Robert Sarver is in Big Trouble (ANNOUNCES SALE PROCESS)

[SirStefan32]

As much as I dislike Sarver, I liked Booker's response. He acknowledged other people's experiences, but he didn't try to score cheap points by slamming a guy who's (apparently) been nothing but good to him. I absolutely believe that Sarver is an ass, but I also believe that he's been good to Booker and the rest of the guys. It's not really that unusual for someone to treat one group of people (current players, coaches, and the GM in this case), and treat low-to-mid-level employees like garbage. I've personally had situations where certain high-level people treated others like crap, but were never anything less than amazing to me. Slamming Sarver would have been the easy way out. I think Booker showed class by how he answered the question. Sarver is gone- fifteen years too late, but he's gone. Anyone can take a shot at him now. It is literally the easiest thing to do at this point.

He handled the Crowder question properly too. I liked his comments from the first question to the last.

 

[1tinsoldier]

everyone knows Sarver treated Booker like his most prized possession since the day he was drafted, so Booker sharing his "honest" experience of how Sarver treated him is irrelevant. No one expected or wanted him to "score cheap points!"

actually, none of the players who stepped up, "slammed Sarver" or "took a shot." They showed leadership by standing up for those who were abused and said things like "this is unacceptable," and "should not be tolerated" and "there's no place for that in the NBA" and "no owner should be allowed to abuse employees" and, "Sarver selling the team is the right outcome."

seems pretty damn easy to me. What the hell was so difficult or "classy" about Booker saying "he's been good to me, so it was difficult to read?"
imo, every other Sun who was asked about Sarver had a more considerate and appropriate response in consideration of all who were abused.

Booker is the face and future of this franchise. The players and community deserved more. Maybe we'll get it from him eventually. But not today.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I am fine with Booker telling the truth about what he has seen while also expressing sensitivity to others with different experiences.

 

[Phrazbit]

I thought it was a pretty chicken-ish response. Didn’t even say there’s no room for that kind of behavior.

Almost every other Sun condemned Sarver and moved on. Was this a tough situation for Devin because he’s close with Sarver? I’m sure. But doing the right thing shouldn’t only happen when it’s easy to do so. All Booker did was continue to play the role of enabler to someone who’s been horrific to god knows how many people.

He was drafted by them as a teenager, they've made him the focal point of the organization since year 2 of his career, there has never been even a question of if they'd pay him the maximum amount he could make. Booker is the longest tenured player by 4 years... and he's only 25.

If he didn't have an individual positive impression of Sarver he would have forced his way out years ago.

 

[1tinsoldier]

the question is NOT about anyone's impression or perspective on Sarver. It's about the NBA's investigation, the punishment and results -- about taking a stand on this kind of abuse anywhere in the league -- or anywhere, period.

Booker's response was weak. and the defenses of his weak response are weak -- in both cases, intentionally, and defensively, missing the point

it's not really a big deal that the 25 year old bunted when he got up to bat.
it's just that, imo, he'd have earned some of the respect he'll need to lead if he had expressed some personal offense by Sarver's treatment of those more vulnerable. "Sarver was good to me" does not serve him or us well. I'd like to see him more willing to get down-to-earth in the trenches with his teammates and fans instead of chillin' in a super-max, super-model, nba2k video game bubble

most applauded Booker's leadership for standing up to the dominating physical presence of Jokic standing over Payne last year
(instead of him just saying "it was difficult to watch because Jokic never fouled me hard")
i'm not into that machismo crap. that's just for show and ego and usually does more harm than good.
Sarver was a real monster
we need more real heroes

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

As much as I dislike Sarver, I liked Booker's response. He acknowledged other people's experiences, but he didn't try to score cheap points by slamming a guy who's (apparently) been nothing but good to him. I absolutely believe that Sarver is an ass, but I also believe that he's been good to Booker and the rest of the guys. It's not really that unusual for someone to treat one group of people (current players, coaches, and the GM in this case), and treat low-to-mid-level employees like garbage. I've personally had situations where certain high-level people treated others like crap, but were never anything less than amazing to me. Slamming Sarver would have been the easy way out. I think Booker showed class by how he answered the question. Sarver is gone- fifteen years too late, but he's gone. Anyone can take a shot at him now. It is literally the easiest thing to do at this point.

He handled the Crowder question properly too. I liked his comments from the first question to the last.

I understand your thinking but it’s also the responsibility of those with more power to look out for those with less. On an nba team the owners have the most power but after them it’s the GM/coach/players. I respect Paul’s comments a billion times more than books.

 

[SirStefan32]

I understand your thinking but it’s also the responsibility of those with more power to look out for those with less. On an nba team the owners have the most power but after them it’s the GM/coach/players. I respect Paul’s comments a billion times more than books.

I think that's a valid way to look at it. I disagree, but I do understand your position as well. To me, it comes down to the fact that if Book has never seen any of this take place, it is perfectly reasonable to say, "Hey, this is not the guy I know- I've never seen any of this, but I am sensitive to the fact that other people have had different experiences." Maybe my personal experience in a similar situation (on a much smaller scale, of course) is affecting my thinking, but I just keep going back to it and genuinely only be able to say, "She has never been anything but kind and fair to me. I have literally never had a better boss. I can't speak to any of this because I have never seen any of it, but it is not consistent with my personal experience." In my case, she got cleared of any wrongdoing, but even if it turned out differently, my position would have remained the same. I'm not gonna slam someone because it's a convenient thing to do. Mind you, I am 100% certain most of the Sarver accusations are true and he is a grade-A piece of human excrement, but I just think Booker's answer was perfectly reasonable. I don't think Paul's response was bad either. I think both are valid responses in a crappy situation like this, especially since the situation is resolved. If Sarver was fighting it, I would probably like to see some pressure from the players.

Personally, they all should have released their statements about it beforehand, and made it clear they are only going to talk basketball after that. Sarver situation, awful as it may be, is a distraction. I would prefer players reach out to the victims and then play ball.

 

[Covert Rain]

I understand your thinking but it’s also the responsibility of those with more power to look out for those with less. On an nba team the owners have the most power but after them it’s the GM/coach/players. I respect Paul’s comments a billion times more than books.

I sort of get where Book is coming from. I mean if he never even had seen a hint of this behavior, he is likely in shock. Sarver personally helped him out. To me, I think Book is likely conflicted and his comments to me were "safe" compared to Paul's. I wish Book had taken a stronger stand but there is also mitigating circumstances, so I don't hate what he said either even though weak compared to other statements.

 

[Yuma]

I know the young people I work with like Elon Musk and pretty much hate Bezos. Maybe to the younger crowd Bezos would be like getting Sarver again?

 

[Superbone]

I know the young people I work with like Elon Musk and pretty much hate Bezos. Maybe to the younger crowd Bezos would be like getting Sarver again?

Then they haven't worked for him.

 

[Proximo]

Then they haven't worked for him.

He is demanding. Some people thrive under that and others don't. If you don't know what you are getting into when going to work for him, that is on you, because it is not a secret at all.

 

[Superbone]

He is demanding. Some people thrive under that and others don't. If you don't know what you are getting into when going to work for him, that is on you, because it is not a secret at all.

I’m not just talking about being demanding. I‘ve read that he can be a real ******* (starts with A and ends with hole).

 

[Proximo]

I’m not just talking about being demanding. I‘ve read that he can be a real ******* (starts with A and ends with hole).

Yeah, that's not being an A hole that's demanding results. We need more of that today, that's why his companies are the ones advancing tech 5 times faster than anyone else.

 

[carrrnuttt]

Yeah, that's not being an A hole that's demanding results. We need more of that today, that's why his companies are the ones advancing tech 5 times faster than anyone else.

You need to stop it with the hero defense/worship.

Elon Musk embodies the quality people hate most in a boss

Twitter employees are reportedly concerned about Elon Musk taking over the company given his history of volatility at Tesla and elsewhere.

qz.com

Previous interviews with Tesla workers have painted a portrait of workplace that’s beholden to Musk’s mood swings. “Everyone in Tesla is in an abusive relationship with Elon,” one former executive told Wired.

Musk has a track record of failing to deliver on his promises, including reneging on his word to employees. In 2020, for example, he gave Tesla employees permission to stay home if they didn’t feel comfortable going to the factory during the pandemic, then allegedly fired workers for failing to return in person.

There are plenty of other purported problems with the management culture that Musk oversees: Tesla got hit with a $15 million fine (slashed from $137 million) for a racial discrimination lawsuit, and factory workers have also spoken about how pressures to ramp up production have led to unsafe working conditions on the job. In December 2021, five former SpaceX employees came forward with allegations that the company fosters a culture of sexual harassment—just a month after Musk made waves for tweeting a sexist joke.

Yeah. No.

It's like jumping from a fire (Sarver), into an active volcano.

 

[Phrazbit]

Bezos I could see getting a team, there is no way in hell the league would let Musk become an owner.

He'd be tweeting about trading players at the half time of games, calling refs pedophiles on line, trashing his own players in the press, trashing the league after every loss.

He's brilliant but has the emotional maturity of a 12 year old.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Bezos I could see getting a team, there is no way in hell the league would let Musk become an owner.

He'd be tweeting about trading players at the half time of games, calling refs pedophiles on line, trashing his own players in the press, trashing the league after every loss.

He's brilliant but has the emotional maturity of a 12 year old.

Yeah… I want no part of a Musk owned team. That dude would be a nightmare meddling owner.

 

[JerkFace]

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[Muggz]

On the bright side the new owner couldn't possibly be worse.

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[Mainstreet]

Lots of information today pertaining to the sale of the team. So don't plan on a quick sale.

Imagine... it might be the highest price ever paid for an NBA team.

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[Yuma]

Then they haven't worked for him.

My son worked at Amazon. That's one of the reasons he hates Bezos. He goes through a LOT of employees at Amazon.

 

[AzStevenCal]

My son worked at Amazon. That's one of the reasons he hates Bezos. He goes through a LOT of employees at Amazon.

My next door neighbors have two kids (26 and 23 now) that have been with Amazon for 4 and 2 years now respectively. They love it.

I've never worked for Bezos or Musk so I have no idea what that would be like. I do know that I detest what I know about Elon as a human being and I hate a system that allows someone to become as wealthy as Bezos is without paying a fair share of taxes. But being unhappy in a job, hating your employer, is almost an American pasttime.

 

[Superbone]

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I hope Sarver has learned his lesson!

 

[Mainstreet]

I hope Sarver has learned his lesson!

If I could only be paid so much for my mistakes.

 

[Covert Rain]

According to Shaq on his podcast Jeff Bezos wants the Suns. Sounds like Shaq has had a conversation with him and said "Jeff said he wants it, and a couple of other heavy hitters said they want it. I'm not even going to put my name in the bucket on this one. I'm not," O'Neal, who played for the Suns from 2007 to 2009, said.

 

[95pro]

According to Shaq on his podcast Jeff Bezos wants the Suns. Sounds like Shaq has had a conversation with him and said "Jeff said he wants it, and a couple of other heavy hitters said they want it. I'm not even going to put my name in the bucket on this one. I'm not," O'Neal, who played for the Suns from 2007 to 2009, said.

I didnt' even take him seriously, he just wants the publicity. LOOK AT ME