The Head Coach

[Hoop Head]

Everybody bashes Blanks, Babby and Sarver but what about Gentry?

At what point is Gentry held accountable for not being able to work with what he is given. Granted he hasn't been given much but starting Childress at Center, when he couldn't get off the bench for the past few weeks?

Nash's comments that he has made lately seem to ring the same tone as before Porter was canned. The new guys from the Magic seem clueless on the floor. The only clear role on the team is that Nash is the starting PG, every other position is handled by committee.

Should the Suns let Gentry go and hope to get someone better in the off season as a more permanent Head Coach of the Future or continue to let Gentry fumble the lineups in hopes we get a nice lottery pick? I think it is a given if we fire Gentry to move Nash and Hill for whatever we can in terms of prospects and picks as there is no way we will be able to compete for a title this year.

 

[jibikao]

Blah... I actually really liked Gentry last season when he had a "clear" plan. I love what he did with our "2nd unit". He stick with them and let them play and give them confidence.

Last night's starting lineup change is just too weird. He should have started Gortat at least. We let JRrich go to get size and he inserted Childress at PF spot?

He is just trying too hard right now. He should just stick with a rotation and see what happens. He is changing lineup every night and the new players have a hard time geling. I think even the players don't know what the coach's plan is. In fact, didn't Gortat say they change things right before the game too?

I didn't vote because I want to wait until after all-star. After all-star, I'll vote.


I don't know why some of you are so eager to trade Nash NOW. What do you get in return? Another Childress, Warrick and Frye type of player?? Unless there is a clear plan (which it doesn't seem like we have), I would keep Nash. Nash at least attracts some ticket sales which is important. And which "great" PF would want to come here after Nash left? Playing with whole bunch of wings?

 

[Hoop Head]

The way things are going it is looking like a Porter 2.0 All Star break. Even the character guys on this time like Hill and Nash don't understand what Gentry is doing. Last year he did good in developing a bench squad but that is all he really is, a developmental coach. The first unit ever since Nash came back here has been his offense, last year had talent but most important chemistry with everyone on the floor.

The starters and the bench unit all had great chemistry with each that grew throughout the season, it is about half way into this season and with the way Gentry has screwed around with the lineups has done nothing to define anyones role. Everyone is playing like they are lost but also playing selfishly because if they happen to string together a couple of good games Gentry might start them or if they play poorly they get shifted out of the rotation completely.

 

[jibikao]

Maybe by all-star, Suns will change coach to fire up this team. A developmental coach is still better than a coach that didn't develop bench players (D'Antoni).

It sucks that when things are going well, Gentry is viewed as a great coach but when things don't go well, people think he has no coaching skills.

His biggest downfall is changing lineup/rotation too much. Now the players lose trust in him. Maybe it is time to change coach. sigh

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'd say fire him now. The guy is unable to work miracles while faced with wholesale changes and a roster that anyone in their right mind would scoff at. We're a bad team with a questionable management situation. We might as well go for the home run here and convince the rest of the planet that we're the worst organization in pro sports. And you do that by firing the head coach that took you to the Western Conference Finals just a season ago despite gloom and doom predictions from the experts.

In case it's lost on anybody, the above is sarcasm. I'd look questioningly on anyone that would vote yes here that wouldn't have voted yes in June. And seriously, what kind of candidate would WANT this coaching job if they just watched Gentry get treated this way.

Steve

 

[Mainstreet]

Everybody bashes Blanks, Babby and Sarver but what about Gentry?

At what point is Gentry held accountable for not being able to work with what he is given. Granted he hasn't been given much but starting Childress at Center, when he couldn't get off the bench for the past few weeks?

In regard to Childress starting, the pregame announcers covered it on FSAZ. It was all about DA and Gentry playing a game of one-upmanship with the starting lineup. This now seems the best competition of the game.

I am sure not going to blame Gentry at this point for not making a new Cadillac from salvage parts at a junkyard.

 

[elindholm]

Gentry is a good coach. I disagree with the Porter comparisons. Porter's "teaching" of defense amounted to saying, "We have to play defense," and that was it. Gentry has improved the Suns' defense, just not consistently (yet). Gentry has been with the team for a long time and has earned the respect of those who have been around for a while.

On a side note, it's worth realizing that only four current Suns have been with the team for as much as two full seasons: Nash, Hill, Lopez, and Dragic. Dudley is next, but he hasn't hit the two-year mark yet.

 

[AfroSuns]

What exactly are your expectations after we lose our two highest scorers from last season. Granted he made bad judgment by starting Childress trying to play small ball with D'Antoni.
Gentry's current problem was his strength; a player's coach. he wants to be fair and it is backfiring on him. He definitely has to stick to a rotation. Obviously, some players are not going to like it. Either Childress or Warrick are going to be bench guys even if they dont like it.

 

[Hoop Head]

Gentry may have been here a while but IIRC that is what earned him the job after Porter was shown the door. He got the interim tag removed because he let the players that he had then play and that netted positive results. It is a toss up as to whether or not it was the players were happy that they didn't have to run Porter's slow it down offense that ran through Shaq or that he was actually a good head coach.

If I was asked before the season if Gentry should coach this team this year I would say no, but I was never a fan of him getting the head coach job anyways.

The roster he has is a mess but his mismanagement of it is a bigger problem. Not only has he not been able to pick 5 guys to start he cannot even pick 9 players for rotation spots and the only real injury he has had to handle was Lopez for a few games. IMO Nash would not have had to miss any games if his minutes were managed properly and he had an understanding of who he was going to be on the court with every night.

 

[Hoop Head]

What exactly are your expectations after we lose our two highest scorers from last season. Granted he made bad judgment by starting Childress trying to play small ball with D'Antoni.
Gentry's current problem was his strength; a player's coach. he wants to be fair and it is backfiring on him. He definitely has to stick to a rotation. Obviously, some players are not going to like it. Either Childress or Warrick are going to be bench guys even if they dont like it.

We did lose them but I think we played best right after the trade before the new guys were available because Gentry did not a rotation to tinker with because we were left with I believe 9 active players. The only thing as HC that I have seen him bring to the table was the way the bench played last year, but with D'Antoni running the show so long and pnly running 6 guys all game, I think most Suns fans were excited that he actually used a bench.

I view it similar to when the Suns drafted Clark or Lawal everyone expected something from them because as Suns fans we hadn't been able to watch a rookie on our team for years other than Dragic and Lopez recently.

Both Lopez and Dragic this year look like career backups at best.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Gentry may have been here a while but IIRC that is what earned him the job after Porter was shown the door. He got the interim tag removed because he let the players that he had then play and that netted positive results. It is a toss up as to whether or not it was the players were happy that they didn't have to run Porter's slow it down offense that ran through Shaq or that he was actually a good head coach.

If I was asked before the season if Gentry should coach this team this year I would say no, but I was never a fan of him getting the head coach job anyways.

The roster he has is a mess but his mismanagement of it is a bigger problem. Not only has he not been able to pick 5 guys to start he cannot even pick 9 players for rotation spots and the only real injury he has had to handle was Lopez for a few games. IMO Nash would not have had to miss any games if his minutes were managed properly and he had an understanding of who he was going to be on the court with every night.

I think it's an ill-informed knee jerk reaction to demand his firing based on what's happened this season. However, like you, I felt he was overrated and had it not been for our surprising run I would have wanted to see him replaced.

Right now, though, he has to be almost untouchable. It would set this franchise back even further than it already has been if Gentry was shown the door. As for a stable lineup, that's kind of hard to do when you have such irregularly shaped pieces. We have too many players that "aren't" something, we need a few that "are". You know, guys that ARE rebounders, guys that ARE shooters etc. Just about every player we have comes with a disclaimer.

Steve

 

[JCSunsfan]

Gentry is a good coach. I disagree with the Porter comparisons. Porter's "teaching" of defense amounted to saying, "We have to play defense," and that was it. Gentry has improved the Suns' defense, just not consistently (yet). Gentry has been with the team for a long time and has earned the respect of those who have been around for a while.

On a side note, it's worth realizing that only four current Suns have been with the team for as much as two full seasons: Nash, Hill, Lopez, and Dragic. Dudley is next, but he hasn't hit the two-year mark yet.

I agree. Gentry is a good coach who is an almost impossible situation. He has no consistency in personnel and a bunch of marginal players who think they are better than they are. He is dependent upon an aging veteran pg who is not capable of carrying the team like he did two years ago but is trying (and failing).

 

[Hoop Head]

We haven't had a rebounder in a long time. Marion was the closest we had to one, but he was undersized and got alot of his rebounds by default.

Back to the main point though we are headed nowhere fast with the team built the way it is and coached the way it is. I just don't get why Gentry always gets left out of the conversation when people say that we need to move Nash and Hill to contenders.

Sarver may be an idiot but Babby and Blanks assembled the players they wanted now the next step has to be to get a coach of their choosing, Kerr started with DA who was not the style he wanted so he got his guy in Porter and failed, got lucky with Gentry and then got let go. Why wouldn't Babby and Blanks get the same chance before they are wrote off?

 

[jibikao]

One thing I don't agree with is how Vince Carter and Pitreus immediately start and play more minutes than other guys as soon as they joined.

Now the team seems to be doing worse than they were before the trade. What kind of message does it send to the other players like Childress and Warrick? New players should slowly work into the rotation unless the player is that good and Vince ain't that good. I am sorry. And Pietrus doesn't seem that good either.

I'll say it again. I don't like Vince Carter and he will not help this team. If Vince carter came here as "part of the deal", why does he get to play 30mins? Suns' afraid that Vince's feeling is hurt? Or they try to showcase Vince and plan to move him next season? Well, good luck on that.

 

[Covert Rain]

Gentry was hired because he knows the D'Antoni system and has a way with players. If the Nash era is over, why keep Gentry? There is no reason. Also, anybody who doesn't seriously question is judgment lately hasn't been paying attention.

Noting about Gentry says "good coach" this year. In fact, I think this year is revealing how "good" he really is. Gentry was always suppose to be a "good enough coach for this group of players.

 

[SirStefan32]

I think Gentry is a good coach. He was just given crap to work with. He screwed up with that small lineup last night, but I am against firing him.

 

[BC867]

I think Gentry is a good coach. He was just given crap to work with. He screwed up with that small lineup last night, but I am against firing him.

 

[Chaplin]

Firing Gentry and hiring another coach isn't going to help the team. It's the personnel on the floor that are the problem. Bringing in Larry Brown isn't going to make Channing Frye's shooting percentage go up or Steve Nash's turnovers go down.

 

[Covert Rain]

Firing Gentry and hiring another coach isn't going to help the team. It's the personnel on the floor that are the problem. Bringing in Larry Brown isn't going to make Channing Frye's shooting percentage go up or Steve Nash's turnovers go down.

Half of what your saying is true. However, Gentry was hired because he knows the D'Antoni system and the philosophy. However, we brought in 3 guys from another team who have decent defensive numbers yet we are using the same system.

That is coaching.

I hate to say it but I backup what Barkley said. What is the point of bringing in defensive minded guys if you don't change the system at all to utilize their skills?

Now Gentry is making alot of bonehead lineup decisions that baffle just about everybody in the NBA.

That is coaching.

You bring Larry Brown in here, I bet this team plays better defense INSTANTLY. Not that I think we have enough talent to win a title just because of a guy like Larry Brown. As you stated part of the problem is our roster.

If we want this team to change philosophy and start in a new direction with a focus on defense......

Gentry is not that guy.

 

[desertdawg]

I say fire the man, he seems to be lost with out players that "run" Dantoni style and can't coach the team he has. The team is bad, Sarver sucks, but Gentry is not putting the best guys possible on the court, he is failing at his starting line ups and substitutions. That is his job and he isn't doing it.

 

[desertdawg]

Seriously, DAntoni brings out the best in his players, and is good at his scheme.
Gentry does not bring out the best in his players, when you are playing a small team like the knicks, and you got Nash, Hill, and Carter on your squad you simply throw in some bigs to rebound and play D on Stat. Gentry is lost out there, shuffling his deck and calling it coaching, players will lose faith in him shortly.
Cut ties and and shop around for a difference maker.

 

[Tyler]

I say keep Gentry, he is a good coach. It is hard to polish a turd into anything other than a turd and this team is a turd.

 

[mojorizen7]

Gentry has been put in a position to bake bread without an oven.

 

[Mainstreet]

Gentry has been put in a position to bake bread without an oven.

Thank you. Gentry seemed to coach the Suns just fine last season and even implemented some degree of defense. The Suns lack talent, as Cotton told JC years ago when the Suns were not winning.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I have no idea if Gentry is a good coach. However, unless you're convinced that he is the problem (or a very significant part of it) you do NOT fire him mid-season given the circumstances. This roster coupled with last year's success makes firing him almost organizational suicide. Especially when you consider the league wide perception of Sarver and company in the first place. If he has to go, let him finish out this season at the minimum.

Steve