Phoenix Suns: Shining Everywhere but Here
By Robert Neal
There is plenty about the NBA Finals for Phoenix Suns fans to get excited about. Just not the Suns themselves.
As Kyle Fleeger pointed out in an earlier Valley of the Suns post: “Root for Channing Frye” – the former Suns wing is still playing basketball – for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He slipped out of Phoenix a couple of years ago while management was preoccupied trying to sign Eric Bledsoe to an extension – and when bringing another point guard they didn’t need – Isaiah Thomas – into the fold.
Channing felt slighted, as well he should, and bolted for greener pastures in Orlando. Then Cleveland picked him up, and he’s been a key component of the Cavaliers’ Finals push.
Frye topped out with a .436 3-point shooting average in 2009-2010 and a 12.7 scoring average in 2010-2011 for the Suns.
Could the Suns have used him the past couple of seasons? As Fleeger pointed out, Frye has shot 58% from the three-point line during the first three rounds of this year’s playoffs.
Yeah, I think the Suns could have used him.
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There’s more. Steve Kerr used to be the Suns GM – remember? He was a pretty good one until ownership ran him off. Now he’s coaching the world champs, and back in the Finals.
There’s also Richard Jefferson, Andre Iguodala and Frye, for all you Wildcat lovers. (Why is it that Tucson always looks like it needs a bath?)
Goran Dragic and Gerald Green didn’t make it to the Finals, but they helped Miami into the playoffs this year. They could have helped Phoenix too. The mess management created letting Dragic go is nearly criminal. There have been rumors that Dragic may have re-signed even after his post All-Star Game rant about what the Suns were doing to their backcourt.
The result was a fire sale, as management dumped Dragic and Thomas…ending up with an oft-injured backcourt of Bledsoe and Brandon Knight. Do you think we’ll ever get a full season from either of those two?
At least Devin Booker got to play a lot. If you know basketball at all, you know Booker is the real deal. If he’s not the starting 2 guard next season, I might throw up in my mouth.
But what about who is still with the Suns? Well, Managing General Partner Robert Sarver is still there. And aren’t we all happy about that?
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Sure, General Manager Ryan McDonough (born in1980? I have shoes older than him.) should share a big chunk of the blame. But what can he really do without Sarver’s blessings? I’m guessing not much.
The biggest what-if for Phoenix happened last April when bizjournals.com reported the Suns had received a lucrative sales offer. But like a blown layup in overtime, Sarver said he was not interested in selling.
He bought the team for $404 million in 2004. The offer was reportedly worth $1 billion. Why didn’t he sell? I guess he just woke up one morning and decided he liked ruining the life of every Phoenix Suns Fan. After all, he is a banker. That’s what bankers do. Ruin lives, right? Okay, okay, not every banker is like Mr. Potter (You know, Henry F. Potter, a fictional character in the 1946 Frank Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life”).
Why doesn’t Sarver stick to banking and leave the running of a professional basketball team to the professionals? I know he wants to win; I know he loves the Suns and is most likely their biggest fan. So, why doesn’t he just stay in his court side seat and write checks?
Forbes.com estimated the Phoenix Suns franchise has about $150 million in annual revenue and a $21 million annual operating income. Maybe that’s why Sarver won’t sell.
Part of the reason Sarver makes so much money is because he hires the “cheapest” coaching talent in the NBA.
SB Nation says Earl Watson‘s contact with Phoenix gives him three years and maybe $8 million total, making Watson the lowest paid coach in the league. That sounds about right. He may turn out to be a wonderful coach. But he did come cheap.
Watch out, Watson– if you win too many games you’ll expect more money. You’ll probably just get fired.
Just ask Jeff Hornacek. The New York Knicks – the NBA team in the largest TV market in the country – chose him as their next coach. He ended up signing for $15 million over 3 years – but he wasn’t good enough for the Suns.
Who is good enough? Who is cheap enough and talented enough to get the Suns into the playoffs next year? Good thing rookie contracts are still relatively cheap, because the Suns only hope is to get lucky in the draft with their plethora of picks.
must read: Suns Free Agent Options
ESPN’s future power rankings has the Suns listed as 4th worst in the NBA. Yeah, that sounds about right.