Robert Sarver’s assessment of the burning wreckage that is the team he owns in Phoenix, is that it’s the damn kids’ fault.
The Suns’ owner blasts Markieff Morris for failing to get over his twin brother’s trade to Detroit, and says the team lacks a winning culture.
Head coach Jeff Hornacek is on the hot seat, and two of his assistants were canned last week.
Per the AZ Republic:
“The reality is, there’s only a half dozen championship-caliber organizations in the NBA over the last 25 years,” Sarver said. “My job is to find the right people and the right culture to eventually be one of those organizations, and it starts with me. I’m not shirking responsibility. […] The blame is to be shared from the top down. Our leadership needs to communicate better. It needs to provide a better culture that provides for more accountability and more motivation. We have a lot of good, young players. They need to be playing hard, aggressively and on the same page whether we win or lose. That’s what I expect going forward.”
Last year, the Suns allowed Marcus and Markieff Morris to act like fools without fear of repercussion. While Jerry Colangelo would’ve shipped both of them out of town on the very next flight, Sarver did the opposite. He was extraordinarily patient with the twins. […] Sarver also refused to pick up Hornacek’s option, which allowed him to enter the current season as a lame-duck coach. The ensuing chaos should not surprise anyone. And when (Jerry) Colangelo and former head coach Mike D’Antoni rolled into town together, with a one-win 76ers team that somehow beat the Suns on their home court, the outrage was palpable.
“I’m not sure it’s just the NBA,” Sarver said. “My whole view of the millennial culture is that they have a tough time dealing with setbacks, and Markieff Morris is the perfect example. He had a setback with his brother in the offseason and he can’t seem to recover from it. […] I’m not sure if it’s the technology or the instant gratification of being online. But the other thing is, I’m not a fan of social media. I tell my kids it’s like Fantasy Land. The only thing people put online are good things that happen to them, or things they make up. And it creates unrealistic expectations. We’ve had a number of setbacks this year that have taken their toll on us, and we haven’t been resilient. Therefore, it’s up to our entire organization to step up their game.”
