BURNS AND GAMBO

Markieff Morris situation is going to get real ugly for Phoenix Suns

Aug 12, 2015, 1:28 PM | Updated: 1:54 pm

Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris, left, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love during the third q...

Phoenix Suns' Markieff Morris, left, drives past Cleveland Cavaliers' Kevin Love during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game Saturday, March 7, 2015, in Cleveland. The Cavaliers defeated the Suns 89-79. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

This is going to get ugly. Real ugly. Markieff Morris, as I reported last week, wants out. He is demanding the Suns trade him now, vowing to never play another game for the Phoenix organization.

He feels disrespected, says the Suns management never called him or his brother after the trade of Marcus Morris to Detroit. He is unhappy the Suns were willing to trade him to Portland for LaMarcus Aldridge, unhappy that they wanted to replace him. He believes he took a below-market deal in order to play with his brother long-term.

And now he is prepared to do whatever it takes to force Phoenix to deal him. He likes Houston because of James Harden and Toronto because of Kyle Lowry, but he honestly doesn’t care where he gets dealt as long as he is not wearing a Suns uniform.

He is going to tell the Suns he can’t play for them, has too much hatred and animosity built up and that they won’t want him around.

Markieff is not calling back teammates and plans to be very standoffish when he reports to camp. He does not plan on arriving until he absolutely has to, so no pickup games with the boys before camp starts. He is expected to make a circus of media day.

He has told those close to him he can never be happy in Phoenix. That he won’t say a word to any of the Suns’ upper management and will have one word answers for Coach Hornacek. He will keep things short and simple.

If the Suns think he is going to bust his butt for them they are sadly mistaken. He has a four-year contract, so he is no longer motivated by the need for a deal. He does not want to show Phoenix any love. He wants them to know he is not motivated.

This is personal to Markieff; he felt the trade of Marcus was a slap in the face to him and his brother. And he feels that the Suns should have known this was coming, that he wouldn’t be happy playing without his brother.

The Suns as of now have no intention of accommodating the demands of Markieff and may very well call his bluff. He is their starting power forward and is under contract, and so they expect him to perform.

But how long can the Suns go with an unhappy player, one who plans to cause problems? Could the Suns end up suspending Markieff? Will they eventually trade him? Will Markieff finally learn to think for himself instead of having his brother do it for him?

How this will play out will be fascinating drama. A spoiled, troubled millionaire athlete, who is not even that good of a player, making demands and promising to wreck the Suns’ season before it even starts. A player who demands a phone call from management but couldn’t call the Suns himself after he was arrested for felony aggravated assault.

Someone put the team on high alert.

Burns and Gambo

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Markieff Morris situation is going to get real ugly for Phoenix Suns