2018 Suns Offseason News

[The Bobster]

Everybody's making a mountain out of a molehill.

What's going to happen in 2020? Booker's going to sign in the G-League to play with his college buddy who got cut two years earlier?

[Superbone]

https://twitter.com/espo/status/1013477798441127936

Booker liked this tweet by Espo.

OK, then there's some evidence. Very bad communication skills on McD's part if true. It should have been a no-brainer to give Book a call beforehand.

Hold on. Just saw that Espo's source was the Sham tweet. When asked for a source, Espo tweeted back: "Based on Shams tweet".

Sure, but Booker “liked” Espos post.

Ah, yeah.

[The Bobster]

Bordow weighs in:

https://twitter.com/sbordow/status/1013471181658251265

If my best friend was getting paid a million bucks a year and wasn't performing well in his job, would I take it personally? Probably not.

[Xylus]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

[Superbone]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

[carey]

Can we all admit that the problem here as that none of us are all that skeptical that McDonough cut Ulis without talking to Booker about it? This, to me, is the real problem. We know our GM is a god damn robot that doesn't get that not everyone treats basketball like just a business. Some people treat their teammates like family.

[gosuns]

Can we all admit that the problem here as that none of us are all that skeptical that McDonough cut Ulis without talking to Booker about it? This, to me, is the real problem. We know our GM is a god damn robot that doesn't get that not everyone treats basketball like just a business. Some people treat their teammates like family.

Nailed it.

[Xylus]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

[carey]

https://twitter.com/HPbasketball/status/1013474109152358400

[Superbone]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

That's a good point. You can't tell Booker before you tell Ulis. It is a bit of a chicken and egg issue. I just hope they did 2). Even if the Suns talk about it with Book after the fact, he still has the right to be upset that his best friend was cut from the team but he can't take it personally. It's a business and the Suns have to do what's best for the team.

[gosuns]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m not an NBA GM and payed millions to do it correctly. Hasn’t he learned how to deal with these things? On what base did he get his job then?

[Superbone]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m not an NBA GM and payed millions to do it correctly. Hasn’t he learned how to deal with these things? On what base did he get his job then?

I guarantee you McD didn't get his job based on his communication skills (right side of the brain). It was obviously due to his left, analytical side.

[Split T]

If he ever did, he unliked it since then

You think I was lying? Lol, really Split?

Not sure where you got I thought you were lying, all I said is he didn't have it as a liked post when I checked

[Xylus]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m not an NBA GM and payed millions to do it correctly. Hasn’t he learned how to deal with these things? On what base did he get his job then?

I’m not trying to defend McD, who obviously botched this in some way, just attacking the notion that we should be looping Booker in first.

[Superbone]

https://sports.yahoo.com/report-devin-b ... 43222.html

If history tells us anything in the NBA, it’s that players playing favorites toward guys they like isn’t a viable way to make your team better. Just look at just about every roster LeBron James has played on. Putting undue influence on a team to keep a player you are friendly with regardless of skill-set or roster contact is a bad look.

Booker sort of has the Suns over a barrel, especially given how well he has played and is projected to grow over the next couple of years. Phoenix has had a hard time signing or trading for a big star, something it seems they are always rumored to be in the works for. In the meantime, the Suns have a lot of dead weight along with Booker and Deandre Ayton, the No. 1 overall pick in 2018.

Then again, Booker isn’t necessarily good enough to make a demand that a friend be kept on the roster. Few NBA players actually are. For now this seems like NBA drama being aired openly, potentially to gain leverage later. There’s no worry that Booker will turn down any kind of max deal from Phoenix this early in his career. At least, not yet.

[Superbone]

OK, here we go:

https://twitter.com/sbordow/status/1013497959172853760

[gosuns]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m not an NBA GM and payed millions to do it correctly. Hasn’t he learned how to deal with these things? On what base did he get his job then?

I’m not trying to defend McD, who obviously botched this in some way, just attacking the notion that we should be looping Booker in first.

Got it.

[gosuns]

Why would the FO notify Ulis’ best friend that Ulis was getting cut before notifying Ulis himself? This isn’t some exclusive club, these are paid employees.

OK, but wouldn't you want to smooth things over with your star employee who went to lunch every day with his best friend who you are firing? You piss him off and maybe he jumps ship to a competitor. I would do it just as a courtesy, not out of obligation.

I’m not sure exactly how this played out, but the order of operations probably should have been:

1) Tell Ulis he’s done here
2) Call Booker immediately after to break the news

You wouldn’t want to tell Booker first because Booker tells Ulis and Ulis ends up hearing it through the grapevine, which is terrible people management.

I don’t know what the right thing to do is, but I’m not an NBA GM and payed millions to do it correctly. Hasn’t he learned how to deal with these things? On what base did he get his job then?

I guarantee you McD didn't get his job based on his communication skills (right side of the brain). It was obviously due to his left, analytical side.

Can we get a GM with a full brain please.

[Cap]

If Booker didn’t feel blindsided, would there be a report of him beeing upset?

Uh, maybe? It’s not entirely clear at this point how credible “sources” are. Let’s slow down and see how this plays out.

[Superbone]

Sounds like McD once again screwed up with personal interactions with his team. But I'm a McD apologist (I'm told), what do I know?