- Thread starter
- #1
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2006
- Messages
- 60,151
- Reaction score
- 2,039
The Capri Sun was flowing while the players jumped up and down in the locker room in what could only be described as absolute euphoria. The Phoenix Suns had just clinched the 2016 Western Conference Championship for the first time since the 1990's. It was a new era for a conference that had only seen two teams represent it in the Finals since the turn of the decade. Surely, this upstart Suns team was here to stay as many thought the Finals appearance was ahead of the curve for the team. But when the idea of such a run being a surprise was brought to General Manager Daulten Dombrowski, he scoffed at the notion. "I thought it was dumb that no one was putting me up there with those teams," Dombrowski said. "I had top players at every position on my roster." Dombrowski also asserted that he thought his previous teams had underachieved.
But had they? Dombrowski, the equivalent of a gun-slinging quarterback without proper discipline, never made a trade he didn't like. As the trades piled up, jersey companies couldn't keep up with the orders of players who were being shuffled in and out of the locker room. Many questioned whether or not the cold approach to players' personal lives would create an appealing situation to play in, but not Dombrowski. For the young GM, it was all about working his way to one player: Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, the cornerstone of two New York Knicks championship teams, was unavailable in trade conversations for years before their general manager finally found him to be expendable. Anthony made his way to the Timberwolves, and Dombrowski knew this was his chance. Soon after, he struck a deal to send Carmelo to Phoenix. Daulten had finally gotten his man.
Dombrowski's infatuation with Carmelo Anthony began at a young age.While the story on paper felt like the ending to a romance novel, the results on the court felt more like a horror film. Carmelo's production in Phoenix quickly tanked, and the results followed suit. What went wrong? It depends on who you ask. In the eyes of Dombrowski, Carmelo did not live up to his end up the bargain. "I expected more," he said as he wiped a tear away from his eye. Carmelo had a different story. "Those dumb asses didn't know how to use me. All they told me to do was run and shoot threes. Carmelo doesn't run," he said in a tell-all interview back in 2016. "F*** Phoenix," he added right before abruptly ending the interview. The relationship ended in a quick divorce. Carmelo was sent to the Spurs, and Phoenix began to win games again soon after. The brief nadir of Dombrowski's tenure didn't stop the Suns from reaching their first NBA Finals since Charles Barkley wore the purple and orange.
Despite falling in the NBA Finals to a veteran Boston Celtics group, the sun was shining bright in Phoenix. After immediately being paid a hefty sum to take Chris Paul off the Celtics' hands in the off-season, the Suns entered the 2016-17 season as the odds on favorite to win the championship. But something wasn't right in Dombrowski's mind. The mad scientist continued to tinker with a group that many thought would coast to another Finals appearance until it was unrecognizable from the group that captured the hearts of fans just one season ago. The team managed to make its way to the Finals again, but at what cost? Players in the locker room were unsure of their roles, with some upset that they were only left with scraps for minutes in the rotation. There was even an anonymous report of teammates' not knowing each other's names.
For the second year in a row, the Suns failed to capture the NBA championship. But this one felt different. Had Dombrowski gone a step too far? Not only did the run tarnish Dombrowski's reputation among his peers, but it also lowered the trade value of the players who failed to win the championship on such a short notice for Phoenix. The trade-loving GM was forced to enter the next season with largely the same group as they ended the year with for the first time in his tenure. Results to start the season were mixed. While the team started the year with a good record in a depleted Western Conference, it still lacked the spark of the 2016 run. The Suns began to earn the nickname among fans as "The Museum", a slight at how old the average age of the team was. The magic in Phoenix was gone, but how could they possible get it back? Pacing back and forth in his parents' basement, Dombrowski contemplated his next move. What move could he possibly make to kickstart things for a dying franchise? Turns out, he had been plotting it all along.
Many thought Dombrowski was out of his mind for turning to Carmelo in a desperate time.Over the summer, Carmelo Anthony made his return to New York City to play in a Knicks' legends pick-up game. Who was sitting in the front row? Dombrowski, wearing an autographed jersey. When Carmelo saw the Suns' GM, he immediately went to the PA announcer at Madison Square Garden and asked Dombrowski to be kicked out of the arena. But Daulten wouldn't give up there. He waited, and waited, and waited some more, until Anthony finally left the arena. When he saw Dombrowski waiting outside the arena, he was angry. "What the fuck do you want?" he screamed at the young general manager. "I was wrong," Dombrowski responded with tears pouring out of his eyes. "I didn't run the right offense.... I gave up too quickly." Carmelo waited for a minute to process what he'd just heard. He finally had gotten the validation he'd wanted for two years. When the time finally came for him to respond, Melo had just two words for Dombrowski: "No shit."
The two requested that all the media surrounding them leave, and then continued to talk for a few minutes in private. A few days later, the Suns' bid to reacquire the two-time champion fell just short as he was sent to the Toronto Raptors. As the Raptors' struggled out of the gate, Dombrowski knew his time would come to finally reacquire the player he fell in love with as a kid. Every two weeks, he would reach out asking if Carmelo was available for trade discussions. After two months, he finally got the answer he was looking for. As the negotiations went deep into the night, Dombrowski questioned whether or not this move would actually return the Suns to the top of the league. When the Raptors put their final offer on the table, Daulten knew that he had to make it right. A few minutes later, he danced around his room with an unmitigated happiness that woke up all his family members.
The next day, Carmelo was reintroduced as a member of the Phoenix Suns. When asked at the press conference how he felt about reuniting with Dombrowski, Carmelo did not hold back: "This time, we're going to do it Melo's way," he said. "He knows he fucked up." But had he? From the outside looking in, many general managers around the league applauded the move to get rid of Carmelo quickly after acquiring him. In fact, the move was seen as such a one-sided affair that it eventually led to the Spurs' GM resigning from his position (he was not available for comment). The trade ignited a Suns' fanbase that was previously apathetic about Dombrowski's wheeling and dealing. When asked about the Suns' success following his leave in 2016, Carmelo simply held up his right hand to show three rings: two NBA championship rings from his tenure with the Knicks as well as his NCAA championship ring that he won during his one season at Syracuse.
The message was simple: Melo felt as though the franchise couldn't win without him... that Dombrowski reached out to him out of desperation, knowing he was wrong. As the press conference was ending, one more question came in: "What exactly was said outside of MSG over the summer?" Carmelo took the microphone and cleared his breath before revealing what he said to Daulten: "You could not live with your own failure," he said. "And where did that bring you? Back to me."
The Suns won five of their first six games after trading for Carmelo Anthony, but have since lost five of the next seven, including a loss to the lowly Golden State Warriors. When asked for comment on the recent skid, neither Dombrowski nor Anthony were available for comment. Only time will tell whether or not the two can coexist long enough to bring a championship to Phoenix.
But had they? Dombrowski, the equivalent of a gun-slinging quarterback without proper discipline, never made a trade he didn't like. As the trades piled up, jersey companies couldn't keep up with the orders of players who were being shuffled in and out of the locker room. Many questioned whether or not the cold approach to players' personal lives would create an appealing situation to play in, but not Dombrowski. For the young GM, it was all about working his way to one player: Carmelo Anthony. Anthony, the cornerstone of two New York Knicks championship teams, was unavailable in trade conversations for years before their general manager finally found him to be expendable. Anthony made his way to the Timberwolves, and Dombrowski knew this was his chance. Soon after, he struck a deal to send Carmelo to Phoenix. Daulten had finally gotten his man.
Dombrowski's infatuation with Carmelo Anthony began at a young age.
Despite falling in the NBA Finals to a veteran Boston Celtics group, the sun was shining bright in Phoenix. After immediately being paid a hefty sum to take Chris Paul off the Celtics' hands in the off-season, the Suns entered the 2016-17 season as the odds on favorite to win the championship. But something wasn't right in Dombrowski's mind. The mad scientist continued to tinker with a group that many thought would coast to another Finals appearance until it was unrecognizable from the group that captured the hearts of fans just one season ago. The team managed to make its way to the Finals again, but at what cost? Players in the locker room were unsure of their roles, with some upset that they were only left with scraps for minutes in the rotation. There was even an anonymous report of teammates' not knowing each other's names.
For the second year in a row, the Suns failed to capture the NBA championship. But this one felt different. Had Dombrowski gone a step too far? Not only did the run tarnish Dombrowski's reputation among his peers, but it also lowered the trade value of the players who failed to win the championship on such a short notice for Phoenix. The trade-loving GM was forced to enter the next season with largely the same group as they ended the year with for the first time in his tenure. Results to start the season were mixed. While the team started the year with a good record in a depleted Western Conference, it still lacked the spark of the 2016 run. The Suns began to earn the nickname among fans as "The Museum", a slight at how old the average age of the team was. The magic in Phoenix was gone, but how could they possible get it back? Pacing back and forth in his parents' basement, Dombrowski contemplated his next move. What move could he possibly make to kickstart things for a dying franchise? Turns out, he had been plotting it all along.
Many thought Dombrowski was out of his mind for turning to Carmelo in a desperate time.
The two requested that all the media surrounding them leave, and then continued to talk for a few minutes in private. A few days later, the Suns' bid to reacquire the two-time champion fell just short as he was sent to the Toronto Raptors. As the Raptors' struggled out of the gate, Dombrowski knew his time would come to finally reacquire the player he fell in love with as a kid. Every two weeks, he would reach out asking if Carmelo was available for trade discussions. After two months, he finally got the answer he was looking for. As the negotiations went deep into the night, Dombrowski questioned whether or not this move would actually return the Suns to the top of the league. When the Raptors put their final offer on the table, Daulten knew that he had to make it right. A few minutes later, he danced around his room with an unmitigated happiness that woke up all his family members.
The next day, Carmelo was reintroduced as a member of the Phoenix Suns. When asked at the press conference how he felt about reuniting with Dombrowski, Carmelo did not hold back: "This time, we're going to do it Melo's way," he said. "He knows he fucked up." But had he? From the outside looking in, many general managers around the league applauded the move to get rid of Carmelo quickly after acquiring him. In fact, the move was seen as such a one-sided affair that it eventually led to the Spurs' GM resigning from his position (he was not available for comment). The trade ignited a Suns' fanbase that was previously apathetic about Dombrowski's wheeling and dealing. When asked about the Suns' success following his leave in 2016, Carmelo simply held up his right hand to show three rings: two NBA championship rings from his tenure with the Knicks as well as his NCAA championship ring that he won during his one season at Syracuse.
The message was simple: Melo felt as though the franchise couldn't win without him... that Dombrowski reached out to him out of desperation, knowing he was wrong. As the press conference was ending, one more question came in: "What exactly was said outside of MSG over the summer?" Carmelo took the microphone and cleared his breath before revealing what he said to Daulten: "You could not live with your own failure," he said. "And where did that bring you? Back to me."
.....
The Suns won five of their first six games after trading for Carmelo Anthony, but have since lost five of the next seven, including a loss to the lowly Golden State Warriors. When asked for comment on the recent skid, neither Dombrowski nor Anthony were available for comment. Only time will tell whether or not the two can coexist long enough to bring a championship to Phoenix.
