Eric Bledsoe: Spoiled or does he have a point about Phoenix Suns?
Sunday afternoon, Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe took to Twitter and said plenty well under the required 140 character. “I Dont wanna be here”. In his defense, he said he was in a Hair Salon but we know better. A little after that tweet was sent, word got out that head coach Earl Watson was fired three games into the 2017-18 season. Where they do that at?
I Dont wanna be here
— Eric Bledsoe (@EBled2) October 22, 2017
It’s no secret that the Suns and Bledsoe have had a rocky relationship over the last two years. Bledsoe is a great talent but his injuries and the Suns constant losing may have finally been enough to sever this marriage. But’s who’s at fault, the Suns or Bledsoe? In my opinion, neither.
When healthy, Bledsoe has averaged 13 points and five assists over his career but it’s the 2015 & 2016 seasons that fans cling to. In those two years, Bledsoe put up all-star numbers as he averaged 21 points and six assists. However, the Suns still managed to finish with 23 & 24 wins. During his tenure in Phoenix, the Suns never made the playoffs. It got so bad at one point in 2016 that Bledsoe was forced to sit because there was no need to keep playing for a losing team with no hopes of a playoff berth. That was the Suns spin but the truth was that the Suns wanted to focus on players for their future.
This was just last season.
The Suns have stockpiled their backcourt with Devin Booker and Tyler Ulis and placed once prized possession, Brandon Knight out to pasture. Luckily for them, Knight can’t shake the injury bug. Now, Bledsoe is gone but was he wrong? Was Phoenix wrong?
Eric Bledsoe’s explanation for “Dont wanna be here” tweet, per McDonough: He was at a hair salon. “I don’t believe that to be true,” GM said pic.twitter.com/U4vODTUADO
— FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) October 23, 2017
This was coming soon enough. The Suns have tried to get their draft picks right but the team is still missing that cohesiveness that breeds winners. Maybe trading Bledsoe is the best option and trusting in the younger wing players like Josh Jackson will point them in the right direction.
Now, some will look at Bledsoe and think he pulled a Carmelo Anthony (Nuggets) but he didn’t. The Suns forced his hand without them really knowing they did it. It’s like a bad relationship. You know there’s a problem but neither person wants to admit it. Sometimes it takes a subtle sigh or body gesture and the war is on.
Maybe Bledsoe got wind of Watson’s firing, maybe he didn’t. Whatever happened, he still had a few more characters left to make a bolder statement.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
