The Phoenix Suns have been a target of much hate over the years and Draymond Green has been a huge part of that. On Friday, he was at it again.
Way back during the preseason, Draymond Green bashed the Phoenix Suns in a post-game interview. What set him off, you ask? It was because his new teammate, Marquese Chriss, had a decent performance in a preseason game.
On Friday, Green was at it again, this time spewing hate as a way of complementing Devin Booker. Sitting with the NBA on TNT crew, Green said:
"“It’s great to see Book playing well and Phoenix playing well, but get my man out of Phoenix. It’s not good for him, it’s not good for his career. Sorry, Chuck, but they gotta get Book out of Phoenix. I need my man to go somewhere he can play great basketball all the time and win because he’s that type of player.”"
I’m not sure what Robert Sarver did to Draymond Green, but it sounds like it must have been pretty bad. Maybe Sarver pulled a prank on him and put a bunch of goats in his living room or something. Who knows?
The point is, the level of vitriol Green has towards the Suns seems awfully extreme for a player who has never been part of the franchise.
The Phoenix Suns are worthy of some criticism but that is changing.
Of all people, Phoenix Suns fans understand the frustration with Sarver. By almost any metric, he is the NBA owner equivalent of brown guacamole. Just to look back in recent memory, he has fired two assistant coaches, 27 staffers, and sold the franchise’s G-League affiliate, presumably just to recoup some financial losses sparked by a global pandemic.
With his faults well understood, there are two primary points to keep in mind.
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First, the culture around the franchise is changing. Sure, pawning off the Northern Arizona Suns is not a good look, but Monty Williams has been the breath of fresh air this organization has needed for years. With an exciting core of young players and playing fun-to-watch basketball and drawing all positive attention in the bubble, the Phoenix Suns are finally on an upward trajectory.
Secondly, Devin Booker isn’t going anywhere. He just isn’t. The Suns have him under contract through 2023-2024 season, and while this team is no stranger to some head-scratching trades in the past, they aren’t dumb enough to swap out the best player this team has seen since Steve Nash for a handful of draft picks and a stick of bubble gum. It’s just not happening.
Moreover, Booker has shown every indication of wanting to be in Phoenix. Where else can you ride around with the top down in a classic car next to an international celebrity all year round?
Statements from Green are just noise; noise that will continue to dampen as Phoenix continues to climb up the standings.
Dogs don’t bark at parked cars, and the Suns, led by Booker, are cruising in a fancy convertible in the right direction with a few supermodels in tow.