Do We Owe Steve Kerr An Apology?

Originally posted on Phoenix.Fanster.com

Steve Kerr’s drafting ability has been the butt of Suns’ fans jokes for the better part of three years. Even I, your humble Sports Reporter, wasn’t above dropping the occasional satirical reference at the Suns’ general manager’s expense.

I’m here to say I’m sorry (Don’t tell my wife, she doesn’t think that word is part of my vocabulary).

Sure, Steve Kerr traded the rights to Rudy Fernandez and selected Alando Tucker and D.J. Strawberry—two guys who appeared more times in Suns.com videos than on an NBA court–in his first attempt at an the NBA Draft, but that’s OK.

Kerr had only been on the job officially twenty-two days before the Suns were on the clock. Even Conan O’Brien thinks that’s a short amount of time to be in a new job.

I mean honestly, if you were to judge me on some of the things I wrote my first month as a blogger you’d have thought I was a product of special ed classes at the worst public school in the country.

You could have opened a box of Alphabets cereal, spilled it on the floor and had a better written and constructed sports take than what I wrote in the early days. I’m sure some of you still have that viewpoint of me to this day. Please keep it to yourself, I’m fragile.

Blaming Kerr for selling draft picks isn’t fair either. It would be like blaming the bank teller for the overdraft fee you were charged. It’s not the tellers fault because the bank forced him to charge you.

Sarver wanted to save money and avoid the luxury tax more than he wanted young talent.

His second draft, Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic, was more scrutinized than the first.

Although Lopez and Dragic were disappointing during their rookie campaigns, so was most of the Suns’ roster. There was the drama of the hiring and firing of Terry Porter and the distraction of Shaquille O’Neal. Amidst all that, both were played about as frequently as a CD of Barry Manilow greatest hits at a senior prom last year.

This year has been a different story. Shaq is gone, Alvin Gentry has settled in and both picks are beginning to flourish with extended playing time. Dragic is averaging 7.5 points and 2.3 assists a game and Lopez has come alive in the last four games.

In reality, Kerr’s biggest crime was the fact that he over hyped his draft picks rather than letting them naturally progress. Yet another faux pas that first time general managers, or anyone excited about a new acquisition, makes.

Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic aren’t Kareem Abdul Jabbar and Magic Johnson yet, heck they have barely reached the Oliver Miller and Elliot Perry stage. They have, however, shown the kind of potential and promise to justify Kerr selecting and praising them.

So, Steve Kerr I’m sorry for ever insinuating you had more failed drafts than a creative writing student (although I still don’t forgive you for being a Bull or Spur).

PS. If Robin Lopez keeps it, I might have to apologize for all the mop and Side Show Bob references.