There are a lot of things I don't like about Robert Sarver. I didn't like that he paid $400m for the Suns; I don't like that he really didn't pay $400m, but used accounting tricks to make it look like he did. I don't like that his background is in real estate (the other real estate baron in the NBA: Donald Sterling), or that he made his money in an investment bubble, like Mark Cuban.
I don't like Sarver's arrogant, look-at-me attitude; I don't like his stupid kids, or the way he's psychologically scarring them by putting them in the public's eye. I really don't like the fact that he's dead set on avoiding the luxury tax, regardless of the circumstances. I also don't like what I've heard about his management practices.
When I first found out that Sarver refused to commit to a $45m/6yr extension for Joe Johnson, I nearly fell out of my chair. (IIRC, we were arguing about $60m/6yr that summer, with me being somewhat in favor of making that commitment.)
That said, it's wrong IMO that Sarver is catching heat for the current situation. As far as I can tell, what happened in this case is that Sarver got played for a rube by the Colangelos, who are in the process of giving the Suns and Phoenix another middle finger on their way out of town.
If you remember back when JC sold the team, a year and half ago, the principals were all very clear as to their intentions. Sarver wanted to run the team, but he knew that he was clueless about the business of the NBA, so part of the deal was that JC would continue to manage things for the next three years. Also as part of the deal, Bryan Colangelo was given a three year contract, with an ownership stake--the idea being that, if BC grew into the job, he would stay on at the end of the three-year period.
However, JC also got Sarver to agree to include an out clause for Bryan. The only justification I can see for that (not a usual practice, especially where guaranteed contracts are concerned) is that BC was expected to be the junior decision-maker, and that JC would still be in charge for the full three years.
Of course, a year later, when JC washed his hands of the Suns for good, he delegated his responsibilities to BC; and now, BC has high-tailed it a year and a half early--at the very first opportunity. Those two are now counting their money, and Sarver is holding the bag: not only does he still have no idea what he's doing, he's also completely unprepared to take the reins, because BC gave him essentially no notice that he would be skipping out in the middle of the season.
The real loser in all this? The Suns (and by extension, their fans). Now, the team winds up with Jr. Stockboy as the GM, with no guarantee he'll go back to his old job if Sarver manages to find a decent replacement; and worse, BC will be raiding the Suns of as many coaches and managers as he can carry away. And, believe me, if and when the Suns go down in flames, you can be sure there won't be any sympathy or help from David Stern et. al.; all of the "real NBA people" will be having a good laugh at the fast one that Mr. Colangelo managed to pull on the Suns' new (and nouveau riche) owner.
As for the negotiations themselves, I have no problem with the way Sarver handled them. Offering to negotiate an extension rather than renegotiating the current contract is a sound practice that's common throughout the sports world--BC and Sarver just finished doing the same thing in signing Mike D'Antoni to an extension. BC is a different case because of the extra leverage provided by his contract, but I can see how renegotiating his current deal sets a bad precedent for the Suns moving forward.
What I can't see is why BC is being portrayed as the victim here. When a contract is guaranteed one way, and the guy with the guarantee tries to use that to get more money by bullying the other party at an inopportune moment, that guy is always the bad guy. How many people sided with Larry Brown against (Pistons owner) William Davidson? How many sided with Latrell Sprewell or Sam Cassell against Kevin McHale? But now, because Robert Sarver is the aggrieved party, everything is different?
It will surprise me if Sarver doesn't immediately run the franchise into the ground with his arrogance and incompetence, but I'll take him any day over the Colangelos. Those two are dead to me now. I spit in their general direction.
Ptui.
I don't like Sarver's arrogant, look-at-me attitude; I don't like his stupid kids, or the way he's psychologically scarring them by putting them in the public's eye. I really don't like the fact that he's dead set on avoiding the luxury tax, regardless of the circumstances. I also don't like what I've heard about his management practices.
When I first found out that Sarver refused to commit to a $45m/6yr extension for Joe Johnson, I nearly fell out of my chair. (IIRC, we were arguing about $60m/6yr that summer, with me being somewhat in favor of making that commitment.)
That said, it's wrong IMO that Sarver is catching heat for the current situation. As far as I can tell, what happened in this case is that Sarver got played for a rube by the Colangelos, who are in the process of giving the Suns and Phoenix another middle finger on their way out of town.
If you remember back when JC sold the team, a year and half ago, the principals were all very clear as to their intentions. Sarver wanted to run the team, but he knew that he was clueless about the business of the NBA, so part of the deal was that JC would continue to manage things for the next three years. Also as part of the deal, Bryan Colangelo was given a three year contract, with an ownership stake--the idea being that, if BC grew into the job, he would stay on at the end of the three-year period.
However, JC also got Sarver to agree to include an out clause for Bryan. The only justification I can see for that (not a usual practice, especially where guaranteed contracts are concerned) is that BC was expected to be the junior decision-maker, and that JC would still be in charge for the full three years.
Of course, a year later, when JC washed his hands of the Suns for good, he delegated his responsibilities to BC; and now, BC has high-tailed it a year and a half early--at the very first opportunity. Those two are now counting their money, and Sarver is holding the bag: not only does he still have no idea what he's doing, he's also completely unprepared to take the reins, because BC gave him essentially no notice that he would be skipping out in the middle of the season.
The real loser in all this? The Suns (and by extension, their fans). Now, the team winds up with Jr. Stockboy as the GM, with no guarantee he'll go back to his old job if Sarver manages to find a decent replacement; and worse, BC will be raiding the Suns of as many coaches and managers as he can carry away. And, believe me, if and when the Suns go down in flames, you can be sure there won't be any sympathy or help from David Stern et. al.; all of the "real NBA people" will be having a good laugh at the fast one that Mr. Colangelo managed to pull on the Suns' new (and nouveau riche) owner.
As for the negotiations themselves, I have no problem with the way Sarver handled them. Offering to negotiate an extension rather than renegotiating the current contract is a sound practice that's common throughout the sports world--BC and Sarver just finished doing the same thing in signing Mike D'Antoni to an extension. BC is a different case because of the extra leverage provided by his contract, but I can see how renegotiating his current deal sets a bad precedent for the Suns moving forward.
What I can't see is why BC is being portrayed as the victim here. When a contract is guaranteed one way, and the guy with the guarantee tries to use that to get more money by bullying the other party at an inopportune moment, that guy is always the bad guy. How many people sided with Larry Brown against (Pistons owner) William Davidson? How many sided with Latrell Sprewell or Sam Cassell against Kevin McHale? But now, because Robert Sarver is the aggrieved party, everything is different?
It will surprise me if Sarver doesn't immediately run the franchise into the ground with his arrogance and incompetence, but I'll take him any day over the Colangelos. Those two are dead to me now. I spit in their general direction.
Ptui.
