the Suns and their fans — is the right path, and not just because his brother is still a Phoenix Sun. Let Marcus say whatever he likes; it’s only natural for someone who abides by the “Team FOE” philosophy to lash out upon realizing he was never a true part of the Suns family even as he played alongside a brother.
But in truth, there’s no reason for bitterness on either side, even if McDonough is forced into a Markieff Morris trade. Because at the end of the day, the Suns no longer have to deal with the kind of immaturity that was on full display yesterday and throughout the 2014-15 season, while Marcus Morris joins a new family where he can be who he really is.
He’s a Bad Boy, through and through.
Next: Recapping Marcus Morris' Busy Day On The Internet