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Lack of harmony tag trails Suns
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
Tongues in Suns-land were wagging last week after a report out of New York pointed to a lack of harmony earlier this season among the Suns’ three-biggest stars: Stephon Marbury (since traded), Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.
In truth, though any disagreements could be deemed minor compared to say, the Lakers’ ongoing soap operas, there were professional jealousies on the team, according to a well-placed source.
Another NBA source questioned the team’s internal chemistry, wondered whether the pretrade Suns were built around "championship players or people" and suggested the Suns were wise to cut their losses.
"They wanted to get rid of Penny (Hardaway). And then they wanted to build around someone other than Steph.
"When things started out so ugly (this season), they may have just said, ‘These guys are just so overpaid, let’s make a move while we can.’ "
Asked about the New York report, Suns president Bryan Colangelo had little to say.
"It was a story to read," he said.
Otherwise, Colangelo has said he’s talked out about the Marbury trade.
The Suns have said the deal was made for financial reasons.
They’re saving about $115 million in contractual obligations, plus about $5 million in the luxury tax this season, plus they’re getting $3 million from the Knicks in cash.
Also, Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo said, "This (Marbury-led) team wasn’t going anywhere," while Bryan Colangelo said, "We looked at our situation and said, ‘Do we want to be five, six or seven (among Western teams), or do we want to be one, two or three?
"Well, we want to be one, two or three. So our best shot to get up there was to make this deal because now we have options to improve."
East Valley Tribune
By Mike Tulumello, Tribune
Tongues in Suns-land were wagging last week after a report out of New York pointed to a lack of harmony earlier this season among the Suns’ three-biggest stars: Stephon Marbury (since traded), Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire.
In truth, though any disagreements could be deemed minor compared to say, the Lakers’ ongoing soap operas, there were professional jealousies on the team, according to a well-placed source.
Another NBA source questioned the team’s internal chemistry, wondered whether the pretrade Suns were built around "championship players or people" and suggested the Suns were wise to cut their losses.
"They wanted to get rid of Penny (Hardaway). And then they wanted to build around someone other than Steph.
"When things started out so ugly (this season), they may have just said, ‘These guys are just so overpaid, let’s make a move while we can.’ "
Asked about the New York report, Suns president Bryan Colangelo had little to say.
"It was a story to read," he said.
Otherwise, Colangelo has said he’s talked out about the Marbury trade.
The Suns have said the deal was made for financial reasons.
They’re saving about $115 million in contractual obligations, plus about $5 million in the luxury tax this season, plus they’re getting $3 million from the Knicks in cash.
Also, Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo said, "This (Marbury-led) team wasn’t going anywhere," while Bryan Colangelo said, "We looked at our situation and said, ‘Do we want to be five, six or seven (among Western teams), or do we want to be one, two or three?
"Well, we want to be one, two or three. So our best shot to get up there was to make this deal because now we have options to improve."
East Valley Tribune
