Coro: Porter likely gone by Monday

[PetryJr]

I know this has been talked about in several threads, but now it's coming from Paul Coro, so I thought it deserved its own thread.

Porter likely gone by Monday

There are strong indications that the Suns will have a new head coach leading them at Monday morning's practice.

Although no final decision has been made, the apparent plan is for Suns management to fire Terry Porter - who in his first season has led the Suns to a 28-23 record and ninth place in the Western Conference standings - on Monday.

Because of financial concerns, the replacement probably would come from the staff. Lead assistant Alvin Gentry would be the likely successor, not General Manager Steve Kerr, as has been reported.

Gentry and assistant Bill Cartwright have previous head-coaching experience, but Gentry has been with Phoenix since 2004.

Porter has had two shots at his 100th career coaching victory, but the Suns lost both games by 17 points to finish a 6-10 stretch entering the All-Star break. Their past six losses have come by double digits.

He signed a three-year contract to be the Suns' coach in June, but the third year is not guaranteed. The Suns would eat about $2 million of Porter's salary by firing him. He was the only experienced head coach among the finalists for the job, which was vacated in the off-season by Mike D'Antoni.

The timing seems ideal for a new coach, with the Suns facing the Los Angeles Clippers (13-40) on Tuesday and Wednesday and Oklahoma City (13-40) on Friday.

There has been speculation that a big change would be coming in the form of a trade involving forward Amaré Stoudemire. Chicago, Houston and Cleveland have been considered the likely trading partners, but a deal with Portland for guard Jerryd Bayless, a first-round draft pick and Raef LaFrentz's expiring, insurance-protected contract has been considered.

Any trade also would not happen until Monday, as the NBA does not want the Suns to act during All-Star weekend in its city.

The Suns' decreasing faith in Porter recently became apparent when Managing Partner Robert Sarver and Kerr took unscheduled cross-country flights to Atlanta to hold meetings with players without Porter, a sign that they did not think the coach was reaching the players.

Porter got off to a bad start with many players during training camp, when his no-nonsense approach, basic drills and changes in philosophy ruffled some, especially veterans.

The players had asked for more of a defensive emphasis and accountability after last season's first-round playoff exit under D'Antoni. However, they did not buy in to Porter's program from the beginning. The team is loaded with subpar defensive players and has not improved in that area, and Kerr said that is his biggest disappointment this season.

Porter's attempt to put in a Detroit Pistons-type offense was abandoned after an 11-9 start. He allowed point guard Steve Nash to have more control of the ball and push the tempo more, although he still wanted center Shaquille O'Neal to regularly have post-up opportunities. Nash and teammates pitched their cases in public that the team was built to run, and they got their wishes.

The Suns won more in December, but Porter did not win their respect.

Guard Raja Bell resisted Porter's ways and forward Boris Diaw was unhappy with his new role. Their attitudes led to the Suns trading them Dec. 12 to Charlotte for guard Jason Richardson. The Suns won nine of their next 12 games but lost twice at the buzzer on defensive mix-ups.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2009/02/14/20090214porter0215.html

 

[carey]

No on the Portland trade without LMA. I love Bayless and see him being an Arenas type talent, but you don't trade Amare for that unless they have a top 5 pick in this coming draft (I don't think they do.)

 

[AceP]

A long boring article without anything new. A boring journalist tried to fill his column in a boring holiday. Damn, I hope I never spent a second reading it.

 

[Mainstreet]

Gentry coaching Shaq in a running game does not seem to fit the Suns present personnel. Maybe the Suns are considering trading both Shaq and Amare.

 

[PetryJr]

A long boring article without anything new. A boring journalist tried to fill his column in a boring holiday. Damn, I hope I never spent a second reading it.

Uh, this is actually the first piece of information about Porter's likely firing coming from an OFFICIAL source, the beat writer of the Suns. If you think it's boring, fine, the article really doesn't add anything we hadn't heard before. But the little information it does bring can actually be trusted, unlike all the speculation we've been hearing over the last week.

Also, I think the thing about Gentry taking over (and not Kerr) is pretty important.

 

[Mainstreet]

It's from Paul Coro, which adds legitimacy. He is as near an insider on the Suns as one is going to find.

 

[Skkorpion]

Does any of this matter? The team has been destroyed. We are left with a few ageing stars and a self-centered forward in his prime who is regressing and lazy.

Mediocrity starts at the top. To me that means Steve Kerr.

 

[AceP]

No matter who is the writer, this whole long article is all junk. No source, no quote, all personal opinion, nothing to back the claim by the title. Competely wasiting my time reading it.

 

[SunsTzu]

Mediocrity starts at the top. To me that means Steve Kerr.

To me that means Sarver.

 

[carey]

No matter who is the writer, this whole long article is all junk. No source, no quote, all personal opinion, nothing to back the claim by the title. Competely wasiting my time reading it.

Exactly how i feel about most of your posts.

 

[Mainstreet]

No matter who is the writer, this whole long article is all junk. No source, no quote, all personal opinion, nothing to back the claim by the title. Competely wasiting my time reading it.

The writer is everything. I can't remember when or where Coro did not have a firm grip on the Suns pulse. Actually I think the Suns feed Coro information for public consumption. He lays the groundwork for the Suns. Of course there will not be any forthcoming quotes until at least Monday after the ASG.

 

[slinslin]

There are a few big names available like Saunders and Van Gundy, unfortunately we will go the cheapest way.

 

[AceP]

Exactly how i feel about most of your posts.

Thx. I'll post less, though I don't think I posted much. Thanks a lot anyway.

 

[Mainstreet]

Also there is an article from the East Valley Tribune written by Scott Bordow dated 2-14-09 which says a lot by not saying a lot.

Terry Porter's days as Suns coach appear to be numbered. Reached Saturday night, general manager Steve Kerr did not shoot down reports that Porter would be fired on Monday.

Kerr also clarified a comment he made Friday morning, when he labeled as "totally false," a New York Post story saying Porter would be fired.

"I was asked if I would be the coach," Kerr said. "That's totally false."

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/135517

 

[PetryJr]

No matter who is the writer, this whole long article is all junk. No source, no quote, all personal opinion, nothing to back the claim by the title. Competely wasiting my time reading it.

You couldn't be more wrong. If Coro is writing that, it's definitely NOT just opinion. But whatever, suit yourself.

 

[AceP]

You couldn't be more wrong. If Coro is writing that, it's definitely NOT just opinion. But whatever, suit yourself.

I have absolutely no problem with that claim, nor any disrespect to Coro. I actually expected this article to be more juicy because of Coro. It is probably why I feel so pissed off after reading it. There has been too much rumor, let's hope something real happens.

 

[NYCCavsFan]

ESPN seems to also be running with a story on this. Not sure if it was posted already, so apologies if it has.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=3906621

They mention the Arizona Republic story, but figured everyone might want to see it from a larger media outlet...even if it is ESPN

 

[Skkorpion]

To me that means Sarver.

Sarver has screwed up a lot. I never beat up much on owners because they can't be fired. Some get better once they learn. Some, like Donald Sterling, never improve.

 

[Andrew]

ESPN picked it up...

Porter's job status in question

Comment Email Print Share
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
Archive
Amare Stoudemire is not the only prominent employee of the Phoenix Suns facing an uncertain future.
The future of Suns coach Terry Porter appears to be even shakier.

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Porter
Throughout this uncomfortable weekend for the beleaguered hosts of the NBA All-Star Game, Porter has been subjected to non-stop speculation about his imminent dismissal, amid a growing belief around the league that Porter will no longer be coaching the team when the Suns reconvene Monday to prepare for the final 31 games of his first season.

The Arizona Republic is the latest news outlet to feed that belief, reporting in a story posted on its Web site Saturday night that "there are strong indications that the Suns will have a new head coach leading them at Monday morning's practice."
Suns owner Robert Sarver insisted otherwise in a Friday e-mail to ESPN.com, saying: "We have not made that decision."
Sarver, though, stopped short of guaranteeing Porter's safety, adding that "obviously we need to improve and are evaluating everything." He could not be immediately reached Saturday for further comment.
NBA front-office sources say that the Suns' team-wide evaluation still includes the possible trading of Stoudemire or Shaquille O'Neal before Thursday's deadline and indeed extends to Porter, even though he's barely halfway through his debut season as Mike D'Antoni's replacement. Sarver and Porter were spotted meeting Friday morning at a Phoenix hotel.
With the Suns engulfed by turmoil and mired at 28-23 after a 6-10 slide leading into the break, leaving them ninth in an eight-team playoff race in the West, one source describes Porter's firing before season's end as "probable."
Sources indicate that assistant coach Alvin Gentry -- who has been a head coach three times previously (Heat, Pistons and Clippers) and ranks as a holdover from the D'Antoni era well-liked by Suns players -- is almost certain to take over for Porter should the Suns elect to make an in-season change.
Porter, however, is in the first year of a three-year contract believed to be worth roughly $7 million. For a team looking to cut costs -- which is one of the biggest reasons Stoudemire has been made available in advance of the trade deadline -- firing Porter with more than two guaranteed years left on his deal might prove to be too expensive for the Suns.
The Arizona Republic, in a story posted on its Web site Friday, quoted Porter as saying: "Robert and [team president Steve Kerr] have not talked to me about it. Robert and Steve have not talked to me about losing my position. I don't worry about things I have no control over."
Said Stoudemire during Friday's All-Star media session: "I don't know what's going on. We all are kind of not sure what's going on. I don't know how it's going to play out, man."
As for being traded, Stoudemire said he still believes that it's "60-40" that he'll remain a Sun.
"There's a lot of rumors about Chicago, a lot of rumors about Cleveland, Miami," he said. "I think any situation, any team that I go to, I bring a lot to the table. ... [But] if my last home game is as an All-Star starter here, that would be a great way to go out."
With Steve Nash as D'Antoni's coach on the floor and the modern game's answer to the Los Angeles Lakers' old "Showtime" offense, Phoenix averaged 58 wins over a four-season stretch to arguably become the league's most popular team. When the run ended last spring with an emotional first-round loss to San Antonio, Porter was Kerr's hand-picked choice to take over after they had played together with the Spurs from 1999-2001.
But locker room resistance to Porter's offensive philosophies and practice methods has been tangible since training camp, even though numerous Suns players said after D'Antoni's departure that they were ready for a greater emphasis on defense. Two of the unhappier Suns were traded away in December -- Raja Bell and Boris Diaw shipped to Charlotte in a deal for Jason Richardson -- but Phoenix has continued to be wildly inconsistent despite Porter's gradual willingness to put the ball back in Nash's hands.
The Suns swung a blockbuster deal for Shaquille O'Neal on Feb. 6, 2008, in part because of their long-standing struggles to placate both Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. Yet that has only led to new tensions this season, with Porter often running his offense through O'Neal. Finding room at the offensive end for both O'Neal and Stoudemire has proven tougher than any of the Suns' former challenges, with the defense and versatility Marion used to give them having been subtracted.
Veteran NBA columnist Peter Vecsey reported in Friday's New York Post that Kerr will take over as coach for Porter, but sources with knowledge of the Suns' thinking dismissed that scenario emphatically.
"That's an erroneous rumor," Sarver told the Republic.
If the Suns do make a coaching change, it would be the league's eighth since the season started, one shy of tying the league's single-season record of nine in the 2004-05 season. Memphis fired Marc Iavaroni on Jan. 22 and the first six firings were all before Dec. 25: Oklahoma City's P.J. Carlesimo on Nov. 22, Washington's Eddie Jordan on Nov. 24, Toronto's Sam Mitchell on Dec. 3, Minnesota's Randy Wittman on Dec. 8, Philadelphia's Maurice Cheeks on Dec. 13 and Sacramento's Reggie Theus on Dec. 15.
The Suns were one of eight teams -- along with Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Milwaukee and New York -- that made an offseason coaching change.
"I know for a fact that if things don't go right, there's three guys that'll get blamed: [Kerr] one, me two and Terry three," O'Neal told reporters during Friday's media session.
"It's kind of unfair for Terry. He came in with his system, and a lot of guys here are not really used to the system. But I like Terry. He's a knowledgeable guy. He played the game. It's always the players' job to go out and get it done."
Regarding the likelihood that he'll be traded again before Thursday's deadline, O'Neal said: "I'd love to stay here. [Kerr has] been good to me. The training staff has rejuvenated my career. But I'm not in control."

 

[Andrew]

I still think if a change is done, this should be it. I mean we just don't have the roster for Porter's system or so it seems right now...

 

[mojorizen7]

I would consider it a done deal by Monday morning. Not sure when this article broke(6PM ish?) the SUNS have had plenty of time and plenty of media outlets to shoot down this saga over the last couple of days(and hours) & yet they haven't to my knowledge.

 

[AceP]

Let's worry about who is the new coach. Jeff Van Gandy or Sanders? Or a cheap guy? ...

 

[carey]

It's going to be Gentry.

 

[mojorizen7]

It's going to be Gentry.

I agree. The FO will prob just re-evaluate the HC position in the off-season.
I have no problem with Gentry,although i wish that former asst. Iavaroni was still here so that he could get a shot.

 

[Andrew]

The players really respect Gentry though, so he is the logical choice. I heard on Sports Center, they didn't want Kerr to go out of the circle to get a new coach this past off season, they wanted Gentry.