Suns Owner Robert Sarver on Thursday responded to a recent report by saying that he "has 'zero interest' in selling the team," according to Scott Bordow of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The comment comes after the Washington Post on Wednesday noted there are "rumblings around the league that Robert Sarver ... is looking to cash out." Sarver on Thursday said, "There's zero accuracy to that story. Zero. I have zero interest in selling." Bordow notes Sarver's ownership "came under increased scrutiny early in this season, after the Suns got off to an 0-3 start" and fired coach Earl Watson. The team also sent G Eric Bledsoe "away from the team pending a trade." NBA observers have "seized on the Suns missteps as evidence that Sarver was not intent on improving the team's performance." Sarver has "not commented on the state of the Suns since before the season began," when he said that he "thought fans should expect a 'big step forward this season'" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/3). In DC, Tim Bontemps in the original report noted while the NBA would "never publicly admit it, the league would likely be quite happy if Sarver chose to move on, given the complete collapse of the franchise under his watch." Since Sarver bought the Suns in '04, they have "missed the playoffs eight times in 13 seasons -- a number that’s almost certain to grow this year to nine whiffs in 14 seasons." Given the "recent sales of the Rockets and Nets, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Sarver get somewhere close" to $2B for the team, if he chose to sell (WASHINGTON POST, 11/1).
