Markieff Morris: Phoenix Suns Employee, Not Prisoner

Prisoners lose any ability to have a say in their life — a judge hands down their sentence and after the appeals process is complete, there are no more decisions to be made. An employee’s contract shouldn’t mimic the same qualities as a prisoner’s sentence, yet some Phoenix Suns fans are treating Markieff Morris that way.

There are two different schools of thought here — one is that Morris signed a contract and he should show up to work and not trash his employer. The other is that he’s signed a contract but just like any other person who wants to better their situation, he has the right to be vocal about his displeasure, as long as he’s fulfilling the terms of his deal.

Those who agree with the former take a stance like this:

Not to put words in Dave’s mouth (check out his words at Bright Side of the Sun), but in what world does a contract mean you’re not allowed to have human emotions? Is Markieff not allowed to be unhappy? Is he not allowed to want to better his situation? The team has every right to voice their displeasure and can put him on the trade block — why can’t he express his feelings on the subject?

Let’s check the coffers to see how much Markieff has been fined for all of his actions this summer — zero dollars. Why? He hasn’t done anything wrong. If he had broken the terms of his contract in any way, he’d have been fined by now.

I often see people try to treat this situation like their own, as if Markieff is a telemarketer over at Century Link:

Being a basketball player is certainly different than a “regular” job, but not to the point where players should turn into robots who clock in, clock out and call it a day. The relationships and egos involved in dealing with professional athletes is delicate. Don’t forget what this whole situation is about — Markieff feels disrespected by the team. Not because his brother was traded, but because he wasn’t given any heads up.

I don’t believe — and I haven’t seen any quote anywhere — that Markieff believes he should have had a say in the trade. He just wanted to be informed (via Keith Pompey, Philadelphia Inquirer):

"“The GM (McDonough), I’ve been there longer than him, the coaches, everybody. I’ve been there the longest, and I don’t get the respect to be like, ‘Yo Keef, we are going to trade your brother. You are our future power forward.’ I’m the future power forward. I’m the premier player of the team. … That’s just how business is done I guess.”"

That’s the reason I’m sticking my neck out for Markieff — because he hasn’t actually broken the terms of his contract…yet. I get his frustration. He gave the organization a helluva deal (in the form of a discounted extension) and he felt like he deserved the professional respect to be given a heads up when his brother was traded. He’s allowed to speak freely. He hasn’t trashed anyone specifically, he hasn’t given away sensitive team information and he hasn’t missed any mandatory workouts or meetings. That’s not to say Markieff is a saint (allegedly).

In reference to the 2015-16 season, Morris delivered even more coarse words to Pompey:

"“One thing for sure, I am not going to be there…If you want to put that out there, you can put that out. I don’t give a [freak]. I am not going to be there at all. That’s just what it is.”"

Tacky? Immature? Completely the wrong way to deal with things? Yes, absolutely and obviously. But, has he done anything wrong? Nope. In fact, he reiterated in that same Philadelphia Inquirer column that he’d be showing up to camp:

"“I’ve got to show up. No question. You can’t do that. I will be a professional. Don’t get me wrong. But it won’t get that far. … I’m going to be out before then, should be.”"

Markieff took to Twitter yesterday to make sure people know of his intentions, or perhaps to further press the issue with the Suns:

It’s been almost a year since Markieff Morris signed his contract extension — a four-year deal at $8 million annually — and at the time, it seemed like Markieff and his twin brother Marcus would be with the organization for the next half-decade. Instead, Marcus has been traded and Markieff won’t speak to the team.

The Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro believes that time will heal these wounds and the Suns’ front office reticence seems to echo that sentiment — GM Ryan McDonough has yet to address the situation.

At the end of the day, those holding pitchforks on social media are right about one thing — Markieff is an employee with a contract. That doesn’t mean he loses the right to basic human emotion and the ability to express it.

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