What if Sarver’s threat to move the Phoenix Suns is a GOOD thing
By Adam Maynes
Is this all for a new arena? Or is it something more?
Is the threat to move, whether idle or honest, Sarver’s way of pushing for a new arena?
If so, my presumption would be that he would want to hold the “threaten to move” card close to his chest for as long as possible waiting as long as he can before using it only after all other options have been exhausted and there is literally nothing left but to throw a politically calculated temper tantrum.
He is very well aware that that kind of a threat is going to create even more local hate for himself, so he knows it can’t be thrown around flippantly.
By lobbing that bomb now and pulling that card out early (by all intents and purposes), the threat alone could potentially be enough to create the council votes necessary for the approval of funds for the arena updates which would essentially keep Sarver and the Suns in that arena for at least another decade, if not more.
Truly, if he wanted a new arena (and sooner rather than later) he’d allow the council vote to fail, then immediately begin work on a public marketing campaign to push for the voter funds – which is the process necessary for a brand new building. Sure, that kind of a ballot initiative would fail now, but give it a little time, prepare it for the 2020 general election, and in the meantime overspend on a couple of free agents in 2019 and do your best to become competitive.
My presumption is that if Sarver were to flip a spending-180, couple some light success with at least a clever marketing campaign tying the dollars into education, he’ll find the votes.
In the end, if when all is said and done Phoenix still doesn’t want to foot a bill and their relationship truly deteriorates, who is to say that Scottsdale, Mesa or an Indian Reservation wouldn’t step up in their place offering to build a new place?
Locally, someone would.