It has been widely reported that the Suns are down to nine candidates in their search to find their fourth coach in four years. In a series of articles, Duane Raskin of AZ Central broke down the varying strengths of three potential first-time NBA head coaches.
Chris Quinn, the associate head coach for the Heat, has been a popular name after a turbulent season in Miami that presented the coaching staff with a wide variety of challenges.
According to Raskin, Quinn was considered an instrumental part of keeping the team together through the ups and downs of the Jimmy Butler trade drama and the transitional state that came from pivoting to a new era. That points to his ability as a developmental coach, with Tyler Herro‘s offensive growth considered a prime example.
Quinn is also considered the “right hand man” of head coach Erik Spoelstra when it comes to in-game adjustments. This is an important detail, considering the Heat are largely considered one of the better teams in the league when it comes to their game plan and execution.
Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney is another candidate. Raskin writes that he’s famous for having a limitless work ethic for himself and demanding the same of his players. A longtime confidant and collaborator with Jason Kidd, he’s described by league sources as “a winner that will hold players accountable.”
Jordan Ott is a Cavaliers assistant coach who is widely viewed as a leading candidate in the job hunt, reports Raskin. This is thanks, in part, to his ties to Suns owner Mat Ishbia via their shared alma mater of Michigan State, where Ott was a video coordinator for five years.
Raskin describes Ott as a grinder with a specialty in player development, thanks in part to his abilities as a teacher of the game through film sessions in which he imparts his understanding of offensive and defensive principles. While the current version of the Suns is a veteran team whose stars may not need much teaching, getting the fringe players on the rotation to become real contributors would help maximize the roster. The Suns have also struggled to create an identity on either side of the ball, so having a tactician running the show could help from an organizational standpoint.
Ott also has a preexisting relationship with Kevin Durant, as Ott was an assistant with the Nets when Durant played there.
Sweeney would be the best hire but Quinn is a close second.
A bunch of guys who won’t command 60 million to sit at home like Vogel and Bud
bet they can’t wait to coach Beal
Do Suns fans even care which guy gets the job?
And why would a relationship with (certain to be traded) KD matter in the slightest?
lol so they don’t have to. Durant wants to contend due to his age; Suns have failed to do so mainly due to how they constructed their roster. Not trading Durant, despite being in no man’s land, is still probably better than being worst in the league when you are small market and owe all your picks to Houston (who traded for them from Brooklyn) to get Durant in the first place. Especially since you won’t get half the return and Booker would automatically ask out afterwards.
A smart move would be to package Booker in a deal while the market is hot for him, can probably force a team to take Beal as a throw in. Then trade a 37-yr old Durant for not nearly what you gave up getting him in the first place.
Then after all that is it asking to much as a Suns fan to rebuild the right way instead of trying to catch lightning in a bottle, because it just don’t work that way in the NBA anymore look at OKC, Minnesota and Houston. I know that is asking a lot from a so far inept owner with his trades and hires that has not impress this Suns fan much so far.
The problem is that the same teams who want Durant and the teams who want booker, so you would need to either get lucky, and have another star from another team not get traded to that small group of teams or delay the booker trade until Durant gets traded. Beal has a no trade clause so doubt he gets traded to a random team as a trade in. The best course of action unfortunately is to try to catch lightning in a bottle. Or, I guess be the Nets, with a rebuilding squad with no picks
Being a Suns fan your right don’t really matter; this owner has a lot to learn about decision making when it comes to a pro team. It will take another 7 to 8 years before the Suns are even mentioned as an outside contender for a title.
Waiving Nassir Little and Liddel to stretch 17 million for many more seasons on the books. Worst transactions of the season