Hornacek, current and former Suns teammates speak about Morris' character

[sunsfan88]

The Morris twins did an exclusive interview with Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report in an article published Monday.

Its worth reading from start to finish whether you like or dislike them just to get an idea of their point of view on everything that happened in the past year.

A lot of interesting quotes from coaches and players

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...e-nbas-morris-twins-are-all-about-think-again

I will say that I think had the Suns communicated better, some or maybe much of this could have been avoided. We would still likely have had to trade Kieff but it would't have gotten this bad maybe.

Also disappointing to hear that Robert Sarver is still as "hands on" with the team as this article and the Morris twins say he is. I wish he could learn to just stay out and trust the people he's put in charge to take care of everything instead of trying to act all close with the players which backfired here.

 

[Catlover]

The Morris twins did an exclusive interview with Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report in an article published Monday.

Its worth reading from start to finish whether you like or dislike them just to get an idea of their point of view on everything that happened in the past year.

A lot of interesting quotes from coaches and players

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...e-nbas-morris-twins-are-all-about-think-again

I will say that I think had the Suns communicated better, some or maybe much of this could have been avoided. We would still likely have had to trade Kieff but it would't have gotten this bad maybe.

Also disappointing to hear that Robert Sarver is still as "hands on" with the team as this article and the Morris twins say he is. I wish he could learn to just stay out and trust the people he's put in charge to take care of everything instead of trying to act all close with the players which backfired here.

I didn't get that sense at all. It was public knowledge about his relationship with the twins and they even showed a lot of video last preseason of them joking around with each other. That doesn't mean he's making day to day decisions, he's just being an active owner. Most of the owners in the NBA are.

As for the rest of this article, I didn't read anything that I haven't already brought up myself in the past. I've taken some shots here for challenging the board mantra that they are chemistry killers. I've repeatedly heard these same comments about how great they are as teammates and not just from the few players Rick quoted. I think they're better people than credited here despite their bouts of immaturity. But it's always a touchy situation having relatives work together and couple that with a lack of adult leadership in the locker room and it was a risky environment all around.

As for communicating better, I think you're right. Ryan made a bad situation worse with Goran and IT and he turned this situation into a soap opera by poor or non-existent communication. The end result though is probably the same, one way or the other they needed to be separated. But they weren't guiltless and they weren't betrayed. Their behavior provided the impetus for this separation and that's on them. The bad press that has accompanied all this though is mostly on Ryan's shoulders. IMO his age is showing. I don't think it's a fatal flaw, hopefully it's just a run of errors that he'll learn from and avoid repeating in the future.

 

[BC867]

I don't think it's a fatal flaw, hopefully it's just a run of errors that he'll learn from and avoid repeating in the future.

On the other hand, I don't expect that Sarver will learn-from-and-avoid-repeating anything on his own.

He needs a more mature mentor with public relations skills. And I don't see how the owner is about to hire someone to become his mentor.

Jerry as Assistant to the Owner . . . I don't think so. Even as consultant, the banker would still pull rank.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Meh it's a puff piece. No one is likely as bad or as good as we likely want to believe. Do I believe the Morris twins are punks? Yup. Do I believe this front office and ownership are viewed as clowns by the players in the league? Yup.

 

[Mainstreet]

I like this article better. No fluff.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--suns-trade-markieff-morris-to-wizards-195002635.html

 

[sunsfan88]

I didn't get that sense at all. It was public knowledge about his relationship with the twins and they even showed a lot of video last preseason of them joking around with each other. That doesn't mean he's making day to day decisions, he's just being an active owner. Most of the owners in the NBA are.

I disagree with this and so does Bucher. I don't think what Sarver did is something that is done commonly by other owners

Teams in every sport, of course, are notorious for preaching loyalty and not practicing it. There is no technical requirement for a team to give any player, star or otherwise, advance notice that they're planning to make a trade. Most teams do, however, solicit the input of their best players on talent they might consider moving or acquiring. Most owners also don't casually invite players to their homes to work out or play cards with them on the plane; Sarver did both, the twins say. If they somehow thought their relationship with the Suns was not strictly business, they might have had reason.

He was apparently trying to buddy-buddy with the Morris twins rather than just treating them as his employees and letting Babby or McD do the sleepovers or whatever with the players.

"What bothers me most are two things," says Marcus. "I sat down with the owner and we agreed guys were going to get paid more, but they told us, 'Don't get upset, we're a family, we're helping each other.' Everybody in this league is concerned about money. We were looking for stability and the chance to be part of something."

The second thing: being told about the Pistons trade after it had been consummated with no warning it might be coming. Both brothers say they wouldn't have expected that courtesy if the Suns hadn't been so inclusive previously.

The bolded is the key here. If Sarver just let his manager and others take care of the team instead of trying to be best friends with players, at least some of this could have been avoided. Its the equivalent of a boss trying to be best friends with his employees and its business 101 that its a terrible idea to do that.

 

[sunsfan88]

Markieff Morris Sees Suns Have Recurring Issues Of Mistrust

The word "trust" has come up multiple times recently in relation to the Phoenix Suns.

Markieff Morris and Goran Dragic have both used the word.

“I always felt free to play,” Morris said. “It was just tough to do certain things with no trust and play for people that you really don’t trust.”

Morris would not specify whom he mistrusted.

“I ain’t getting into that but I’m happy where I am now,” Morris said. “I look back on the happy years I had here. It was definitely a great time.”

Morris was traded to the Washington Wizards at the deadline.

“I’ve seen this play out before,” Morris said. “There have been a couple players I’ve been here with that have been the best players on the team that came back next year in a new uniform so it’s nothing new.”

During Morris’ tenure, Goran Dragic asked to be traded because he was disgruntled, Isaiah Thomas was traded because he was not content with his role and Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Channing Frye said they wanted to stay in Phoenix before negotiations soured them on returning.

“I’ve seen so many do it,” Morris said. “I just didn’t think it would be me like that but it is what it is.”

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...f-morris-did-not-trust-phoenix-suns/82529030/

 

[SirStefan32]

http://www.azcentral.com/story/spor...f-morris-did-not-trust-phoenix-suns/82529030/

Heath announcers mentioned a couple of months ago that Green said McD told him he would be back in Phoenix and then never contacted him or his agent. I don't know how true that is, but it seems consistent with what we've heard from other former players.

 

[sunsfan88]

Heath announcers mentioned a couple of months ago that Green said McD told him he would be back in Phoenix and then never contacted him or his agent. I don't know how true that is, but it seems consistent with what we've heard from other former players.

Yea its in the article listed in the OP. I don't know why the Suns front office feels the need to lie to all these players, if they don't want to resign a player or they aren't sure of resigning a player, then why not just say "We don't know yet, its gonna depend on how the rest of the off season goes" or some other crap like that? Giving them false belief does nothing for anyone and it certainly hates people like Green for example who kept his house and family in Phoenix because he was under that assumption after being misled by the Suns FO. BTW I didn't care much for Green and I wanted them to not resign him but I didn't want them to mislead him either.

Here's what I was talking about from the OP article

The Heat suspended Green two games for conduct detrimental to the club but team president Pat Riley issued a statement extolling his belief in Green's character. The Suns' statement simply said they were disappointed in the Morris brothers.

"I was just lucky to be with this organization," Green says of his time with Miami. "Everybody makes mistakes. It's what you do after that matters. If any team had a reason to f--k me over, it's this one, because I f--ked up. But then you have the Miami Heat and Pat Riley here [raises his hand toward the ceiling] and the Phoenix Suns and, you know, here [drops his hand below his waist]."

Green is disappointed the Suns didn't give the 39-win team a chance to redeem itself, especially considering the turmoil created when Dragic, a presumptive free agent frustrated by being placed in an off-ball role, demanded a trade. Even with Dragic and Thomas leaving, Green hoped to be back.

"They told me they were going to re-sign me," Green says. "I had the impression I was coming back. I kept my house there. But they never called my agent back. I had a lot of fans in Phoenix, so I felt bad I didn't get to say goodbye. I wish they had told me from the get-go, 'We're going in a different direction.' I hate the way it ended. It didn't have to be that way."

Green is among the Suns, past and present, who stumped for the twins' character.

 

[Phrazbit]

Green was racking up DNPs during the 2nd half of last season, we had other guys at his same position, we drafted a guy at his position and he was terrible. IMO Green is full of ****, and his if agent thought he'd be back then they're both idiots.

 

[Phrazbit]

If the Morris twins were not twins and just a couple players without some cute narrative attached then they'd be getting zero sympathy and zero press over their hurt feelings. A couple mediocre players who argue with coaches, shove teammates and got arrested for assault. Them getting any sympathy for the way everything played out is an absolute joke.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Green was racking up DNPs during the 2nd half of last season, we had other guys at his same position, we drafted a guy at his position and he was terrible. IMO Green is full of ****, and his is agent thought he'd be back then they're both idiots.

There have also been some pretty damning stories about Green's court-side behavior at the end of the season. It's easy to pile on the Suns front office right now but Green is no angel and everyone on the planet knew he was gone from the all star break forward. And I remember his agent being publicly pissed about Green not being traded at the break so no way was the separation a surprise to Gerald.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I am sure the Suns mgmt is not lily white in this. But the expectations from these players are absolutely unreasonable. I have no doubt that all the buddy stuff between Sarver and the twins was prior to the assault charge. Who knows, Sarver may have been wining and dining them just prior to the contract deal with the twins, which is what an owner is SUPPOSED to do. For a player to thing he will be courted through the contract like he is just before signing the contract is silly. And then the assault charge changes everything.

Markieff played well last night. It clearly shows how much he was dogging in earlier this year. That says enough. Good riddance.

 

[Dr. Jones]

We are the new clippers..... great.

 

[devilalum]

Its pretty easy to blame all your shortcomings on the Suns given their current state. My guess is this is what happens when you clean house with a crappy team.

 

[Phrazbit]

Its pretty easy to blame all your shortcomings on the Suns given their current state. My guess is this is what happens when you clean house with a crappy team.

This.

We had a team of bad apples, and immature, mediocre/lousy players. Shockingly the players in question blame their departure on the franchise and not that they either played poorly or got in trouble... or both.

As to Morris throwing names like Nash and Grant Hill in the conversation, that is a comical. The Suns did good by Nash, they got him 30 million he couldn't have gotten elsewhere, they traded him to a rival despite knowing it would infuriate many fans and I doubt Nash felt like playing his last couple seasons on the shell of a team the Suns had. And once the Suns agreed to trade Nash then obviously Hill wasn't coming back.

 

[Mainstreet]

I'm not sure if Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Dan Majerle got the right end of the straw. I believe Steve Nash wanted to finish his career with the Suns and probably the same with Grant Hill. Dan Majerle was shown the door without an opportunity to be the interim head coach. Instead the Suns chose Lindsey Hunter.

I do not believe the Morris twins and Gerald Green fit in the same category. They have no reason to complain. IT was the Suns loss. Goran Dragic wanted out.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I'm not sure if Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Dan Majerle got the right end of the straw. I believe Steve Nash wanted to finish his career with the Suns and probably the same with Grant Hill. Dan Majerle was shown the door without an opportunity to be the interim head coach. Instead the Suns chose Lindsey Hunter.

I do not believe the Morris twins and Gerald Green fit in the same category. They have no reason to complain. IT was the Suns loss. Goran Dragic wanted out.

Even MJ finished his career outside of Chicago. Shaq bounced around after a championship in Miami.

Teams have to rebuild. If players want to play until they are nearly 40 they can't expect to retire with their favorite team In all their glory.

Nash robbed the Lakers with that contract. I don't even want the Suns to apologize for not having a part of that.

Look how much keeping Kobe has cost the Lakers. The only reason it is making sense for Dirk and Tim D is that they are taking LOTS less money now. Nash got the cash.

 

[Phrazbit]

Even MJ finished his career outside of Chicago. Shaq bounced around after a championship in Miami.

Teams have to rebuild. If players want to play until they are nearly 40 they can't expect to retire with their favorite team In all their glory.

Nash robbed the Lakers with that contract. I don't even want the Suns to apologize for not having a part of that.

Look how much keeping Kobe has cost the Lakers. The only reason it is making sense for Dirk and Tim D is that they are taking LOTS less money now. Nash got the cash.

Dirk and Tim are also on teams that are still highly competitive. The Nash Suns had missed the playoffs 2 years in a row and the upcoming year gave no sign for more hope, it was merely an old, below average team getting a year older. Virtually everyone who rooted for or covered the Suns knew it was not only time to start over but that they'd probably put it off a year or 2 too long.

Any mention of the Nash departure as evidence of the Suns not doing right by a player is just piling on and rather ignorant.