“Mat Ishbia Vows to Nail Next Suns Coach Hire Amidst Fan Frenzy: ‘We Will Get It Right This Time!'”
You know, the Phoenix Suns have always been a bit of an enigma in the NBA scene, wouldn’t you agree? This isn’t just my sports writer intuition kicking in; it’s hard cold fact. Mat Ishbia, the team’s owner, seems to be grappling with the same confusing revelation: what indeed is the basketball identity of this squad?
From my perspective, identity isn’t just about who you are, but also how you’re perceived. And let’s face it, the Suns’ identity has been as clear as mud the last few seasons. Ishbia, in what might’ve been a stroke of genius or a desperate plea for clarity, recently decided to oust Coach Mike Budenholzer, putting the proverbial bus into reverse and driving it directly over the man’s reputation in an interview that raised eyebrows and questions alike.
Here are some of the sound bites that left an impression:
“We got to get the next hire right and we will,” Ishbia proclaimed at the team’s practice facility. Now, I get it, owners can’t publicly throw their hands up and say it’s the roster’s fault, especially when so much talent has been poured into the team.
“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here,” he continued, carefully, but it’s hard not to wonder if “a lot of reasons” isn’t just a polite way to sidestep the real issue.
“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball,” Ishbia added. I’d chuckle at the implication here – grimy and tough? That’s a far cry from the finesse basketball we’ve seen. But perhaps, that’s what the Phoenix faithful crave – a rugged, unyielding spirit on the court.
Now, as someone who’s seen basketball coaches come and go, there’s a fine line between accountability and scapegoating. Budenholzer had his moments, sure, but without a Building the team around a unique culture or identity, his fit was always going to be questioned.
So, as we stand on this precipice of another coaching change, with the rumor mill gearing up for KD trades and a potential Bradley Beal shuffle, one must wonder: what’s next for the Suns, and who will embody this elusive identity?
“We’re going to look for someone that fits the vision of Phoenix Suns basketball,” Ishbia said. “Someone who is going to live out exactly what I’m talking about. Someone who is a little bit grimy, a little bit tough. Have a little bit of that in them.”A few thoughts on Ishbia’s words.Who are the Phoenix Suns? What is their basketball identity?“There’s a lot of reasons why Coach Bud is not here. I’m not going to get into all those reasons, but definitely believe we should’ve won a lot more games and been a lot more competitive during those games as well,” Ishbia said. “Wish him the best, but it was the wrong coach for our organization and for that team and at the end of the day, you can blame me for it because I’m the owner…• Throwing Budenholzer under the bus will play well with fans, and, more importantly, in the locker room and with guys like Booker, who had friction with Coach Bud.
It’s okay if you don’t have the answer to that question, neither does team owner Mat Ishbia — and he is part of the reason that identity hasn’t formed. Of course, it’s better for him politically to throw fired coach Mike Budenholzer under the bus, so that happened, too, in a lengthy interview with Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Here are a few highlights of what Ishbia said.“We got to get the next hire right and we will,” Ishbia said at the team’s practice facility. “The team and the roster that was constructed by (Suns general manager James Jones and CEO Josh Bartelstein), scouts, the front office is much better than a 36-win roster.• While the coaches are on a revolving door, the front office of Jones and Bartelstein appear safe. Is it wise to let the guys who helped build out this failed roster retool it?• We’ll see which “a little bit grimy, a little bit tough” coach the Suns go with, but maybe it is time to go with one of the top assistants in the league, rather than a bigger name coach.• The Suns also will try to trade Bradley Beal this summer, but with his big contract and no-trade clause, that’s a much tougher sell.
• More than a new coach, this roster needs an overhaul. Kevin Durant will almost certainly be traded this summer, although the question is where (Houston, with its deep supply of draft picks and young talent, is the preferred destination for Phoenix, but Marc Stein reports that the Rockets are not thrilled about adding a 37-year-old KD to their young core). Miami might have interest, and there are others. But the market for KD — and the contract extension he wants and expects — may not be as deep as the Suns and Durant hope.• The Suns’ lack of an identity can be directly tied to the way Ishbia pushed his front office to add talent in a fantasy basketball way rather than a thoughtful building out of a roster. The result was evident on the court, and it’s not all the coach’s fault. Or coaches. Budenholzer has a ring and has won at the highest levels with teams built for his style of play. The same goes for Frank Vogel, who was fired before him. Then there was Monty Williams, who took this team to the NBA Finals but was fired by Ishbia when he first bought the team. See the pattern here?• Ishbia is right that Budenholzer proved to be a poor fit for this team. He did not connect with the veterans, including Devin Booker, who this franchise plans to rebuild around.
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