If losing trend continues, when will Jerry C. pull the rip cord?

[elindholm]

Lenny Wilkins isn't a very good coach. He took a somewhat talented Toronto team and ran them straight into the ground.

Every coach has had successes and failures. The only notable exception among coaches still working is Phil Jackson, but that's because he won't coach any team that doesn't already have the best player in the league.

I believe that Wilkins would have the willingness and the authority to teach. That's no guarantee that he would be successful, but in my opinion, those are the two things Frank Johnson most lacks.

 

[F-Dog]

I doubt that Wilkens has much authority left at this point.


The advantage of having Frank Johnson as coach is that he's a low-ego guy who's willing to work with the star assistant coaches the Suns recruited. Also, he's going to try to create a pleasant working environment for the players, so that everybody (Amare) wants to stay here.

Unless Amare Stoudamire or possibly Marbury gives up on FJ, I think he'll be here for the rest of the year, regardless of the Suns' record. If nothing else, he'll act as a lightning rod, distracting criticism from other guys who might deserve it (but are mostly too young to benefit from it).

Long-term (after Amare signs his extension), FJ is gone unless the team starts to show better organization. It wouldn't surprise me if the Suns hire a big name at that point, but Iavaroni is probably the front-runner...


IMO the difference between this year and late last year is mostly that the players came into this season happy and self-satisfied after exceeding expectations last year--they're not playing hard enough. Integrating Joe Johnson, Penny, Casey J and Jahidi White into new roles doesn't help, and neither does having to play two rookies who are both very talented but haven't contributed much in a positive way yet.

I think the team would benefit from better-defined roles and greater individual accountability at this point. Obviously, we'll have to wait and see what FJ does to try and turn things around...

 

[Dan H]

Isaiah Thomas was not a good head coach. He took a young Indiana team with all whole lot of talent and went virtually nowhere with them in the Eastern conference.

Here's what Indy thought when Isaiah got fired. Pass.

 

[Joe Mama]

Originally posted by Dan H
Here's what Indy thought when Isaiah got fired. Pass.

That's great. Thanks for the laugh.

Joe Mama

 

[elindholm]

I like the guy laughing in the background.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Originally posted by elindholm
Lenny Wilkins isn't a very good coach. He took a somewhat talented Toronto team and ran them straight into the ground.

Every coach has had successes and failures. The only notable exception among coaches still working is Phil Jackson, but that's because he won't coach any team that doesn't already have the best player in the league.

I believe that Wilkins would have the willingness and the authority to teach. That's no guarantee that he would be successful, but in my opinion, those are the two things Frank Johnson most lacks.

I agree Eric. Wilkens is a great coach. Wherever he has gone he has produced much more than the talent he had would have dictated.

His last stint in Toronto seems to have been an exception, but injuries to his best player hurt his ability to succeed. He might be a little long in the tooth for our needs right now.

I expect D'antoni or Iavaroni to be the next coach.

I don't believe Karl is a good coach. He was colossal playoff failure in Seattle (1st seed losing to the 8th seed, without any significant injury issues). Karl would be a mistake imo.

 

[JJ Slim]

I think it's a good bet Ivaroni is in line for the job. If the Colangeli were to go outside the organization for a coach (very unlikely), Chuck Daly would be a good choice. He may be permanently retired though but I bet he could whip this team into shape and make it a serious contender.

 

[frdbtr]

WOW! if Chuck daly were to be hired as head coach I would think that Penny would definately be outta here. It is obvious that they have been trying to get rid of him for a couple of years but that would have to be the last straw, wouldn't it?

However I think that Daly would be a great hire. He is a very good coach.