There's something you might not understand about the NBA, and it's something you'll grow to recognize if you carefully follow what goes on during the offseason on most teams. The first thing you have to understand is that owning an NBA team is not generally a profit-making enterprise. Think of owning an NBA team as the ultimate vanity plate - it's something wealthy people do to show off their wealth. Sometimes, as in the case of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, the owner is a rabid fan of the team. Sometimes, as in the case of Senator Herb Kohl, who owns the Milwaukee Bucks, there are political advantages to ownership. A few owners are very much caught up in making sure their team has what they need to win, some want to be able to say they own a team without putting a ton of money into it.
Most fall somewhere in the middle. They don't want to pay luxury tax, but they do want their team to be as competitive as possible. That's where Phoenix Suns majority owner Robert Sarver falls - at the high end of that. The Suns have been a write-off for him, offsetting the income from his banking business. As the banking industry hit the skids, Sarver became more concerned about finding a way to actually earn an income with the Suns, something that proved to be impossible in 2008-09. You simply can't have Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, and Amar'e Stoudemire all on the same roster and hope to make much of a profit without getting to the NBA Finals.
This is where Sarver and the Suns find themselves, and that's why there is yet another rumor running around about one of the Phoenix Three being traded. Over the weekend we saw reports that the Suns might send Amar'e Stoudemire - yes, here we go with Stoudemire trade rumors again - to the Washington Wizards for Antawn Jamison, the expiring contract of Mike James, and the #5 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Honestly, that's a pretty good deal for both sides. We know the Suns are looking to make some roster changes that will improve their defense, and Jamison is a hard-working defender as well as a prolific scorer. Amar'e may talk about being better than Chris Bosh, but he doesn't care much at all for playing defense. He does think he could bring a championship to the Washington Wizards, or so he told DC radio over the weekend.
"I love DC, quote, end quote… I love DC, quote, end quote. You might just be a number one jersey away."
Keep in mind this is Amar'e creating as much hype around himself as he can, coupled with ESPN doing some informed speculation about where he might end up. There have been no contacts between the Suns and Wizards regarding Amar'e Stoudemire.
At the end of the day, despite what they're saying publicly, expect the Suns to shed one of their Big Three this summer. Sarver needs more than a vanity plate, and he certainly has to stop bleeding money the way the Suns did this season. They'll make a move that keeps them competitive and keeps them in the chase for a deep playoff run, but they'll make a move. Count on it.
Up Close With Jeff Teague
If you've been following the 2009 NBA Draft coverage at all over the last couple of weeks, you know this draft is full of quality point guards. From Ricky Rubio and Brandon Jennings to Jrue Holiday and Ty Lawson, any team looking for a point guard can find one in this class. Some, like Lawson, are ready to start immediately. Some, like Rubio, are still question marks. Then you have Wake Forest's Jeff Teague, who followed in the footsteps of Chris Paul and believes he's ready for the next big challenge.
"I feel like the best players were in the ACC this year," says Teague of his preparation for the NBA. "There was a lot of talent across the board in the country this year, but the ACC and the Big East had great teams and I feel like, having played against them all year, I'm well prepared for the NBA."
It's been an interesting journey for Teague, who told HOOPSWORLD his quest for the NBA began when he was five years old.
"I was about five years old and I was playing at the YMCA. There was a kid who was guarding me and he started crying, and he told his mother that he didn't want to guard me any more because I was scoring so much. That's when I figured out I was pretty good. I played baseball and football growing up, you know as a kid you play a lot of sports, but I never got really good at either one of them. That's why I just stuck with basketball."
It wasn't until high school, however, that Teague really began to grasp his potential as a professional basketball player. Having spent most of his first two years on the bench, he finally got his shot and made the most of it.
"It was my junior year of high school when I got really serious about basketball. During my freshman and sophomore years I played with great players and I really didn't get an opportunity to be on the court very much. When I finally got my chance my junior year, my coach told me I could be really good at this. He said if I keep working I could go to a big time school and I could probably play a lot. He instilled confidence in me and ever since then I've just been rolling."
It helped that Teague's father played college basketball, and was able to push his son in the right direction.
"My dad pushed us to the limits," says Teague, who is in Denver working out for the Nuggets this week. "He played basketball, so he knew what it took. He played college basketball and he always pushed us. But my coach was the one who told me how good I could be. My dad didn't really know about scholarships and how to get recruited and things like that. When he was playing there weren't AAU tournaments and things like that, so my high school coach really helped me with those things."
Spending two years at Wake also helped Teague grow, and in more ways than just on the basketball court.
"I learned a lot of life lessons in college - it wasn't even basketball. It was about growing up, being more mature, and being away from home. I was eight hours away from home, so I had to learn how to survive on my own, had to make my money stretch (we weren't the wealthiest family), had to eat, find good meals, and things like that. I think that was the biggest lesson for me."
Now, Teague is looking to learn some bigger lessons on the world's biggest basketball stage. He's already spent some time with Chris Paul, and he'd like to continue that education alongside another great point guard.
"Any great point guard. I want to learn from someone. You could go with Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Chris Paul, Deron Williams . . .anyone would love to play with one of those guys and learn from them. I like to soak things up like a sponge. When Chris would come back to town in Winston-Salem, I tried to listen to everything he said because he's been there, knows what it takes to be an All-Star, so I just listened. I'd love to start my career playing with a great point guard so I can learn quickly."
Jeff Teague already knows what it feels like to play under pressure. Taking the place of an elite player like Chris Paul in a top college program taught him all about that. Now he's ready to take on the ultimate challenge of guiding an NBA team.
"I knew coming in, as a point guard for Wake Forest, that I had some big shoes to fill, but if you're any kind of basketball player you want that kind of pressure. You want to come in and see where you're at. I think I did a pretty good job for Wake Forest the two years I was there and I'm ready for the next challenge. Chris just told me to stay confident in everything I do, every workout I go through. He said, 'You know you can play this game, just go out there and show them.'"
That's exactly what Teague intends to do.
Harris To Retire
Long-time NBA coach Del Harris is set to announce his retirement today. HOOPSWORLD learned over the course of last week that Harris was actually hoping he could find a team interested in putting him back in the big chair. Despite being 71 years old, Harris felt he still had something to bring to a franchise as the top dog. Instead, having spent one season under Vinny Del Negro in Chicago last season and being a part of a very successful run with Avery Johnson and the Dallas Mavericks, Harris will hang up his wipe board.
Harris began his coaching career with the Houston Rockets in 1979-80, led them to the Western Conference Finals in 1980-81, and went on to coach the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers for five seasons each, winning the Coach Of The Year award in LA in 1995. In 1013 games as an NBA head coach, Harris compiled a 556-457 record (.549).
NBA Draft Chat Tonight
Luke Byrnes will host his weekly NBA chat at 5pm EST. Luke covers the San Antonio Spurs and College Basketball for HOOPSWORLD, and is an expert on the NBA Draft. Get your trade scenarios and draft questions in early for Luke, as there's a lot to cover.
