Brad Cesmat
The Suns hire Cleveland Cavs assistant Jordan Ott as the new head coach. Catch your attention? Didn’t think so…
Here’s how it goes in the Valley of the Sun with head coaches of our hometown heroes on the hardwood.
*press conference where new guy will be hailed as the right choice to lead the franchise
*our industry hailing that the Suns made a brilliant hire
*new guy lasts two/three years max
Rinse, repeat.
Why should I trust Planet Orange to get it right this time around, when the last two guys didn’t make it through the waiting period to contribute to their 401K ? Why would you interview 15 candidates? 15! Unless you waited for the Cavaliers to get eliminated from the postseason and put on the dog and pony show until Ott was free.
This isn’t a bad hire or a great hire. This is simply a line in the transaction page. Ott gets to be the head coach, and the Suns get…well… we’re not exactly sure. Just because someone is known as a strong communicator doesn’t mean they can cut it as a head coach. In the NBA, the players run the show. Even during Ott’s hiring, ESPN reported that Devin Booker was involved in the search and approved the hire. Was Booker on board with Frank Vogel and Coach Bud?
Let’s review the new GM brought in just 33 days ago. Brian Gregory hired his first head coach, and now he will be trading Kevin Durant before the 4th of July. Is the new GM any good? Is he just a name and face being told from above what to do and who to do it with?
The owner will likely put his mortgage company’s name on the arena at some point this summer. Durant will be gone and we will hear terms like “fresh start”, “turn the page”, and “new beginnings”. “Rising from the Ashes? ” might be more appropriate as the marketing campaign gears up later this summer…
