Get rid of Markieff Morris? Phoenix Suns shouldn’t go there yet
Apr 10, 2015, 1:24 AM | Updated: 1:24 am
Look, I get it. You don’t like Markieff Morris. You want him gone ASAP. I understand where you are coming from. I do. He is a royal pain in the ass. A true headache of epic proportions. Your worst migraine. But he is a very talented basketball player who can help this team win. And that is why I am having a hard time agreeing with the majority here.
Now, if the investigation that is ongoing right now into a possible felony assault against Markieff and his brother Marcus proves true, then yes, it’s time to part ways. I have no tolerance for players who can’t be decent members of our society, of our community. It shouldn’t be hard to treat the organization that is paying you $32 million over the next four years with a little respect. To understand that you represent the organization 24/7. That anything you say and do is a direct reflection on them.
Markieff has proved to be immature at times. He has refused to speak to the media after he lit up LeBron James and the Cavs for 35 points in leading the Suns to a 107-100 win on January 13. He called out the fans for a lack of support on February 28 after Phoenix got annihilated by San Antonio 101-74. He gets some of the dumbest technical fouls called against him. All signs of immaturity.
But the guy can play. He has at times been the Suns’ best player. He is averaging 15.4 points and 6.1 rebounds and he is just 25 years old. He is signed to a very good contract paying him an average of $8 million a year for the next four years.
Can you build around Markieff Morris? NO. If he is your best player you are not going to win. He should not even be their second option on offense. What he needs to be is a piece. A solid piece going forward. A key player on a good team. The Suns need to surround him with quality players, with leaders. He needs to work on getting to the free throw lane, on rebounding. There is work to be done but time is on his side.
He has bad some bad judgment calls, but I think his heart is in the right place. He is an above average player in this league, someone with a very good mid-range game.
It’s easy to say addition by subtraction. That getting rid of Markieff and Marcus solves a lot of problems. Maybe it does. But right now, at this time, I’m not ready to give up on him.
