Frank's Status...

[fordronken]

According to the great Jared Jeffries promoter.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=4385

Paul (Tucson, AZ): Hi DA, It is hard and sad to see someone get fired, but if both Doc and Cartwright were shown the door; how come Frank Johnson of the Suns still have a job? They are, talentwise, way better than 6-7! Besides, I have seen 4 games in person so far this season, they just don't execute well in special situations. One more thing, why don't they play Penny more? He can still play. Thanks.

David Aldridge: (2:30 PM ET ) The Suns are adamant--and I talked with them again yesterday--that Frank is their coach. They lay their slow start off to injuries and the like. But that was before they got waxed by Denver.

 

[Chaplin]

Which injuries is he speaking of? Jahidi's one-game injury? Scott Williams? All our major player--in fact, our top 7 or 8 players have been healthy all season. ESPN's own power rankings talked about how healthy we are! (or were)

 

[jbeecham]

Well, they could be talking about Amare's toe surgery that caused him to not practice much of the offseason. Or Marbury's double ankle surgey. Or Zarko's hernia surgery.

It still doesn't make sense because Amare & Marbury have played fairly well this season and Zarko is a rookie. Having Scott Williams out for the first 8 games wasn't that big of a loss. Sounds like the Colangelo's are making excuses.

 

[scotsman13]

zarko has missed all of pre-season, barbosa has had to go back to brazil to see his father, scott williams missed all of pre-season, penny had his head removed just after he signed with the suns, white had a pin put into his pinky last monday and should have been on the ir for a while but they are playing him and limiting his minute. so yea i guess that you could say we have had a some injuries and players missing important times.

 

[fordronken]

Originally posted by scotsman13
zarko has missed all of pre-season, barbosa has had to go back to brazil to see his father, scott williams missed all of pre-season, penny had his head removed just after he signed with the suns, white had a pin put into his pinky last monday and should have been on the ir for a while but they are playing him and limiting his minute. so yea i guess that you could say we have had a some injuries and players missing important times.

You're right, a good coach wouldn't be able to get his team past that.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Originally posted by scotsman13
penny had his head removed just after he signed with the suns

I like how that was slid in there

 

[Joe Mama]

Damn! Damn! Damn!

I really did suspect this was the case, but I was hoping I was wrong. I think the Phoenix Suns would have to completely fall apart for Frank Johnson to get fired.

Joe Mama

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
Damn! Damn! Damn!

I really did suspect this was the case, but I was hoping I was wrong. I think the Phoenix Suns would have to completely fall apart for Frank Johnson to get fired.

Joe Mama

A couple more games like last night and I think they would qualify.

 

[az1965]

When would the Collengelo's stop screwing around with coaching experiments? We have wasted a decade on such experiments.

Paul Westphaul
Danny Ainge
Scott Skiles
Frank Johnson

All above not good coaches and had no coaching experience before Suns. Paul Westphaul's early successful tenure was more because of Barkley and strong team then Paul himself. He was clearly outcoached on several occasions including the 1993 finals by the Zen master. Frank Johnson is not the man to take this team to the promised land, I'm sorry. This is a good yound growing team and we need a good coach (don't know who) to develop these guys and to make this an elite team.

 

[George O'Brien]

Frank Johnson looked like a genius against the Mavs, who shot 25% for 3 pointers. He looked like an idiot 24 hours earlier.

I am not sure what to make of it. When I look at what other teams are doing, I don't know what it means. Tim Floyd at New Orleans has the Hornets playing extremely well, yet everyone thought he was a stiff when he coached Chicago. I have been very impressed with what rookie coach Jeff Bzdelik of Denver has done with that team (shades of Doug Moe), yet he was never a head coach before. It has been reported that Skiles will become the new coach of the Bulls. My guess is that he will get them to play hard, at least for a while.

I suspect that success is a lot more than X's and O's. The real trick is to get players to pay attention over an extended period. In some cases, it is the players rather than the coach that is at fault, but is hard to fire the team.

 

[Joe Mama]

This year the NBA is a little bit different from years past. There are still a couple of elite teams with great records, but with the exception of the Orlando Magic there aren't any bad, bad teams. Teams that have been traditionally (over the last several years) terrible have improved.

IMO the Phoenix Suns are not really any worse than last season. They have definitely struggled in some areas on different nights, but I think the difference is in the other teams they are facing. Last year the Suns were barely winning a lot of their games. This year, so far, they have been right there in every game except against Utah and the other night against Denver until the last minute.

Joe Mama

 

[George O'Brien]

I agree that the rest of the NBA has improved, but I disagree with the notion that the Suns have not improved as well. The Suns have more talent than any time since the early '90's, but they are still pretty raw.

I really like the additions of Carbakapa, Barbosa, and White with only Outlaw being subtracted. The Suns are still a legitimate playoff contender in the West and would be considered a dominant team in the East.

None the less, it will be hard to make the playoffs this season. Several near playoff level teams in the West are playing much better than last year. Utah continues to be a contender and they are joined by Houston, Seattle, Memphis, and Denver. Even Golden State could make a run if they get some of their players back from injuries.

The Suns players are going to have to accept the fact that every game is the equivalent of a playoff game. It will probably turn out that who makes it will be decided.by a single game.

 

[Chaplin]

Of course, seeing how we're only 1 month into the season, several of those teams you mentioned are likely to come back down to earth shortly, i.e. GS, Utah and Denver.

 

[George O'Brien]

We can hope these guys come back to earth, but I'm not counting on it. Denver and Utah are playing together with great energy. If either figure out how to win on the road, they will be a huge problem.

In some ways Seattle is as big a shock as anybody. Who is Murray and how did he become a super star without anybody ever hearing about him before?

 

[Joe Mama]

Chaplin, I hope you are right about some of these teams dropping back to earth. It should happen as they aren't going to sneak up and surprise anybody. Still, I doubt a team like Utah is going to be as bad as they really should be looking at their roster. Memphis is better. Golden State is probably a little worse, but not nearly as bad as I would have hoped.

Of course on the other end of things I think some of the teams that many of us expected to be fantastic have not been so far. Minnesota has been disappointing so far. I thought the Lakers would be even better. In that none of the top four or five teams in the Western Conference have been as good as I expected it would be so far.

We'll see what happens when some of these teams start becoming more familiar with one another.

Joe Mama

 

[Errntknght]

George O'Brian wrote, "I am not sure what to make of it. When I look at what other teams are doing, I don't know what it means. Tim Floyd at New Orleans has the Hornets playing extremely well, yet everyone thought he was a stiff when he coached Chicago. I have been very impressed with what rookie coach Jeff Bzdelik of Denver has done with that team (shades of Doug Moe), yet he was never a head coach before. It has been reported that Skiles will become the new coach of the Bulls. My guess is that he will get them to play hard, at least for a while."

When it comes to the media talking about coaches, just take it all with several grains of salt. For the most part they don't look far beyond the W-L column except to regurgitate what other 'experts' say. Last year they all rated the Suns low and when the team had some sucess they said FJ must be doing a great job of coaching - but they overlooked a few major items like him having to scrap his offense very early and that the defense deteriorated as he installed his scheme - to the point that he had to back way off on that, too. In short a lot of the teams success was more in spite of FJ's efforts than because of them. So why would one expect the media to know whether Tim Floyd could coach or not? Interestingly, in his case he said that he'd gotten lots of 'advice' from the Bulls organization and he tried to follow it - and added that he was going to follow his own plan this time around with NO. I thought that was a smart idea, not that I knew jack about his coaching ability, but at least he'd be succeeding or failing on his own. It seems he is fairly able and the Bulls floundered under his successor. Of course, Cartwright might be a victim of the same advisors that Floyd was.

"I suspect that success is a lot more than X's and O's."

That's certainly true, but it doesn't mean the X's and O's are not extremely important. I don't think the particular X's and O's are as important as whether or not the coach understands them fully so he can adapt them to the players he has to work with. I think that's why Jackson/Winters can use the triangle when no one else can. Everyone else is experimenting with some vaguely understood general principles while they know it can work and how to make it happen. That was also why I didn't expect FJ to succeed with the motion offense - where was the fund of knowledge going to come from since Frank had little experience with it and he didn't have a guru like Winters to supply it. And he had players whose strong points didn't match up well with the general precepts of the motion so lots of adjusting would be needed.

 

[Joe Mama]

For the first nine or 10 games we were all complaining that Frank Johnson was playing too much small ball. Those were definitely valid complaints. Since Scott Williams has returned FJ hasn't rarely gone small. So it would seem that he is getting better at his substitutions and lineups.

One of the other things several of us have complained about is the defense where they are constantly double-teaming the ball regardless of who has it. I know I especially hate it when the big men jump out to the top to double-team the guards. They end up out of position on defense and on the boards far too often. Against the Mavericks the other night they seemed to play a relatively normal zone defense most of the time, and it helped the Suns to outrebound the Mavericks big time. That was only one game, so we don't know if Fj is going to go back to that other defense tonight, but it was a step in the right direction.

Wednesday night the offense was just awesome. However I really don't think that was from anything Frank Johnson implemented. The guys were simply nailing their outside shots. Maybe I'm dreaming, but perhaps very Johnson will figure out the offensive plan to get this offense going consistently. With the individual talents on this team I doubt it would take the real complex offense. It just needs to be a plan other than watching Marbury dribble the ball while everyone else stands around.

Is it possible Frank Johnson is learning on-the-job, or is that just wishful thinking?

Joe Mama

 

[Chaz]

Originally posted by Joe Mama
Is it possible Frank Johnson is learning on-the-job, or is that just wishful thinking?

Joe Mama

I think it is clear he is learning on the job. The question is, how fast is he learning and what will it cost the team.

I have a suspicion he received some of that "friendly advice" immediately prior to his recent changes.

To his credit he is willing to change if things aren't working.

 

[George O'Brien]

My biggest concern with Frank is not "big ball" v "small ball", player rotation, or strategy. My concern is that he does not seem to be able to get the team to play hard every game and very play.

A few weeks ago FJ made a comment about missing Bo. I suspect that this was because Bo always plays flat out without being pushed. The rest of the players do not seem to have the same kind of drive.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

I was just listening to KTAR and they were interviewing JC about the Sexon trade. The broadcaster asked permission to ask a question relating to the suns and JC agreed.


"With you in the trading mood and shuffling things around lately, what is the status of Frank Johnson's job?"


Jerry basically refused to answer the question and just said something like "oh I thought you were wondering if we could package you away to another team"


When reasked, "I take it you dont want to talk about Frank" he replied "Huh? What did you say?"


Doesn't look great for Frank. Looks great for us.

 

[Lefty]

If the Suns get too far behind by the All-Star break I would not be surprised to see Frank fired. I wonder who the Suns would choose to replace Johnson if they did fire him?

 

[Wally]

Originally posted by George O'Brien
My biggest concern with Frank is not "big ball" v "small ball", player rotation, or strategy. My concern is that he does not seem to be able to get the team to play hard every game and very play.

A few weeks ago FJ made a comment about missing Bo. I suspect that this was because Bo always plays flat out without being pushed. The rest of the players do not seem to have the same kind of drive.

It's no secret that I'm not much of a small ball fan but you've hit the nail on the head. Motivation is the yardstick of success in just about anything - including basketball. At times this team looks like they have the talent that can match or surpass any other team and other times they are pathetic. The best coach or manager is one that recognizes the strengths of the players and then figures out how to motivate them. A few X & O's never hurt either and a basic understanding of the player positions / match-ups can be very beneficial.

As far as I can tell, FJ's only strength has been that the players liked him. I'm sorry, but that's not going to get the job done. It's time for a change.

 

[cheng]

http://eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=14014


Johnson's job in jeopardy?
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist


A conversation with Suns coach Frank Johnson on Wednesday night: Frank, are you worried about your job?
“It's not even worth discussing,” he said. “It's not even an issue.”

Would you know if you were in trouble?

Johnson paused.

“Good point,” he said.

Coaches often are the last to know their whistle is about to belong to someone else. Paul Westphal believed his job was secure until he saw a swarm of reporters and cameramen recording his exit from the Suns' parking garage following a meeting with owner Jerry Colangelo.

Westphal was fired within a month.

Phoenix's uneven start — it fell to 7-10 after losing to Minnesota 92-79 on Wednesday — has led to intermittent chatter about Johnson's job security. The volume rose at halftime Wednesday when Colangelo declined to endorse his coach. “I'm not going to comment,” Colangelo said. “People can speculate all they want. The only thing that matters is what I think, and I'm not commenting.”

Johnson, widely praised after leading the Suns to a playoff berth last season, has lost management's confidence on a couple of fronts.

His reluctance to give prized rookie Zarko Cabarkapa extensive minutes early in the season — the 6-foot-11 forward didn't play more than eight minutes in any of the Suns' first four games — didn't sit well with his bosses, who believed they drafted a potential star in Cabarkapa and wanted to see him on the floor.

Johnson also angered his bosses when he publicly lamented the loss of forward Bo Outlaw, dealt to Memphis on Sept. 30.

Johnson didn't criticize the trade, but his repeated comments about how the club missed Outlaw's defense and hustle were viewed as a shot at general manager Bryan Colangelo.

Johnson's “mistakes” wouldn't be an issue if the Suns were winning. But only the Los Angeles Clippers have a worse record in the Western Conference, so his transgressions are magnified.

That Johnson is in trouble just 17 games into the season speaks to the restlessness and impatience that permeates the Suns' front office.

Johnson led Phoenix to the playoffs last year in his first full season as a head coach. Now, after an inconsistent start, he could lose his job?

That's irrational.

But that's the Suns.

The team that once defined stability now treats its head coaches like disposable razor blades.

Paul Westphal was too soft. Scott Skiles was too hard. Johnson is too honest and wants to decide who should be on the court. The nerve of him.

Are the Suns underachieving? Yes. Is Johnson responsible? Of course. He's the head coach.

But the front office can't wash its hands of the grime. Johnson didn't trade Outlaw and Jake Tsakalidis to Memphis to save luxury tax dollars.

Johnson didn't give Penny Hardaway $86 million and Tom Gugliotta $58.5 million.

Johnson didn't assemble a team that lacks an outside shooter who can bust zone defenses.

If Johnson is fired, the Suns will continue their recent pattern of hiring assistants then becoming dismayed when they don't turn into Phil Jackson within a few months. Next up, should there be a coaching change: current assistant Mike D'Antoni.

No one believes Johnson is the NBA's next great head coach. He is what he is, a cheap hire who was in the right place at the right time. But whatever happened to letting someone grow into the job?

In 1973, the Suns hired a young, unknown coach from the University of Oklahoma named John MacLeod.

He finished 30-52 his first season as Phoenix's coach, 32-50 his second season.

The Suns stuck with him and he rewarded their patience with eight playoff berths the next nine years, including the thrilling NBA Finals run in 1976.

Restraint. What a quaint notion.


Who is to blame? Players, Coach or Colangelos?

 

[Chaplin]

Wow, that's the most pro-Frank article I've read yet.

 

[jbeecham]

Why keep a coach around if the players don't perform for him? He's lost the ability to motivate the team and unless he can get that back on this Eastern road trip then he'll be gone for Christmas.