Suns Teammates Want Marion To Stay

Steve Nash last talked to Shawn Marion in July, after trade rumors had “The Matrix” heading to Boston in a Kevin Garnett deal.

Coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to Marion in early September, about the time the Suns and Utah Jazz are known to have had at least cursory discussions involving a possible Marion for Andrei Kirilenko deal.

Bell called Marion Tuesday; the same day Marion went public with a request that he be traded from the Suns — preferably to the rival Lakers, where he can join forces with Kobe Bryant.

All three report speaking with a frustrated star player — who is tired of being offered around the NBA and upset that the Suns won’t bend on his demand for a three-year contract extension that would cost Phoenix in the neighborhood of $60 million and extend to the year 2012 — when Marion will be 35 years old.

But Nash, D’Antoni and Bell all held out hope that ruffled feathers can be smoothed over the next few days — and that Marion will show up at US Airways Center for Monday’s media day ready to resume the team’s quest for an elusive NBA title.

“It’s sad to hear he wants to go,” Nash said after Wednesday’s workout with his teammates on the Suns’ practice court. “We have a great team; we’re very close to winning a championship and we want everyone on board.

“All his teammates love him. Apparently he wants to be traded, but if he wants to come back, he’s got a bunch of guys who want him to be part of this. We have one goal, and when we get together (Monday) that will be the focus — not what’s happened or what’s been said in the papers.”

D’Antoni said Marion’s public request to leave the Suns didn’t come as a surprise, since he had already made his wishes clear to management long before he shared them with SportingNews.com on Tuesday.

click for more details

source : eastvalleytribune.com