I feel like a twister just tore through the sports department and left the whole place in shambles. Two bombshells went off within about an hour of each other.
And we went from “I can’t believe he said that” to “I can’t believe they did that”.
Let’s start with the most recent big boom….the I-can’t-believe-they-did-that move of the day. The Cardinals fired Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast. On the same day their Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley accepted the job as Head Coach in Kansas City. So five days removed from losing Super Bowl 43, the Cardinals have now removed, or have had removed, both of their top assistant coaches.
Had the Cardinals season ended when most thought it would – after a first round loss to Atlanta – this move would have not surprised a soul. The defense was awful the last month of the season. Under performing, under motivated, and under heavy fire.
But they played at a level that few, if any, thought was possible in the playoffs. While most praised Pendergast for the work done during the postseason, in some ways wasn’t that an indictment of Pendergast? Where was that effort during the final month of the season? They were clearly capable of it, they proved it during the playoffs, but got complacent and shut it down in December.
Plus, I have to think the Haley departure had something to do with this. He’s looking to build a staff now that he’s the Chief in Kansas City. I bet that there was someone he had in mind for his Defensive Coordinators position and the Cardinals were worried he was going to steal that guy from them. Perhaps somebody who is already on the Cardinals defensive coaching staff?
We go from the I-can’t-believe-they-did-that to the I-can’t-believe-he-just-said-that bombshell of the day.
Did Amare Stoudamire really say this?
“Me being the All-Star….one of the leaders, you know, so, I think half the time it’s pretty much on me. But I’m not a Captain. So you can’t put too much of the blame on me. It’s not my job to rally the troops and get everybody on board. It’s the Captain’s job to do that.”
He did, just listen to it right here.
Steve Nash and Grant Hill are the “captains” of the Suns.
Calling out the captains? Passing responsibility to others like it’s some kind of toxic waste dump that you don’t want in your backyard? I thought he wanted to be the man. Thought this was supposed to be his team. I thought the Shaq trade was supposed to liberate him and motivate him. And now I hear….it’s not my job?
Let’s be honest. Nash hasn’t had his best year and he clearly misses Mike D’antoni. And I’ve come to question just how motivated he is. But you don’t see him dropping these not-so-subtle references in public about who is to blame and who is not.
And you don’t hear him saying…..it’s not my job.
Amare is either incredibly bright (by doing this now he’s trying to create a locker room dynamic that forces the Suns to trade him or Nash). Or he’s incredibly dim (by not realizing that what he said, when he said it, would cause a stir).
Either way, is this the young superstar you want leading your team?
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This team was put together pre Kerr-Porter. It won’t come close to an NBA final as is sits. Time to make changes. (plural)
I think the problem with the suns is steve kerr first of all the draft picks this year is just ridiculous. The Lopez kid is just a waste because he looks like he does not know what he is doing on court. Amare Stoudamire is the best player on this team i don’t care what all u say Burns. This is the thing about Amare when his offence is going his defence comes along with it. Shaq is still balling but he is getting old, and Terry Porter should give amare more touches insted of going down low to shag all the time. It will be a big mistake if kerr trades amare stoudamire i totally agree with Tim Legler the NBA analyist be careful what you wish for steve kerr….
Amare is a primadonna. He is complaining about not being the go to guy but when he refuses to play defense or grab the boards you can see why he isnt the go to guy. And it is frustrating because Amare CAN do those things, he just doesnt seem to be motivated to do it. Shaq may not be the answer, but at least he tries and he goes for the boards. He shows his hustle when he dives for loose balls. Amare doesnt do those things. I wouldnt be shocked or angry if Amare gets dealt away, the problem is who would we get for him that could contribute now because our window of opportunity is closing every day.
If kerr trades amare i hope he gets traded to the lakers or the hornets because i am no longer a suns fan if amare gets traded. And i know when amare comes back to play the suns he will take it personal because no one in the suns line-up that can stop him. Terry Porter is not a motivater that is why the players are not playing good the suns have alot of talent but we hired the wrong coach and the wrong general manager. Steve kerr should go and run the Arizona Wildcats insted of the Phoenix Suns. Its funny how all you so called suns fans want to get rid of Amare Stoudmire because of how he is, but remember he did alot for the suns and the community. My problem is not with Amare he is the best player the suns have the problem is Steve Kerr he F***** this team up when he became the G.manager. As long as steve kerr is here the suns will not go anywere so i hope they trade amare because deserves a better place.
I have been a suns fan for over 30 years and have watched them through the ups and downs. I’m sorry to say but Amare is a joke, he comes to play some nights and other nights he MIA. He is not an All-Star in my book. Nash is washed up, he is playing the worst I’ve ever seen. Trade both of them and go younger.
If I had to pick only one person for the destruction of the Suns, I would pick Steve Kerr. He was handed on a platter a team that was good enough to win a championship, with just a little tweaking- a bonafide center (did not have to be Hall of fame caliber) and a capable back up point guard. Kerr had no experience as GM. Instead of trying to learn his new job in his first year, he started by trading away the Suns best defensive player Kurt Thomas AND two draft picks! Next it was the Shaq deal, which only made the Suns fall from #1 to *7 in the western conference. Marion was unhappy but there are other ways to deal with unhappy players. Kobe was unhappy in LA at one point. Did they just trade him away? No. They found players that would make the team stronger, including Pau Gasol. HOw did Kerr miss the fact that he could make a deal to bring in Gasol? Kerr is trigger happy. If a player is unhappy, instead of solving the problem, he just trades him away (example: Bell and Diaw for Jason Richardson, who is an offensive player and does not play defense). Kerr alienated Dantoni to the extent that he did not want to return to the Suns and he went to NY. Instead of filling that position with a capable coach, Kerr hired Terry Porter. That just about destroyed the team. The defense looks horrible, the bench does not get used, the players are unhappy and the Suns are losing. What does Kerr do? He finds a scapegoat in a player- Stoudemire- just like he did with Bell and Diaw and Marion. Kerr’s draft choices have been laughable. IN less than two years he single handedly dismantled what was once a proud team challenging for the NBA title. Sure, the players have gotten older, but they had enough juice left to make a couple more runs for the title. It was not to be. Kerr destroyed the team. Sure, Sarver is responsible for his decisions based on finances rather than basketball, and he is responsible for hiring Kerr who had no GM experience. I would still place the blame squarely on Kerr. If he had not taken any action, the Suns would still be winning, and Dantoni would still be the coach. With Kerr the Suns are fast becoming a lottery team and it did not have to be this way.
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