Suns owner apologizes to fans for absent Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs have curiously played Tim Duncan and Tony Parker some heavy minutes during this preseason. With Spurs' coach Gregg Popovich notorious for fun sideline interviews and resting starters even in the face of nationally televised games, it's been surprising that we've seen 30-plus minute games from some of the Spurs' stars in meaningless games.

In a trip to Phoenix to face the Phoenix Suns, Popovich stayed at home because he's "ailing." Duncan and Parker also stayed behind while Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills, and Tiago Splitter all sat out with various injuries and ailments. Considering it was a preseason game, it shouldn't be a big deal all of these players sat out and the coach didn't show up, right? It's a big deal to Suns' owner Robert Sarver.

With 2:31 left in the fourth quarter of the Suns' blowout victory, timeout was called and Sarver walked over to the PA announcer to get on the microphone. He apologized to the crowd because their hard earned money shouldn't have paid for such a lopsided affair. They paid money to see Spurs' preseason basketball and didn't get their money's worth in Sarver's eyes. He told the crowd he had a gift for them if they mailed in their game tickets to the team.

Of course, he asked that they include a return envelope. There's also no word yet on whether or not he apologized for selling off first round picks in a cost-cutting move that also avoided bolstering a great, fun Suns' team, which was so close to competing for an NBA title for years right after he purchased the team. Let's hope the gift he's giving out is a Suns' mousepad.

Topics: Kawhi Leonard, Patty Mills, Tiago Splitter, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, NBA

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Tristan Thompson kisses Cavaliers sideline reporter (VIDEO)

Everything that happens with the Cavaliers will be magnified this season, thanks to LeBron James and Kevin Love joining a team that will now be expected to be one of the leading contenders for this year’s title.

That means potentially innocuous incidents — like the one that occurred between Tristan Thompson and a sideline reporter — will be heavily scrutinized.

In an odd on-camera interview, Thompson behaves strangely before planting a kiss on the reporter. It didn’t seem to be planned, though it didn’t seem to offend, either.

Players often have friendly relationships with media members who are around the team on a regular basis, and this may have simply been an extension of that. At first glance, this appears to have been harmless, and nothing more than an awkward one-sided exchange.