Who will be the Suns new Head Coach?

[Mainstreet]

The Suns will begin their coaching search right after the season. Any thoughts on who the new Head Coach should be?

Scott Bordow writes a nice article today about how the Suns will conduct their coaching search.

McDonough said he expects to reach out to potential candidates sometime later this month or early April. He and Vice President of Basketball Operations James Jones will conduct the search, but McDonough said he’ll also receive player input and that Managing General Partner Robert Sarver will be involved as “much or as little as he wants.”

The Sporting News recently reported that the Suns have interest in former Memphis Grizzlies head coach David Fizdale. That would make sense given Fizdale’s ties to Jones. Fizdale was an assistant with the Miami Heat during Jones’ six seasons there. Former New Orleans coach Monty Williams might also be a candidate, and McDonough said that Triano also would be interviewed.

McDonough doesn’t expect the search to be slowed if potential candidates are involved in the postseason. He said teams usually allow assistant coaches to be interviewed for head coaching jobs and that a window will be made available when he and Jones can fly in to talk to the candidate.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo.../?hootPostID=e14d36e7c5c6b65a7dcc26e68e009706

 

[SirStefan32]

Well, the question is who will want to take the job. I am not sure if quality coaches would be afraid to take on a team like Phoenix right now, or be excited to do so. Booker may not have made the all-star team, but he is an all-star level player. Add the top pick, along with guys like Warren, Jackson, and a few other youngsters, and it might actually be intriguing. I'd be happy with Fizdale, but I remain a huge Jeff Van Gundy fan. I doubt he wants to coach though.

I am also a huge Igor Kokoskov fan. He's done some great work internationally, and he spent a lot of time as an assistant in Detroit (during the Billups/ Wallace championship run), and is currently an assistant coach in Utah. Not sure if he's over what happened when he was in Phoenix, when he, Turner, and Majerle were assistants, and their boss got canned in favor of Hunter.

 

[Mainstreet]

Well, the question is who will want to take the job. I am not sure if quality coaches would be afraid to take on a team like Phoenix right now, or be excited to do so. Booker may not have made the all-star team, but he is an all-star level player. Add the top pick, along with guys like Warren, Jackson, and a few other youngsters, and it might actually be intriguing. I'd be happy with Fizdale, but I remain a huge Jeff Van Gundy fan. I doubt he wants to coach though.

I am also a huge Igor Kokoskov fan. He's done some great work internationally, and he spent a lot of time as an assistant in Detroit (during the Billups/ Wallace championship run), and is currently an assistant coach in Utah. Not sure if he's over what happened when he was in Phoenix, when he, Turner, and Majerle were assistants, and their boss got canned in favor of Hunter.

There will be competition from the Bucks and Grizzlies for sure. Also there will likely be other head coaching jobs open. A lot of coaches will want to coach the Bucks with Giannis. I don't have any favorites as yet. The Suns do need to move on from Triano as a head coach.

 

[GatorAZ]

Dan MajorLee

 

[SirStefan32]

No gimmick coaches anymore. Dan Majerle would be just another gimmick hire.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

John Calipari...since the Suns are basically Kentucky West.

 

[Hoop Head]

I think Phoenix is a more attractive destination than Memphis but probably not as sought after as Milwaukee will be. If we get the #1 pick that could change though, Ayton, Booker, Jackson, and cap space might look better than Milwaukee with Giannis and little financial flexibility.

 

[Hoop Head]

Saw this article earlier about coaches on the hot seat throughout the remainder of the season, into this offseason. They list Charlotte, Detroit, New York, Orlando, and OKC as teams that could see a coaching change. I don't think OKC will make a change but I wouldn't mind giving Billy Donavon a look if they do let him go. If OKC somehow misses the playoffs then I could see him being let go, which is what the article mentions, but I doubt that happens.


https://www.sonicsrising.com/2018/3/11/17096830/nba-coaches-on-hot-seat-2018

 

[JCSunsfan]

Whoever gets this job gets to look like a real hero with the turn around that can be made next year. The Milwaukee job will come with expectations and if the team does well, Giannis will get the credit, not the coach.

Now. Is Fizdale a good coach or just a players’ buddy?

 

[Hoop Head]

Whoever gets this job gets to look like a real hero with the turn around that can be made next year. The Milwaukee job will come with expectations and if the team does well, Giannis will get the credit, not the coach.

Now. Is Fizdale a good coach or just a players’ buddy?

Fizdale was a long time assistant with Miami, from 2008-2016 when he was hired as the Grizzlies head coach. He was the top assistant in his last 2 seasons there, the 2014-15 & 2015-16 seasons when they went 37-45 and 48-34 respectively. Memphis went 43-39 with him as their coach last season and they were 7-12 when he was fired this year. They've gone 11-37 without him. That's going from a 36.8 winning percentage to 22.9. It's said he was fired because of Marc Gasol, who he benched during the 4th quarter of his final game as head coach. They'd just lost Mike Conley for the season a few games prior to his firing. Apparently he and Gasol clashed pretty badly and the team chose Gasol over him. Marc Gasol is good friends with the owner of the Grizzlies, which makes more sense why Fizdale was fired when he was. Memphis has a history of questionable coaching decisions, they fired Lionel Hollins after taking the team to the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history after having the best record in team history during the regular season, 56-26. Since then they've been in sort of a slow decline and went total freefall this year after Fizdale's firing.

Fizdale did take Memphis to the playoffs in his first and only full season there, losing to the Spurs 2-4 in the 1st round. He was brought in to speed up their offense and move away from the slow plodding pace they were known for with Gasol and Z-Bo in the frontcourt. He wasn't given a new roster to do that though, so he had to make do with what he had. Their pace didn't improve during his time there but their 3pt shooting % did go from 29th in the league to 17th on 10 more attempts a game. Since Gasol didn't buy into system I think it's safe to say that their pace was more because of the players rather than his system. He does preach defense, which may help the Suns. I think he'll be a good head coach wherever he ends up but I'm not sure how he'd fit with the Suns. I think he'd be ok since we don't have any stubborn players like Gasol who would slow things down. I know Chandler can't run but he shouldn't factor into how our system is designed.

Here is a good article on his firing from the Grizzlies....

http://www.nba.com/article/2017/12/...e-firing-memphis-grizzlies-fallout-marc-gasol

 

[Errntknght]

I'd be more than happy with Fizdale. I read an article recently about how to fix the Suns and the author started out by hiring Fizdale to coach the team. It stated it so matter-of-factly that I wondered if it was common speculation that McD was targetting him. Heck, I wished we'd have grabbed Hollins when the Griz weirdly fired him after a great season. One thing I like about Fizz is that he expects his players to learn and thinks it's his job to teach them. I have no idea whether McD would hire him since I've nothing about he and Fizdale having a prior relationship.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I'd be more than happy with Fizdale. I read an article recently about how to fix the Suns and the author started out by hiring Fizdale to coach the team. It stated it so matter-of-factly that I wondered if it was common speculation that McD was targetting him. Heck, I wished we'd have grabbed Hollins when the Griz weirdly fired him after a great season. One thing I like about Fizz is that he expects his players to learn and thinks it's his job to teach them. I have no idea whether McD would hire him since I've nothing about he and Fizdale having a prior relationship.

It appears that he may be one of the targets for the Suns.

http://arizonasports.com/story/1444447/report-suns-looking-david-fizdale-next-head-coach/

 

[Hoop Head]

McD doesn't have any ties to Fizdale but James Jones does. Jones played for him in Miami from 2008-2014 before Jones left for Cleveland in the 2014-15 season. Fizdale started his coaching career on Eric Musselman's staff in Golden State for the 2003-2004 season. He left to be Mike Woodson's assistant in Atlanta from 2004 through 2008. He joined the Heat's coaching staff as an assistant for Erik Spoelstra's first year as a head coach in 2008-09. He stayed there through 2016 when he got the Memphis head coach job. He was the lead assistant for the Heat in his final 2 years there, 2014-15 & 2015-16. I looked over his coaching history to see if he had coached either Chandler or Dudley previously since they've both played for a number of teams throughout their career but he has not. That's not an issue though, I was just curious.

That article that @CardsSunsDbacks linked speculates that Fizdale is also a contender for the Lakers head coaching job. The reasoning behind that is he is someone that could help recruit Lebron. Walton has done a good job there and if they fired him to hire Fizdale to court Lebron then the Suns should try to hire Walton. He's been good in LA and has had them playing really well throughout the last 2 months or so. Either Fizdale or Walton would make for solid coaches for the Suns going forward. I think Walton could be great if he got let go by LA because I imagine he'd want to get back at them for letting him go like that. What better way than to coach the Suns and play them 4 times a year?

 

[Western Font]

The case can definitely be made for Milwaukee as the more attractive job because of a top 5 talent in Giannis and the fact that the Bucks play in the east.

But the Suns shouldn't be much lower. Booker is the next tier; Jackson and Warren are solid pieces; Bender and Chriss, sad as would be to have neither high pick pan out, are on rookie deals; the Suns have a combo of cap room and picks; and we're not even factoring in this year's lottery selection.

Kevin O'Connor on Simmons' podcast basically made most of these points as well when questioning why people (incl. Simmons) were down on the Suns and McD. He did say we could give up on Chriss, unfortunately, though not Bender.

He also cited Phoenix as a good city, close to California and Vegas. That's clearly for the players: for coaches, I think Phoenix weather and recreation is attractive on its own. I also think some coaches would want to compete in the west.

The strike against still has to be skepticism of Sarver. But if it appears to be McD's ship, and the candidate likes McD, I think that can be mitigated, at least in the near term. I had a long post I abandoned in the McD thread, but the gist of it was that I am more interested in a premier coach than I am in replacing the GM. I've been impressed with his ability to deal, often from a position of disadvantage. And I've been intrigued with some of the moves that haven't panned out, so I'm not going to pretend otherwise.

 

[BC867]

No gimmick coaches anymore. Dan Majerle would be just another gimmick hire.

Jeff Hornacek was a gimmick hire, with his mild mannered disposition and no Head Coaching experience.

Dan Majerle has solid experience as Head Coach and especially, as a college coach, with young players for this predominantly young Suns team. And he has matured greatly since his days as a player.

I'd be curious to hear your reaction to that vs. just calling him a gimmick hire. With his coaching history, should it be held against him that he is also a Suns legend?

 

[JCSunsfan]

We need a coach who can handle very young players. A coach that is used to dealing with vets will likely fail (ala Hornacek). We need a coach who can develop talent and get wins. That is why I think I would want Jay Wright if we can get him. He has a long resume as a head coach and is a winner wherever he goes. The kids he coaches every year now are the same age as the players presently on this team. He wins with play on the court, not with recruiting.

Fizdale might be a good coach, but I think I prefer Wright for these reasons.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Jeff Hornacek was a gimmick hire, with his mild mannered disposition and no Head Coaching experience.

Dan Majerle has solid experience as Head Coach and especially, as a college coach, with young players for this predominantly young Suns team. And he has matured greatly since his days as a player.

I'd be curious to hear your reaction to that vs. just calling him a gimmick hire. With his coaching history, should it be held against him that he is also a Suns legend?

BC. I have mentioned this before. You cannot judge Horny's disposition by the "paperboy" comments Cotton made years ago. First Cotton made those comments about his LOOKS not disposition. Second, it is clearly not his disposition. Horny gets into it with players. His is not mild mannered. I think Horny's problem is that he expects players to act like professionals and in today's NBA they just don't. He had plenty of experience and was ready, career-wise, to step into a head coaching job.

I think Majerle would be a gimmick local hire. I do not see a few years coaching at Grand Canyon, with no post-season experience anywhere, as enough.

 

[Mainstreet]

No gimmick coaches anymore. Dan Majerle would be just another gimmick hire.

Especially after the Hornacek experience. I like Hornacek but I do not want to go that route again.

Hope the Suns do not decide to hire James Jones as Head Coach. It would be so like the Suns.

 

[BC867]

As you guys have posted, and as I considered in including Majerle, we need a Head Coach who has solid experience coaching young players, no matter who he is.

 

[JCSunsfan]

As you guys have posted, and as I considered in including Majerle, we need a Head Coach who has solid experience coaching young players, no matter who he is.

I think we are agreed on what we need. Having the conversation is helpful about who might best fill the need. I get what you are saying about Majerle, I just think there should be better choices.

 

[BC867]

I think we are agreed on what we need. Having the conversation is helpful about who might best fill the need. I get what you are saying about Majerle, I just think there should be better choices.

Thanks, JC. I'm OK with that.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

We need a coach who can handle very young players. A coach that is used to dealing with vets will likely fail (ala Hornacek). We need a coach who can develop talent and get wins. That is why I think I would want Jay Wright if we can get him. He has a long resume as a head coach and is a winner wherever he goes. The kids he coaches every year now are the same age as the players presently on this team. He wins with play on the court, not with recruiting.

Fizdale might be a good coach, but I think I prefer Wright for these reasons.

Get Jay Wright and move back into the top 10 and get Mikal Bridges. Both of those would be good moves IMO and it also brings in rookie who is already very familiar with his system.

 

[SirStefan32]

Jeff Hornacek was a gimmick hire, with his mild mannered disposition and no Head Coaching experience.

Dan Majerle has solid experience as Head Coach and especially, as a college coach, with young players for this predominantly young Suns team. And he has matured greatly since his days as a player.

I'd be curious to hear your reaction to that vs. just calling him a gimmick hire. With his coaching history, should it be held against him that he is also a Suns legend?

Come on man, he's been coaching GCU. If he were coaching Kentuky or Duke, that would be real experience. No offense to you locals, but GCU is not impressive at all.

 

[BC867]

Come on man, he's been coaching GCU. If he were coaching Kentuky or Duke, that would be real experience. No offense to you locals, but GCU is not impressive at all.

My emphasis, as I've posted, is to hire a Head Coach with the experience of working with a very young team of players. Someone with better credentials to go with that experience would be great! Someone without that experience would not.

If it comes down to Sarver and money, there is certainly room for doubt that he would hire such a coach who comes from coaching Kentucky or Duke.

And, uh, "you locals"??? Are you insinuating that because the Suns are part of our community, we can't look at things rationally? Ouch!

 

[SirStefan32]

My emphasis, as I've posted, is to hire a Head Coach with the experience of working with a very young team of players. Someone with better credentials to go with that experience would be great! Someone without that experience would not.

If it comes down to Sarver and money, there is certainly room for doubt that he would hire such a coach who comes from coaching Kentucky or Duke.

And, uh, "you locals"??? Are you insinuating that because the Suns are part of our community, we can't look at things rationally? Ouch!

No, not at all. I just know people like their local teams. God help you if you say anything bad about Penn State here, What I am saying is that being a coach of GCU is not very impressive. It's like interviewing someone for a Supervisor or a Manager position and receiving a resume that boasts about three years of experience at managing a local McDonalds. No thanks, I'll interview the five people who have managed something for a Fortune 150 companies.