Robert Sarver is worried about his legacy
By Adam Maynes
Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver unexpectedly fired General Manager Ryan McDonough on Monday the 8th. One likely reason? He is worried about his own legacy.
Jerry Colangelo was the Phoenix Suns’ first General Manager. He held that position for over 25 years before handing the reigns to his son, Bryan.
In the meantime, he purchased the Suns in 1987, saving them from potentially being moved and helping to salvage the name of the franchise following it’s darkest days, a drug scandal that encompassed several of the roster’s best players.
He was the architect of the 1976 NBA Finals team; of the great teams with John MacLeod; then again in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s with Cotton Fitzsimmons.
He was the architect of the 1993 NBA Finals team after he orchestrated one of the greatest trade steals in NBA history snagging Charles Barkley.
Phoenix Suns
He acquired Jason Kidd and Anfernee Hardaway and oversaw the rebuilding of the Suns in the early 2000’s (some of that time with Bryan as GM) and re-acquired Steve Nash igniting the Seven Seconds of Less phenomenon.
While Robert Sarver was a part of the Nash acquisition and era of winning that followed, he hasn’t really accomplished anything to pull himself out of the Colangelo’s shadow, save for only the 2010 Western Conference Finals team that was still anchored by Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire, both primarily Colangelo acquisitions.
Further exasperating his legacy, the current eight-year non-playoff run dwarfs Colangelo’s worst non-playoff streak of six seasons, set in the early 1970s.
Today, Robert Sarver is aware that Devin Booker is his best shot at a long-term competitive team, and with the addition of Deandre Ayton, he knows that he has never been in a more prime position to oversee the building of a championship contender than what he is happening right now.
So while Ryan McDonough’s perceived plan of potentially losing intentionally one more time this season with the hopes of utilizing the 2019 high draft pick to finally acquire a star, Sarver saw one more losing season as owner further tarnishing his legacy, and absolutely no guarantee that he could ever enjoy any modicum of celebration and respect from the fanbase unless his Phoenix Suns produce long-term, positive results.
Therefore, McDonough had to be canned and the organizational focus of winning – and winning now – was shifted.