For Those of You Who Continue to Apologize for Sarver

[ASUCHRIS]

Read it and weep. Can't wait for the spin to say this isn't money related.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/Blog/PaulCoro/87062

This isn't anything new, time to rip the band aid off the ol wound:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080501

Excerpt:

"I don't know Robert Sarver. Never met the guy, never heard anything bad about him, couldn't vouch for his financial situation. For all I know, he's the greatest guy ever. But for the life of me, I can't imagine why someone would want to own an NBA team if he cared more about breaking even than winning a championship. What's the point? Why not sell to someone who cares more about a title? Like so many other NBA fans, I have a pipe dream of stumbling into enough wealth to own an NBA team some day. It will never happen, but really, it's my ultimate pipe dream other than my daughter turning into a world-class tennis player and me turning into one of those deranged Tennis Dads who shows up for every match flashing hand signals and intimidating the judges. Anyway, if I were fortunate enough to own an NBA team, I would never, ever, EVER favor my pockets over a chance at a title. I just wouldn't. It's like going to Vegas for a guy's weekend and refusing to lose more than $100. Why even go then? Just stay home."

 

[Yuma]

Just as long as he doesn't do this: Please no, Sarver!

 

[Mainstreet]

Read it and weep. Can't wait for the spin to say this isn't money related.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/Blog/PaulCoro/87062

This isn't anything new, time to rip the band aid off the ol wound:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080501

Excerpt:

"I don't know Robert Sarver. Never met the guy, never heard anything bad about him, couldn't vouch for his financial situation. For all I know, he's the greatest guy ever. But for the life of me, I can't imagine why someone would want to own an NBA team if he cared more about breaking even than winning a championship. What's the point? Why not sell to someone who cares more about a title? Like so many other NBA fans, I have a pipe dream of stumbling into enough wealth to own an NBA team some day. It will never happen, but really, it's my ultimate pipe dream other than my daughter turning into a world-class tennis player and me turning into one of those deranged Tennis Dads who shows up for every match flashing hand signals and intimidating the judges. Anyway, if I were fortunate enough to own an NBA team, I would never, ever, EVER favor my pockets over a chance at a title. I just wouldn't. It's like going to Vegas for a guy's weekend and refusing to lose more than $100. Why even go then? Just stay home."

The above excerpt is so spot on.

 

[Griffin]

But the wrestling over contracts is wearing on staff internally, particularly after the franchise made about $10.5 million in revenue on home playoff games because of the Suns' unexpected postseason run.

Staffers with other NBA teams thought Phoenix's coaching staff would get their existing contracts torn up and replaced with new, longer deals. Instead, Alvin Gentry still has a contract that has a team option year for 2011-12 and made him the third lowest paid coach in the league last season.

What else is new.

 

[Yuma]

This is what happens when your owner is a banker.

 

[Cheesebeef]

how anyone keeps defending $arver is beyond me.

 

[splitsecond]

Just got an email from the suns saying I can save 30% if I order 2010-2011 tickets before June 24th. Gotta collect those revenues before the team implodes!

 

[Yuma]

Just got an email from the suns saying I can save 30% if I order 2010-2011 tickets before June 24th. Gotta collect those revenues before the team implodes!

Hold out for 50%!

 

[Superbone]

Robert Sarver is a Grade A Douchebag and is single-handedly ruining our beloved franchise.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

unfortunately that article never ceases to make me cry/laugh.

 

[Bufalay]

Maybe Sarver is the Homer Simpson of NBA owners. He's had an astonishing amount of undeserved success over the past 6 years. Lets just go with it.

 

[82CardsGrad]

It shouldn't be... but, it is so damn Stunning to see the Suns, coming off one of the most surprising, feel-good seasons we've experienced in quite a while, now being dragged thru the mud and gore by $arver, when it should've been an offseason that fed off a tremendous season... Uggghhhh....

 

[SunsFanVegas]

It shouldn't be... but, it is so damn Stunning to see the Suns, coming off one of the most surprising, feel-good seasons we've experienced in quite a while, now being dragged thru the mud and gore by $arver, when it should've been an offseason that fed off a tremendous season... Uggghhhh....

 

[Cheesebeef]

Maybe Sarver is the Homer Simpson of NBA owners. He's had an astonishing amount of undeserved success over the past 6 years. Lets just go with it.

lol.

 

[Griffin]

It shouldn't be... but, it is so damn Stunning to see the Suns, coming off one of the most surprising, feel-good seasons we've experienced in quite a while, now being dragged thru the mud and gore by $arver, when it should've been an offseason that fed off a tremendous season... Uggghhhh....

We've been there before though. 04/05 was a feel-good surprising season too, but when the off-season dust settled, we let JJ leave and ended up returning a total of four players from that team the following season.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

It shouldn't be... but, it is so damn Stunning to see the Suns, coming off one of the most surprising, feel-good seasons we've experienced in quite a while, now being dragged thru the mud and gore by $arver, when it should've been an offseason that fed off a tremendous season... Uggghhhh....

Sarver had two choices really. 1) resign Amare and go for it and risk 1 or 2 great years at great expense or 2) build on the youth and ride Nash out as the face of the franchise.

Even without Amare the Suns will be a decent team, clearly not a contender like this year but ok. You know Sarver really isn't all that horrible as an owner, he just is average. I don't think I can lay blame on him until I know the story, which will eventually come out.

I guess the bottom line is Sarver is just isn't the caliber of owner that JC was, even when JC messed up, everyone felt pretty confident of a recovery, he would just make it happen. With Sarver, his moves have been pretty good, unfortunately, I just don't think he has the track record yet to inspire enough confidence in the fans of a great NBA franchise.

I honestly think a franchise like the Phoenix Suns is just the wrong franchise for an owner like Sarver. He would never risk it all to go for it, we all know it.

 

[mojorizen7]

Well,on the bright side at least this news doesn't effect the segment of the fanbase who are content with 50+ fade.

 

[hsandhu]

From simmons live chat:

I would love to have him. Can't say I was shocked to hear the Kerr news... he exceeded the Sarver over/under by 2 years. Everyone thinks the worst part of working for a cheap owner is managing the roster, but actually, the worst part is when the owner is cheap with his staff and you can't fight to get your coach an extension or your assistant GM a bonus or 2 scouts paid a little extra and so on and so on. If you're fighting for that stuff all the time, TV starts to look pretty good. And by the way, I haven't talked to him. Just a guess. Cheap owners are cheap not just with players but with EVERYONE

 

[overseascardfan]

Read it and weep. Can't wait for the spin to say this isn't money related.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/Blog/PaulCoro/87062

This isn't anything new, time to rip the band aid off the ol wound:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080501

Excerpt:

"I don't know Robert Sarver. Never met the guy, never heard anything bad about him, couldn't vouch for his financial situation. For all I know, he's the greatest guy ever. But for the life of me, I can't imagine why someone would want to own an NBA team if he cared more about breaking even than winning a championship. What's the point? Why not sell to someone who cares more about a title? Like so many other NBA fans, I have a pipe dream of stumbling into enough wealth to own an NBA team some day. It will never happen, but really, it's my ultimate pipe dream other than my daughter turning into a world-class tennis player and me turning into one of those deranged Tennis Dads who shows up for every match flashing hand signals and intimidating the judges. Anyway, if I were fortunate enough to own an NBA team, I would never, ever, EVER favor my pockets over a chance at a title. I just wouldn't. It's like going to Vegas for a guy's weekend and refusing to lose more than $100. Why even go then? Just stay home."

Finally someone who feels the way I do. The NBA does not need guys like Sarver owning a team. He has been lucky over the years that some of his moves have panned out, particularly the hiring of Steve Kerr who had no prior GM experience. Now that he has gotten rid of him to save a few bucks I'd like to know how he intends to keep this team a contender. Someone needs to buy the team from this ***clown.

 

[jandaman]

Look...
I'm angry too about the lack of big spenditure Suns are willing to do.
And yes, as a fan spending money and losing profit to keep the team competitive is ideal as a sports fan.
But sadly, the owner is more of a professional accountant/banker as opposed to a passionate sports fan.

For those types of people, all they care about is business side of things, they do too many decisions based on "sure" things as opposed to high risk things... and in the world of sports, high risk is required for championships..

sure being cheap and conservative or sticking to "sure" things will allow the team to be profitable and in the long term secure its existance... but opportunity to win a championship is compromised....

oh well..

maybe Sarver will sell it in the near future, hence cutting down on spenditures.

 

[Treesquid PhD]

Finally someone who feels the way I do. The NBA does not need guys like Sarver owning a team. He has been lucky over the years that some of his moves have panned out, particularly the hiring of Steve Kerr who had no prior GM experience. Now that he has gotten rid of him to save a few bucks I'd like to know how he intends to keep this team a contender. Someone needs to buy the team from this ***clown.

nah it's all about scale. Guys are basically all the same, if you size it down to something attainable for the rest of us, Sarver wanting an NBA team makes perfect sense. I deep downb would love to buy a Dodge Viper and I could go buy one today if I wanted to, but I might not be able to put the $$$ into it to maintain it. I think Sarver is like any one of us, he is just playing on a scale above his head. He can't maintain the Suns, just like I couldn't afford to maintain a Viper

 

[Irish]

I get the feeling that JC sold Sarver a "bill of goods". The illusion that a great team could be a winner and still have a managable salary structure was due to the anomoly of the Spurs. The Spurs kept getting rid of decent players when they got expensive because their Big Three were so good for so long.

What JC did not tell Sarver is that Duncan was a once in a decade draft pick that the Spurs "accidentially" had a bad year to get. Drafting Manu and Parker came during a period before Europeans were were well scouted and thus lasted long after they should have. To make it worse, these guys all took below market deals when available to the free agent market. In 2004, Manu wouldn't even talk to the Suns.

This year SA had a huge salary structure (Hoopshype say's it was $78 million), so it has become obvious that the Spurs model has been rejected by the Spurs. But it is not clear Sarver has really come to grips with the tacts of life.

My guess is that things will get seriously altered with a new collective bargaining agreement. However, I'm not sure it will save Sarver from himself.

 

[SunsTzu]

I get the feeling that JC sold Sarver a "bill of goods".

Are you being serious? He was buying a NBA team not a used car. It's not like it was an impulse buy, there are months of work put in when someone buys a team.

Besides it's not like anyone is forcing him to keep the team. In the past season 4 teams have sold before the for sale sign was even hung and another multi-billionaire has expressed interest in ownership.

 

[Irish]

Are you being serious? He was buying a NBA team not a used car. It's not like it was an impulse buy, there are months of work put in when someone buys a team.

Besides it's not like anyone is forcing him to keep the team. In the past season 4 teams have sold before the for sale sign was even hung and another multi-billionaire has expressed interest in ownership.

Maybe Sarver is just supid and he came up with the patterned on the Spurs crap on his own, but whoever sold him this bill of goods, it has dominated his thoughts from day 1 or least when he decided not to extend JJ fall of 2004.

 

[pokerface]

The Sarver hate is absolutely REDICULOUS and unfounded. Sarver has spent money since he got here...The Suns have ALWAYS been in the top 10 in payroll while he's been here. So what if Sarver saved money in certain areas as long as he spent in other areas...which he has. Penny pinching is only a crime if money doesnt ever get reinvested in the team. Our team is loaded with big name talent...serious money as been spent.

I keep hearing about the draft and who we could have gotten and blah blah blah. Bottomline, Sarver was geared towards winning NOW and not waiting on draft picks to develop. So he signed guys like Marcus Banks (who came off a good year) instead of drafting a pg....and it turned out to be wrong...so what. Hinesight is 20/20 and it gets tiresome hearing the Monday morning quarterbacks second guessing everything. I can guarantee you Sarver wasn't making these decisions solely...he's just bearing the brunt of it. Then when Sarver finally drafts someone (Lopez) many were STILL complaining...Well guess what, Lopez wasn't so bad now was he? He drafts...the pick wasnt terrible...still no credit. Not only that but the Suns have Dragic and a decent bench now...What is so terrible there?

I get SO SICK of hearing the Joe Johnson saga. When Sarver FIRST started negotiating with Johnson (the season before his final season)...JJ was up and down with his game. He was majorly inconsistant. So Sarver did what many of you say we should do...pay the player what they're worth. Now I'm not in total agreement with what Sarver did (since the difference in money was only 5 million over the life of the contract) but I understand why he did it. Well, the weakminded idiot JJ took it personal and deceided to leave. Sarver could have matched (against JJ's wishes) but we all know how that works...Sarver (and owners in general) only want players that want to be here. No owner wants a moody discontented player. If a player wants out bad enough they find ways to get out. Sarver didnt want that. But Sarver got concessions out of Atlanta...so much so that the Hawks organization was in civil war over it.

I could go on and on but lets sum this up. The Suns have been competitive during Sarvers tenure. He's spent the money consistantly...its a proven fact. The Suns have come off of one of their best seasons in a while. The Suns have a good group of starters as well as a good bench. What is Sarver supposed to hang his head over?? Off course he isnt perfect and he's made mistakes...but what owner hasnt? At least he's made mistakes TRYING...not sitting back slacking. For all you Colangelo kissers...How many rings does Jerry have? Oh yeah...ZERO.