Igor Kokoskov gets a second interview with the Suns

[Mainstreet]

I think this will be exciting news to a lot of Suns fans. Below is a link to the story.

Igor Kokoskov will get a second interview with the Phoenix Suns for the head coaching job, reported 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station’s John Gambadoro.

Kokoskov is an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz and was the Slovenia national team head coach from 2016-17.

He was an assistant coach with the Suns from 2008-13.

The first interview took place over the phone in-between games two and three of the Jazz’s first-round playoff matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

http://arizonasports.com/story/1515370/igor-kokoskov-second-interview-with-phoenix-suns/

 

[Mainstreet]

Here was the Gambo tweet.

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[SirStefan32]

Another interesting thing from that article is that Triano's been told he will not be considered for the job.

 

[Mainstreet]

Another interesting thing from that article is that Triano's been told he will not be considered for the job.

Indeed. The Suns have moved on and a lot of fans will be energized if the Kokoskov hiring occurs.

 

[Hoop Head]

Another interesting thing from that article is that Triano's been told he will not be considered for the job.

That almost warrants it's own thread because I'm sure it's something that will need to be repeated dozens of times over the next few weeks.

 

[Hoop Head]

I saw some people on twitter saying Triano should be kept if we hire Igor because he's the one head coach the Suns have been linked to that doesn't have head coaching experience. Knowing that, it probably makes Igor the front runner since he'd be the cheapest but I'm fine with not having head coaching experience. It was said he basically ran the Suns when Lindsey Hunter was in charge, which isn't a shining endorsement but that does state how players and other coaches view him. He's primed for a head coaching position and he has a good career as an assistant. Someone needs to offer him his 1st head coaching job and that might as well be the Suns. Just because he hasn't been a HC before doesn't mean it would be better to have a HC who was fired last season like Fizdale, Clifford, Vogel, or Kidd.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Another interesting thing from that article is that Triano's been told he will not be considered for the job.

That is huge news.

 

[Mainstreet]

I saw some people on twitter saying Triano should be kept if we hire Igor because he's the one head coach the Suns have been linked to that doesn't have head coaching experience. Knowing that, it probably makes Igor the front runner since he'd be the cheapest but I'm fine with not having head coaching experience. It was said he basically ran the Suns when Lindsey Hunter was in charge, which isn't a shining endorsement but that does state how players and other coaches view him. He's primed for a head coaching position and he has a good career as an assistant. Someone needs to offer him his 1st head coaching job and that might as well be the Suns. Just because he hasn't been a HC before doesn't mean it would be better to have a HC who was fired last season like Fizdale, Clifford, Vogel, or Kidd.

I'm hoping the Suns hire Kokoskov based upon what I know right now.

I think Triano's best chance of staying on as an assistant is if Terry Stotts was hired as the Suns head coach. I understand he might be on shaky ground in Portland. Triano served as an assistant under him.

Igor Kokoskov might provide an opportunity as well but he would have to be comfortable with the situation as would Triano.

 

[SirStefan32]

I actually like Triano, but unless his interest was "faked", I don't see how it makes sense to keep him. Bring in the new coach, let them assemble their own staff. I suppose if the new coach really wanted Triano to stay, and Triano didn't actually want the head coaching job, it would be OK, but it just seems a little weird.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I actually like Triano, but unless his interest was "faked", I don't see how it makes sense to keep him. Bring in the new coach, let them assemble their own staff. I suppose if the new coach really wanted Triano to stay, and Triano didn't actually want the head coaching job, it would be OK, but it just seems a little weird.

I actually feel bad for him. The narrative seems to be that had an entire season to show progress and failed miserably. But he was given a roster of kids and grandpas and you don't win a lot of games that way. I think we HAD to move on from him but had he been working as an assistant elsewhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if we gave him a serious chance to talk his way into the position.

 

[SirStefan32]

I actually feel bad for him. The narrative seems to be that had an entire season to show progress and failed miserably. But he was given a roster of kids and grandpas and you don't win a lot of games that way. I think we HAD to move on from him but had he been working as an assistant elsewhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if we gave him a serious chance to talk his way into the position.

Agreed. Not only was he given a roster of kids and grandpas, but the kids kept getting hurt, and grandpas' got to the point where they were half-way in a retirement home.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I actually feel bad for him. The narrative seems to be that had an entire season to show progress and failed miserably. But he was given a roster of kids and grandpas and you don't win a lot of games that way. I think we HAD to move on from him but had he been working as an assistant elsewhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if we gave him a serious chance to talk his way into the position.

But he also had a body of work prior to this. He did not necessarily have to have wins and losses, but individual progress would have been nice. We saw it with Jackson, but that is about it.

 

[Chaplin]

I actually feel bad for him. The narrative seems to be that had an entire season to show progress and failed miserably. But he was given a roster of kids and grandpas and you don't win a lot of games that way. I think we HAD to move on from him but had he been working as an assistant elsewhere, I wouldn't have been surprised if we gave him a serious chance to talk his way into the position.

Nobody expected him to be a winning coach. Where did you get that?

What we DID expect is for our young guys, specifically Chriss and Bender to at least turn the corner. Chriss actually regressed and Bender didn't do anything at all. Not to mention a couple 40-point losses (again, a contributor to Watson getting fired) and his reportedly horrible way of running practice, and there was no choice.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Nobody expected him to be a winning coach. Where did you get that?

What we DID expect is for our young guys, specifically Chriss and Bender to at least turn the corner. Chriss actually regressed and Bender didn't do anything at all. Not to mention a couple 40-point losses (again, a contributor to Watson getting fired) and his reportedly horrible way of running practice, and there was no choice.

Watson had a couple of 40 point losses in 3 games. Not at all the same thing. And nowhere in my post did I suggest people expected him to be a winning coach. Where did you get that?

Also, you keep talking about his lousy practices. I've never heard one negative about him and his practices except the comment that you twisted into something it was never intended to be (IMO). Dudley was repeatedly positive about Triano and the changes he made. He made a comment about the limits in practices because of the rawness of the players, not about Jay's ability to run a well scripted practice.

I can't argue about the lack of progress of young players but it's tough to tell whether that was Triano, Watson or a draft screw-up. Like I said, he had to be replaced but that doesn't mean he can't do the job.

 

[Covert Rain]

Pfffft

 

[BC867]

Like I said, he had to be replaced but that doesn't mean he can't do the job.

(+) "He had to be replaced." I agree with your conclusion.

(-) "That doesn't mean he can't do the job." I hope the day comes when the Suns and their fans start looking for positives instead of double-negatives.


Semantics indicate strength of belief. I know we're all frustrated with the state of the Suns, but I keep hoping for the best.

But then, fans hope. Front Offices plan. Or at least they are supposed to.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I would have hoped for the best if they had chosen Triano, but I think it is clear that they need someone more dynamic in that position. Triano is a relationship guy and his level is NBA assistant coach, maybe a head coach in college or international play. There is nothing wrong with finding your level. He got a taste of head coaching again with the Suns, but I have a hunch that he really likes the guys on this team and wants to be the coach because he wants to stay with these people, not because he is real head coaching material.

He is worlds better than Watson though.

 

[AzStevenCal]

(+) "He had to be replaced." I agree with your conclusion.

(-) "That doesn't mean he can't do the job." I hope the day comes when the Suns and their fans start looking for positives instead of double-negatives.


Semantics indicate strength of belief. I know we're all frustrated with the state of the Suns, but I keep hoping for the best.

But then, fans hope. Front Offices plan. Or at least they are supposed to.

That's not a double negative, they don't cancel each other out. A double negative would have been something like "he didn't not prove he couldn't do the job".

I have no idea if Triano can be a good head coach. He wasn't given a fair chance here. Personally, I don't think anybody that says he doesn't like much of what the job entails should be given the position but people do change their minds so who knows. My point though, was that whether it was his fault or not, he had to go.

 

[BC867]

That's not a double negative, they don't cancel each other out. A double negative would have been something like "he didn't not prove he couldn't do the job".

I have no idea if Triano can be a good head coach. He wasn't given a fair chance here. Personally, I don't think anybody that says he doesn't like much of what the job entails should be given the position but people do change their minds so who knows. My point though, was that whether it was his fault or not, he had to go.

I don't want to belabor this, Steve, but using doesn't and can't in the same sentence (to infer that maybe he can) is indeed a double negative. And certainly not the strong positive you'd hope for.

It's along the same lines as someone saying that Sarver's meddling is not as bad as it used to be after 14 years. Suns fans deserve better than less worse.

But then, after eight years of not making the playoffs, it is not surprising that it has become our best hope. Still, it's sad.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I don't want to belabor this, Steve, but using doesn't and can't in the same sentence (to infer that maybe he can) is indeed a double negative. And certainly not the strong positive you'd hope for.

Well, I'll admit my mental faculties are in sharp decline but I don't think you're right here. Or rather, I don't believe my usage was substandard as is typically the case when using double negatives although I did in fact use more than one negative in a sentence. And I'm pretty sure you want "imply" not infer. But I'd agree, there is no strong positive when it comes to reviewing Triano's performance or the Suns in general for that matter.

 

[BC867]

And I'm pretty sure you want "imply" not infer.

You're right, Steve. I yield to the superior grammarian.

Imply = strongly suggest
Infer = deduce or conclude

 

[ArizonaSportsFan]

Can we start next season already?

 

[Covert Rain]

Am I the only one not excited about the prospects of this guy?

 

[JCSunsfan]

Am I the only one not excited about the prospects of this guy?

Igor? Yes. Probably you are the only one.

 

[Covert Rain]

Igor? Yes. Probably you are the only one.

Well... I guess so. I am not AGAINST it but I have yet to read anything about the guy that would get me excited over some of the other candidates everyone else was talking about.

I see two pages of posts with basically the same group. Not sure everyone is excited as you think they are but I could be wrong. I just not have heard any Suns fans I know outside these forums jumping up and down about the guy.