I hate this UA trash we got as our owner. If he loses Bryan Colangelo I will be pissed.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Sarver?s monkey business may backfireBy Scott Bordow, Tribune ColumnistFebruary 22, 2006Suns owner Robert Sarver dressed up as the Gorilla at a recent game. Apparently, he doesn?t need a costume to make a monkey of himself when it comes to Bryan Colangelo.Related LinksCommentaryHere?s the latest news, and you tell me where this story is heading:Two sources said Colangelo was in Toronto on Tuesday, continuing his discussions with Raptors officials about their vacant general manager position.Jerry Colangelo was on KTAR (620 AM) Monday night and said of Bryan?s possible departure, ?Where there?s smoke there?s fire.?Sarver?He?s still saying little, still refusing to acknowledge that he might lose the reigning NBA Executive of the Year. Baffling.Then it hits you.This is Joe Johnson all over again.Two summers ago, Sarver refused to sign Johnson to a contract extension worth $50 million even though his basketball people were urging him to do so.Johnson eventually hit the free agent market, his price tag soared to $70 million, and Sarver deemed him too expensive.Bryan Colangelo?s contract expires after the 2006-2007 season. You?d think, based on Colangelo?s recent track record, that Sarver would be anxious to get an extension done.Colangelo would accept a hometown discount. The Valley is his home, he wants to continue the legacy his father started, and he?s put together a team that should contend for a title the next few years.But a Suns source said Sarver recently rebuffed Colangelo?s request to discuss an extension then gave him the OK to talk to Toronto.Sarver, it appears, learned nothing from the mistakes he made regarding Johnson.Within the Suns? inner circle, there are two theories as to why Sarver ismaking it easy for Colangelo to leave.? He values a dollar more than he does his assets.It would be wrong to say Sarver is cheap; he gave Steve Nash $60 million and rewarded Amar? Stoudemire with a $72.5 million contract extension. But the Suns have carried just 11 active players for much of the season when a team can carry 12, a financial decision that surely can?t play well with the coaching staff.Perhaps Sarver doesn?t view Colangelo as essential as Nash and Stoudemire. In a sense, he?s right; a GM never made a game-winning shot. But Sarver should ask himself a question: Who had the courage to trade Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway in January of 2004 so the Suns had the salary cap space to sign Nash??Everybody knows it starts from the top,? Suns coach Mike D?Antoni said.Well, maybe not everybody.? Sarver?s ego has gotten the better of his judgment.When Jerry Colangelo was unceremoniously dumped by the Diamondbacks in the summer of 2004, Sarver told Suns? employees in a meeting that he wouldn?t make the same mistake, that he valued Colangelo and the team he put together.Yet, Bryan Colangelo appears to be on his way out, and some people in the organization believe Sarver wants to prove the Suns can win without the Colangelo stamp.We can only guess what Sarver is thinking because he?s not saying much. But if Colangelo does leave for the Raptors, the Suns owner will have to come forward and explain himself.I?ll bring the bananas.</div>
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (STAT @ Aug 8 2006, 04:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I hope Bryan doesn't get fired. He has done a great job building this team.</div>
