Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
To say that the Phoenix Suns are a hot mess right now would be an understatement. For the second consecutive year, it looks like the team could be selecting No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft.
That’s not exactly the way you rebuild a team from the ground up, especially after handing out a max contract to stud youngster Devin Booker.
Phoenix’ issues are not only widespread on the court, they have apparently spilled over to the front office.
According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowksi, the operations side of the business is drawing some raised eyebrows around the Association.
“There’s no question, from the league office to teams around the league, there’s a lot of raised eyebrows at Phoenix and how they’re operating right now,” Woj said recently.
From his issues with local politicians to a hands-on approach within the Suns’ organization, Robert Sarver is widely considered one of the worst owners in professional sports.
He just brought on former NBAer James Jones to run the front office. Jones has exactly one year of experience in an executive role.
All of this has equated to another completely lost season in Phoenix. And in reality, the front office is seen as being the major problem.
“This is an organization that is in a spiral in almost every way, and it’s a concern for the NBA,” the report continued. “Owner Robert Sarver has not seemed to learn a lot of lessons through the years about his management style, his hands-on nature and his ability to put an infrastructure in place and allow it to build an organization.”
What this means moving forward remains to be seen. Could the NBA get involved, much like what we saw with the then New Orleans Hornets years back? We’re not too sure.
What we do know is that the status quo is not working in Phoenix right now. That will lead to more questions as another lost season plays out and the summer approaches.