Re: Suns News: Week 9 12/10-12/16
Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2018 3:01 pm
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For his part, Sarver claims he's become a better owner since the Nash era. "I think over time," he said in 2017, "I learned more about the business. I’m more comfortable understanding it. I think I’m a better owner today. I know what we need to do to get back to that [contending] position." This September, before the Suns started the season 4-23, Sarver said, "For me, the switch has flipped and it’s now time to start figuring out how to win."
Like Boylen in Chicago, Sarver fired Hornacek and opted to replace him with one of the most affordable head coaches in the NBA (Earl Watson) as his team tried to develop a roster full of lottery picks. After firing McDonough in December, he promoted from within instead of hiring an outsider to takeover the GM role. Although on that front, it's not clear how much a new hire could actually change. As Charles Barkely said in an interview last year, "I want to make it perfectly clear that Robert Sarver has always treated me great. We haven’t had a lot of interaction, but he’s always treated me great. But from people who have worked for the Suns, and talking to some of these coaches, Robert wants to make all of the decisions. He won’t give control to the people who work for him. ... He hires them but he won’t let them do their jobs. That’s his reputation, and I’ve got to take their word for it."
Instead of Hall of Famers, there are only the Reinsdorfs and Sarver. They are currently the NBA's two best reminders that sometimes focusing on players and front offices can only take us so far. When it's time to explain a 50-point loss or a locker room mutiny or a team that's been in the lottery for a decade, the answer always starts at the top.