Rumor: Steve Kerr is Suns next GM!

[Yuma]

"Those who know

believe that, sooner or later, former Cavs guard Steve Kerr will become general manager of the NBA Phoenix Suns. Kerr, a TNT basketball analyst, recently joined an ownership group that purchased the Suns." - The Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper!

Hmmm.... Interesting.

 

[Chaplin]

Well, if that does happen, it's not going to happen anytime soon.

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

Well, even if it does happen (after a few years at least), it most likely wont change much. It will just be title swapping. BC and Kerr are the basketball minds of the management group, and I assume their input is already pretty even.....

 

[WizardOfAz]

I like the idea:

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=31059

 

[George O'Brien]

Actually the title is less important than the role. On some teams, the Director of Player Personnel ends up working out the trades, scouting the draft picks, and negotiating the contracts. From our perspective, that is what matters.

 

[scotsman13]

BC is part of the ownership group, he is working as gm and is well though of in the nba circles. why would he be replace by someone who doesnt have the experance just he is also a member of the ownership group?

 

[thegrahamcrackr]

he is also a member of the ownership group?

The management group is

Sarver
Kerr
and BC.......

 

[capologist]

My understanding of the terms of the deal is that BC is pretty much locked in as GM for the next three years. In the meantime, of course, he and Kerr will be working with each other, and learning from each other. Kerr probably has more to learn from BC than vice versa, due to BC’s years of experience in the position.

As for what will happen a few years down the line, I really doubt that any final decisions have been made about that. They’re both owners, they both have considerable financial and emotional stake in the well-being of the franchise, and just want what’s best. They, along with the other owners and probably considerable input from JC, will figure out what that is when the time comes.

 

[Yuma]

Wow Cap! I haven't seen you post in a long while! We're a couple of old dogs in here! Hope everything is going well with you! You just brought back some old memories seeing you post!

 

[Errntknght]

Anything that dilutes the influence of the Colangeli is a blessing. I really can't imagine Kerr would sit still for their off the wall choices for head coach. There is no logical reason to avoid seasoned NBA coaches so Sarver might be a hard sell just on that general principle but with Kerr providing a counter balance of basketball common sense I think sanity will prevail... finally.

 

[capologist]

Historically, it’s very unusual to win a championship with a coach who has ever been fired.

The last NBA head coach to win a championship after having been fired as an NBA head coach at some point during his career was Chuck Daly, who won championships with Detroit in ’89 and ’90, after having been fired by Cleveland during the 1981-82 season. He was hired mid-season that year, coached 41 games, and was fired before the end of the season.

If you disregard Daly’s firing, since he was never really given a chance and was fired by the most famously idiotic owner in NBA history (Ted Stepien), it hasn’t been done since Lenny Wilkens coached Seattle to a championship in 1979, after having been fired by Portland at the end of the 1975-76 season.

In the quarter of a century that has transpired since Wilkens won:

* Greg Popovich has won two titles in his first NBA head coaching position.

* Phil Jackson won six titles in his first NBA head coaching position, quit, then won three more in his next position.

* Rudy Tomjanovich won two titles in his first NBA head coaching position.

* Chuck Daly won two titles in his first “real” NBA head coaching position.

* Pat Riley won four titles in his first NBA head coaching position.

* K.C. Jones won two titles in his first NBA head coaching position.

* Billy Cunningham won a title in his first NBA head coaching position.

* Bill Fitch won a title in his second NBA head coaching position. His first position was with Cleveland; he quit when Ted Stepien purchased the team.

* Paul Westhead won a title in his first NBA head coaching position.

So there.

 

[capologist]

BTW, that historical trend isn’t going to change this year. Larry Brown has been around a lot— this is his seventh coaching position in the NBA— but, if I’m not mistaken, he has never been fired. He walked away from every one of them.

Obviously, Brown is very unusual. Experienced NBA coaches who have never been fired are hard to find.

 

[Errntknght]

That is quite remarkable Cap. Eighteen titles won by coaches in the first job as head coach, six by coaches in their second, 24 titles out of 25. I certainly wouldn't have guessed it.

I suppose one could say that it shows that the Colangeli have been following the best overall approach but are so inept in their choices even that doesn't help them. No head coach they've hired has gone on to a successful career as a head coach in the NBA so it's not like they were dumped because of a fluke bad year here. (Skiles & FJ, of course, might yet succeed but I'd bet against either one.)

Note that I did not say I wanted the Suns to confine their search to coaches with experience as a NBA head - several years of seasoning as an assistant under successful coaches would be fine. Most of the coaches in that list had such experience - Westhead was an exception, coming straight from the ranks of college coaches if I recall correctly.

What I really am looking forward to is the Colangelos not having any input on coach selection - to me they have proved they have no inkling of what makes a good head coach.

I think you are right about Larry Brown - I don't recall him being fired, but anyone else would have been had they made the mess of the Pacers that he did. His reputation probably saved him from the axe in Philly, too.

 

[George O'Brien]

Larry Brown's history is so unique I'm not sure there is much that can be learned from reviewing it.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think Larry has a chance to be the first coach to win both the NBA title and the NCAA National Championship (with the Danny Manning Kansas team).