Suns News: Week 19 2/29-3/6

[carey]

An open letter to Suns fans from Robert Sarver.

As someone who grew up a Suns fan, I have great appreciation and respect for the unwavering loyalty this community possesses for its first professional sports team. With that loyalty comes a fair expectation that the Suns compete at a high level on a regular basis, while representing our city with the utmost integrity. Candidly, we have not lived up to either of those expectations in the past two seasons.

One thing I have learned through both business successes and setbacks, is that victory is impossible without a culture of accountability, respect and trust. As a team woven into the city’s fabric, those principles must serve as a foundation for what our team, organization and brand stand for. All employees of our organization, including the players, will be held to those standards.

I have also learned that in order to achieve success, you must take risks along the way. In time, certain risks will ultimately look like mistakes. It didn’t take long into my tenure as an NBA owner to understand that basketball decisions are not easy to make. It is my responsibility to hire the right personnel to make those decisions, and also to provide the financial resources and supportive environment to facilitate the success of our team. Our basketball decisions rest with Ryan McDonough, who I have full confidence in. Not every decision will be the right one, but he will continue to build our team around the young, talented players acquired through the draft and opportunistically in free agency. The best team in the NBA right now is a perfect example of that model.

That said, we will likely miss the NBA Playoffs for a sixth straight season this April. Many of you are disappointed in that lack of success, and for good reason. I can assure you that no one is more disappointed than I am, nor does anyone accept more of the blame. It’s important you know that we will not rest until we are competing at the highest level once again. In fact, we have swung for the fences once in each of the last two free agency periods, with my full support. While we have come up short, we have not compromised our goal of building long-term success with our young talent. Often that process takes more time, yet the rewards are that much sweeter and more enduring.

The journey back to the top certainly won’t be easy. It will come with its victorious moments and its frustrating ones. But it will come, just as it did shortly after I acquired the team, where we rebuilt from a 29-win season in 2003/04. Please know, that above all else, you have my word that we will do things the right way, and you and your family will be proud to be Suns fans.

It’s why We Are PHX.​

Robert

[Cap]

Yay. We have Sarver's word that he's going to start doing things the right way. That's worth a lot.

[Superbone]

That said, we will likely miss the NBA Playoffs for a sixth straight season this April.

Likely?! Give me a break! Face reality, Sarver.

[Mori Chu]

That said, we will likely miss the NBA Playoffs for a sixth straight season this April.

That said, water is likely wet.

[OE32]

Our basketball decisions rest with Ryan McDonough, who I have full confidence in.

That's all I wanted to hear.

[In2ition]

That said, we will likely miss the NBA Playoffs for a sixth straight season this April.

That said, water is likely wet.

Haha, who is the likely fan that somehow thinks there is a remote chance that the Suns make the playoffs this year? Even Mr. ORNG can't be that optimistic.

[The Bobster]

You know, I think most of us here have zero confidence that Sarver has any idea how to correct this.

He inherited a club stocked with talent in their prime - Amar'e Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Shawn Marion, Leandro Barbosa, plus Colangelo managed to convince Steve Nash top return to Phoenix as a free agent - but gradually draft choices were traded for cash or little in return, Johnson was shipped to Atlanta after the Suns bungled their contract negotiations with him, and then the more Sarver and his front office hires did the faster the deterioration escalated. The 2010 Western Conference Finals were the team's last moment of relevancy, but more mishandled personnel decisions such as the commitment to two point guards, the signing of Isaiah Thomas, and finally the replacement of Thomas and Brandan Wright with the much more pricey Brandon Knight and Tyson Chandler was the last straw. There is no quick fix for this team, stockpiling draft choices and making wise selections is their only hope for future and Sarver hasn't shown that he has the patience for that.

[Wally_West]

I wonder how many years it is going be untill we make the playoffs again...

[In2ition]

I wonder how many years it is going be untill we make the playoffs again...

2 years, if they don't try to go for the quick fix again this summer.

[OE32]

stockpiling draft choices and making wise selections is their only hope for future and Sarver hasn't shown that he has the patience for that.

Isn't this precisely what he said we were doing in this letter?? The level of doom-and-gloom around here has reached a point of absurdity.

McD is no dummy. He'll continue to nail the draft. My best guess is that this team will be in the playoffs either next year or the year after, and in three years time, we'll be a contender with an outside chance at the title - not that I expect anyone here to take their due portion of crow when things (quite predictably) turn around.

I was with you in criticizing the selling of draft picks. Now that we're acquiring them, the FO gets no credit?! Only the negative counts around here these days. Accordingly, to some 80% of this board, I give a big .

I wonder how many years it is going be untill we make the playoffs again...

2 years, if they don't try to go for the quick fix again this summer.

Right.

[LazarusLong]

Three well-worn falsehoods:

* Honey, I promise I will respect you in the morning ...

* Really, it's nine inches long ...

* Please know, that above all else, you have my word that we will do things the right way ...

[Mori Chu]

Sarver just doesn't get it.

[The Bobster]

OE32 - They may be stockpiling draft choices now, but I don't think Sarver has the patience to follow through with that strategy. He's always been about the quick fix.

The more involved Sarver is in the administration of the franchise, the less confidence I have in them getting anything accomplished.

[carey]

McD is no dummy. He'll continue to nail the draft. My best guess is that this team will be in the playoffs either next year or the year after, and in three years time, we'll be a contender with an outside chance at the title - not that I expect anyone here to take their due portion of crow when things (quite predictably) turn around.

I'm probably the only other pro-McDonough guy here, but unless we get a top 2 pick in consecutive years and a major FA signing this is just kind of crazy.

[djy2j]

Open letter to Robert Sarver:

Dear Mr Sarver,

I have taken dumps with more integrity than you have. Sell the team.

Sincerely,

Y2J

[Nodack]

I think it's a good gesture to the fans to write the letter.

[Cap]

Nothing necessarily wrong with writing a letter. Unfortunately, this letter gives us no indication that anything has changed (unless he's saying that his commitment to "do things the right way" is something new). He's just going to keep plugging along and hope things gets better. For fans who have lost confidence in him, this is not reassuring.

[TOO]

Supposedly we're interested in Anthony Bennett should he clear waivers. *shrugs*

[carey]

Supposedly we're interested in Anthony Bennett should he clear waivers. *shrugs*

Source?

[Wally_West]

Supposedly we're interested in Anthony Bennett should he clear waivers. *shrugs*

Source?

The Phoenix Suns are a possible suitor for Bennett once he clears waivers, sources said.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--r ... 25855.html