Suns want high character, not high players

We all make mistakes.

The only difference is most of us aren’t running a professional franchise under the glaring microscope of (right or wrong) public perception.

Phoenix Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough, in essence, bought a house in need of a makeover. The internal structure was ravaged by termites. The paint was peeling. The pipes were leaking. The roof was beyond repair after 25 wins and 57 losses last season.

No one move signifies McDonough’s commitment to “do the right thing” more than exterminating the gigantic cockroach in the corner named Michael Beasley.

For the past four months McDonough has strapped on the gloves and hard hat and went to work on the makeover.

Brick by brick.

Piece by piece.

Players were drafted, traded for and even traded away in a matter of weeks but no one move signifies McDonough’s commitment to “do the right thing” more than exterminating the gigantic cockroach in the corner named Michael Beasley. Time and time again, through transgression after transgression, Beasley has been given new life in his basketball career.

It’s over here in Phoenix.

The club made it official Tuesday afternoon waiving the troubled forward and handing him close to $7 million to merely disappear to the next sewer drain.

Beasley’s problems have been widespread on and off the floor. The breaking point likely came last month when he was pulled over by Scottsdale police for suspicion of marijuana in his vehicle. It was latest in his collection of broken promises to the franchise who signed him to a three-year, $18 million contract in July of last year.

“We have high standards for all of our players,” McDonough said in a written release. “We expect them to represent the team and the community in a positive manner both on and off the court.”

As with most rebuilds there are problems in the project. Floors are uneven. Windows get broken. Supplies run out, putting temporary plans on hold. People lose patience but it’s important to remember the big picture when the plans were put in place.

It’s clear McDonough is doing more than simply re-building the Suns.

Most importantly he’s doing it the right way.