Choose The Suns Next Head Coach?

[Mainstreet]

Majerle should get a phone call or an interview because of the way the Suns hired Lindsey Hunter.

It's time the Suns should show some integrity in the hiring process and correct past mistakes. Passing over Majerle and perhaps others for the interim head coaching position without an interview was a huge mistake.

Here are some comments from a USA article dated 1-23-13.

Majerle said he believes the interview process to replace former head coach Alvin Gentry was a charade because he thinks General Manager Lance Blanks already had settled on Hunter over the assistant coaches.

"It's been a hard pill to swallow," Majerle said. "The first thing that disappoints me is usually in a situation like this, the interim gets the jobs and that is Elston (Turner) with his 14 years of experience. Once he didn't get it, I thought I deserved it. The thing I keep hearing management say on the radio is that hiring me would've been the popular and easy thing to do. I earned it. I deserved a shot if it's not going to be Elston. I coached 5 ½ years. I coached the summer leagues. I didn't need a favor. Picking Elston would've been the easy thing to do."

"They talk about integrity," Majerle said. "To skip over two qualified people didn't make sense. They chose Lindsey, a guy not even on the coaching staff and who they told us was only there to help us. I think they had their minds made up already before the interviews. I was going to lay low and not comment but I heard people from the organization get on the radio and say I would've been the popular and easy thing to do and that's a slap in the face."

Call it a make-up call if you like for Lance Blanks.

I seriously doubt Majerle would even interview for the Suns head coaching vacancy but McDonough should give him the courtesy of a phone call.

Majerle is smart enough to know the Suns are unlikely to hire him.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...le-phoenix-suns-coach-lindsey-hunter/1860049/

 

[Phrazbit]

I think it's more insulting to interview someone for PR only, and if it's not for PR then it is really concerning.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think it's more insulting to interview someone for PR only, and if it's not for PR then it is really concerning.

Totally agree. Bringing Majerle in for a “courtesy make-up” interview if the team has zero real interest to sign him is an awful idea and bad business. Wasting someone’s time is never looked upon kindly.

 

[Chaplin]

Seriously? It is probably the most obvious coaching interview they could announce and now that it is announced you all act like it’s the end of the world.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Seriously? It is probably the most obvious coaching interview they could announce and now that it is announced you all act like it’s the end of the world.

Who’s acting like it’s the end of the world?

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Right, exactly. It's provincial and silly. If Majerle isn't really a candidate, it's a waste of everyone's time, and if he is, they're idiots.

Why are they idiots if he is a candidate? We have no idea at this point what they actually have to chose from. Majerle could very well be one of top 5-10 candidates that they have a shot at getting.

 

[Ronin]

Marjele turned us down? Hallelujah!
Glad we dodged that bullet

 

[Western Font]

I think it's more insulting to interview someone for PR only, and if it's not for PR then it is really concerning.

Agree. If somehow they KNOW he’ll decline and take some pride in it, I guess they could for his sake. But really? He resigned before Blanks was fired; McD came in and Hornacek was hired. I hope the franchise mends fences with Thunder Dan, and he can be angry with Sarver (get in line), but McD didn’t keep Hunter -
do we think he would have kept Majerle and not brought in someone new? I don’t.

 

[BC867]

Marjele turned us down? Hallelujah!
Glad we dodged that bullet

What bullet did we dodge? You make it sound like inviting Dan to interview is a commitment to hire.

Our interim Head Coach is being invited to interview, despite having decided that he didn't want the miscellaneous responsibilities of permanent Head Coach.

I see it as public relations, if nothing else.

 

[Mainstreet]

Dan Majerle shows some class. While the Suns move on from coach to coach he chooses to remain loyal to GCU and their goals.

"(General Manager) Ryan (McDonough) reached out and asked to meet, but I told him that I was going to stay at Grand Canyon," Majerle said. "I'm not ruling it out in the future. But there are still things I want to do here."

"Mr. Colangelo has given his blessing to me to do what I want to do," Majerle said. "I appreciate the Suns reaching out. I'm a loyal guy. I'm just in tune to what I'm doing here. I feel there are a lot more things I still want to do here."

https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo...own-phoenix-suns-interview-request/513393002/

 

[Mainstreet]

Marjele turned us down? Hallelujah!
Glad we dodged that bullet

It's more likely Majerle dodged the bullet. The Suns treated Majerle very unfairly when the Suns did not give him the opportunity to be the interim coach. We know how this turned out.

 

[StreetTruckinTitan]

Dont be surprised after this dog and pony show they end up with who they wanted all along. Triano. Its the Suns way.

 

[unseenaz]

Dont be surprised after this dog and pony show they end up with who they wanted all along. Triano. Its the Suns way.

majerle was on 98.7 this AM talking about the McD putting in a call to him to gauge his interest, and he said he was flattered. (so much for it being a bad look narrative, huh cheese?) anyways, dan was raving about triano, said he stopped into his office to chat and was impressed.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Why is it always that opinions on such events are so jaded? McD has been rebuilding relationship with Dan Majerle. He asked him to be one of the coaches interviewed. BTW, its not like local radio people are saying. He was not offered the job. He was asked to interview, like others are being interviewed. I assume that they considered him a viable candidate, although maybe not the top candidate. Dan said he is not ready for that move, and he is right. He needs to do more as a head coach first.

 

[AzStevenCal]

majerle was on 98.7 this AM talking about the McD putting in a call to him to gauge his interest, and he said he was flattered. (so much for it being a bad look narrative, huh cheese?) anyways, dan was raving about triano, said he stopped into his office to chat and was impressed.

I hope that isn't Majerle being a loyal former employee trying to help the front office garner fan support for Triano. I'm not positive he'll be a bad permanent hire as the off season is so important to building a team. But I certainly won't be excited about it. I still am very leery of hiring a head coach that just 9 months ago had no interest in ever holding that position again.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I hope that isn't Majerle being a loyal former employee trying to help the front office garner fan support for Triano. I'm not positive he'll be a bad permanent hire as the off season is so important to building a team. But I certainly won't be excited about it. I still am very leery of hiring a head coach that just 9 months ago had no interest in ever holding that position again.

I have a hunch our choice will be Triano. Because he will be the best option of the choices available. I won't be excited about it either. The defense is so horrible. But Houston is proving that defense is more about the players you have than the coach you have.

 

[unseenaz]

I hope that isn't Majerle being a loyal former employee trying to help the front office garner fan support for Triano. I'm not positive he'll be a bad permanent hire as the off season is so important to building a team. But I certainly won't be excited about it. I still am very leery of hiring a head coach that just 9 months ago had no interest in ever holding that position again.

that's the way i took it. now obviously dan wouldn't admit to that, but the way he complimented McD up and down then was all on the Triano train that thought crossed my mind for sure.

 

[Cheesebeef]

majerle was on 98.7 this AM talking about the McD putting in a call to him to gauge his interest, and he said he was flattered. (so much for it being a bad look narrative, huh cheese?) anyways, dan was raving about triano, said he stopped into his office to chat and was impressed.

You’re twisting words. I never said simply reaching out to Majerle was a bad look narrative. I said it would look bad if they actually had no interest in him and were doing this for show.

There’s no evidence that’s what happened here.

 

[Chaplin]

I have a hunch our choice will be Triano. Because he will be the best option of the choices available. I won't be excited about it either. The defense is so horrible. But Houston is proving that defense is more about the players you have than the coach you have.

How can anyone have this opinion? We had 2 40-point losses and we fired Watson. We had another 2 40-point losses and Triano gets a free pass. Stellar job, Jay!

 

[AzStevenCal]

How can anyone have this opinion? We had 2 40-point losses and we fired Watson. We had another 2 40-point losses and Triano gets a free pass. Stellar job, Jay!

I don't see anyone here raving about the job he did.

BTW, Watson led us to two 40 point blowouts out of the three games he coached. Triano, without Booker or Bledsoe, led us to two similar blowouts over a 79 game stretch. Bit of a difference, IMO. Both performances suck but there are significantly different levels of suckage involved here.

 

[Chaplin]

I don't see anyone here raving about the job he did.

BTW, Watson led us to two 40 point blowouts out of the three games he coached. Triano, without Booker or Bledsoe, led us to two similar blowouts over a 79 game stretch. Bit of a difference, IMO. Both performances suck but there are significantly different levels of suckage involved here.

No, not a difference because Watson did coach, you know, the ENTIRE year before.

Please, explain these different levels of sucking. Considering we just finished the worst year in our history with players that have not progressed in their development. Triano had 79 games to do that, and we saw NOTHING to prove he made a bit of difference.

 

[AzStevenCal]

No, not a difference because Watson did coach, you know, the ENTIRE year before.

Please, explain these different levels of sucking. Considering we just finished the worst year in our history with players that have not progressed in their development. Triano had 79 games to do that, and we saw NOTHING to prove he made a bit of difference.

Say what? I'm not a Triano fan but most development coaching occurs in the offseason and preseason. I've seen nothing from him that impresses me but Chriss, Bender and Jackson all showed late season improvement. Plus he coached all of the season minus the guy we expected to run the offense and a good part of the season with Booker either absent or playing hurt.

The only reason I hold even the slightest hope that he might be a good coach for us is that Steve Nash thinks highly of him. He's not the Coach I want but I don't think it's carved in stone that he can't be the right guy for us.

 

[Chaplin]

Say what? I'm not a Triano fan but most development coaching occurs in the offseason and preseason. I've seen nothing from him that impresses me but Chriss, Bender and Jackson all showed late season improvement. Plus he coached all of the season minus the guy we expected to run the offense and a good part of the season with Booker either absent or playing hurt.

The only reason I hold even the slightest hope that he might be a good coach for us is that Steve Nash thinks highly of him. He's not the Coach I want but I don't think it's carved in stone that he can't be the right guy for us.

Chriss' only improvement was actually getting back to what he was for the last 6 games of the season. What about the previous 73 games under Triano? Bender--come on, how much improvement did you really see? His stats went up very little, and only when guys like TJ Warren and Booker were out. And Jackson? Granted, he definitely improved--but he improved to what we originally envisioned when he was drafted, he certainly hasn't over-performed.

Triano has some skill in in-game situations, but he is an awful out-of-game coach and motivator. I'm glad Steve Nash thinks highly of him. Doesn't mean he should be our head coach. Steve Nash might think Espo is a great guy, doesn't mean he should be the head of Suns marketing.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I really have to agree with Chaplin. I don't mind the losses, I mind the lack of development I saw in Chriss and Bender. I would be seriously underwhelmed if it is Triano next year.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Its a players league. Just get a half ass coach and the players can win by them selves. You go out and get a entertaining one that lights up the after game interviews and referees during games. I don't want a good coach that is boring as hell like the one Charlotte just fired.