ducks
04-22-2005, 10:26 AM
All season long, Sarver has waved his purple foam "No. 1" finger vigorously and delighted fans with his unbridled courtside excitement and out-of-the-blue stunts. Yet the rookie owner's behavior at times has raised eyebrows within the Suns organization and the league.
An episode in America West Arena last month against San Antonio, when Sarver clucked like a chicken to mock the Spurs for resting two top players, upset National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern and prompted apologies and assurances that such a display would not occur again.
"At times, I think I'm a fan first and an owner second," said Sarver, whose Suns have secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, which begin Sunday against Memphis. "And I shouldn't be that way. I probably need to remember I'm the owner all the time. But sometimes when I'm out there, and I'm cheering for the team, I don't think of myself as the owner."
As Sarver has become a fixture with the team, attending nearly every home and road game, he has become linked with Mark Cuban and others in a new group of younger NBA owners whose style is more frat house than country club.
...Sarver, 43, said his actions against San Antonio were a mistake. As for the Rockies, Sarver said that he repeatedly warned the players to tone it down before kicking them out. He said that the dispute with the security guards was a personnel issue and that both men are still on his payroll. "Part of it is an adjustment," said Sarver, chairman and chief executive officer of Western Alliance Bancorporation, a holding company with banks in Arizona, Nevada and California. "It's new. So, it's a different situation and sometimes you think of things differently."
Arthur Marshall, a Western Alliance director and longtime friend of the Sarver family, said he is not surprised Sarver has moved into the spotlight.
"Robert has always been an outgoing person. He jumps into things with a lot of enthusiasm," Marshall said. "We see it at the bank with his management style. He's a doer and a go-getter."
the paper (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0422sarver22.html)
An episode in America West Arena last month against San Antonio, when Sarver clucked like a chicken to mock the Spurs for resting two top players, upset National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern and prompted apologies and assurances that such a display would not occur again.
"At times, I think I'm a fan first and an owner second," said Sarver, whose Suns have secured home-court advantage throughout the playoffs, which begin Sunday against Memphis. "And I shouldn't be that way. I probably need to remember I'm the owner all the time. But sometimes when I'm out there, and I'm cheering for the team, I don't think of myself as the owner."
As Sarver has become a fixture with the team, attending nearly every home and road game, he has become linked with Mark Cuban and others in a new group of younger NBA owners whose style is more frat house than country club.
...Sarver, 43, said his actions against San Antonio were a mistake. As for the Rockies, Sarver said that he repeatedly warned the players to tone it down before kicking them out. He said that the dispute with the security guards was a personnel issue and that both men are still on his payroll. "Part of it is an adjustment," said Sarver, chairman and chief executive officer of Western Alliance Bancorporation, a holding company with banks in Arizona, Nevada and California. "It's new. So, it's a different situation and sometimes you think of things differently."
Arthur Marshall, a Western Alliance director and longtime friend of the Sarver family, said he is not surprised Sarver has moved into the spotlight.
"Robert has always been an outgoing person. He jumps into things with a lot of enthusiasm," Marshall said. "We see it at the bank with his management style. He's a doer and a go-getter."
the paper (http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/0422sarver22.html)