"It felt like a dentist's waiting room... like they were about to have their teeth pulled" - Brian Windhorst highlights the grim environment in Phoenix Suns' camp
The Phoenix Suns were available to the media for the first time since a humiliating Game 7 loss to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks last season. Based on reports, the mood in Phoenix was even gloomier than their postgame interview after they were booted out of the playoffs.
ESPN senior writer Brian Windhorst, who covered the Suns’ Media Day, had an alarming takeaway from the event. He said:
“I have covered media day for 20 years. I have been to 10 or 12 different teams’ media days. I have never been to a media day that has had the absolute absence of enthusiasm than was today in Phoenix. I kind of thought that there might be like, ‘Alright, Sarver’s in the past, let’s focus on the future,’ but that was absolutely not the case.
“I could call it that it was like a funeral but that implies that they’re sad that Robert Sarver is gone. I don’t necessarily classify it as that 100%. … It felt like a dentist's waiting room and the players going to the podium looked like they were about to have their teeth pulled."
The NBA has completed its investigation of Robert Sarver on racism and misogyny allegations. It handed a one-year suspension and a $10 million fine to Sarver. After news broke regarding the punishment, several promptly ripped the league for failing to do the right thing.
LeBron James was the first to comment on the slap-in-the-wrist punishment. Several other players such as Draymond Green and Chris Paul echoed his sentiments. One of the Phoenix Suns’ biggest sponsors, PayPal, threatened to leave the team if Sarver continued to hold his position in the franchise.
The snowballing push against what the NBA meted out against Robert Sarver as the Phoenix Suns’ top executive was unstoppable. Ultimately, he decided to put the Suns and Phoenix Mercury up for sale.
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Several players in the Phoenix Suns’ camp were guarded in their answers regarding any Sarver-related questions. The prevailing theme, however, was that they were stunned by all the accusations and the results of the NBA’s internal investigation.
Brian Windhorst continued to report his observations of the vibe in Phoenix:
“There was not a smile during one-and-a-half hours of media interaction.”
“There’s no way you walk away from this today and think everything is okay there.”
The Phoenix Suns are still an elite team if they can get their act together
The Phoenix Suns were the best regular-season team in the NBA by a wide margin last season. They had a 64-18 record, which was eight games better than the second-placed Memphis Grizzlies.
More importantly, GM James Jones managed to keep the roster largely intact to make another serious run next season. They still have reigning NBA Coach of the Year Monty Williams and the core of Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton.
The team, however, will have to tackle not just the Robert Sarver fiasco that is casting a long shadow over the team. Head coach Monty Williams and starting center Ayton seem quite frosty towards each other.
Day 1 of Training Camp ✔️ https://t.co/9lbafH4yKM
In the loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs, Williams played Ayton for only 18 minutes, benching him for nearly the entire second half. The head coach merely responded to questions about his move, saying that it was “internal.” The center didn’t talk to the media after the Phoenix Suns were eliminated.
Williams tried to downplay the awkward dynamics between the two, but the tone of their voices and body language told the tale.
On paper, the Phoenix Suns have a balanced, deep and battle-tested roster. If they can get their act together, anything is still possible.