Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver once took things a little too far when trying to send a message to his GM.
The Suns are the worst team by far in the Western Conference this season and have ensured their fifth losing season in a row. They haven’t won more than 24 games in a season for the last four years, prompting many to wonder how they can be no closer to turning things around despite having top draft picks several years in a row.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski took a look at the Suns last week, calling out their dysfunction, which led to a report that the Suns were interviewing candidates for their GM job. On Monday, ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz took an in-depth dive into what’s wrong with the franchise. Arnovitz describes a meddling owner in Sarver, an insufficient front office, and lacking leadership as some of the issues with the team. The entire article is worth reading.
One particular anecdote shared by Arnovitz that grabbed our attention had to do with Sarver once putting live goats in the office of now-former GM Ryan McDonough.
From Arnovitz:
FOUR YEARS AFTER naming McDonough general manager, Sarver acquired some live goats from a Diana Taurasi event at Talking Stick Resort Arena and planted them upstairs in McDonough’s office. The stunt was both a practical joke and an inspirational message — the Suns should find a GOAT of their own, one who dominates like Taurasi. The goats, unaware of their metaphorical connotation, proceeded to defecate all over McDonough’s office.
While some may find this kind of story funny, it shows just how poor Sarver’s leadership is. That’s a disrespectful act and bad way to communicate a message. In what way would that help the GM do his job? The one thing it would ensure is your GM would view you as a jerk for the act.
The anecdote reminds us of a story we passed along years ago involving Dan Snyder and ice cream. If you’re actions result in you being placed in the same category as Snyder, you’re failing as an owner.
