Grading McDonough

[Superbone]

What do you think of the job McDonough has done with our Suns so far? My takes below.

Year 1: A

His first year with the Suns I give him a solid A. I was very happy with the Hornacek hiring, the Green and Plumlee acquisition. Wasn't sure about the Dudley/Bledsoe trade but it seemed to have a very positive effect on the team. I understood the Gortat dumping for salary reasons. The Len pick had some question marks but I'm really happy the way he's turned out. We had a huge turnaround from the previous year. The team culture improved tremendously and we were winning games.

Year 2: F

Edit: Downgraded to a solid F. His treatment of Dragic was pathetic. What a way to reward the most improved player and third team all-NBA player.

The IT3 acquisition was a great value get but it has really messed with team chemistry. Losing Frye seems to have hurt the team as well but I understand not wanting to pay him what he got in Orlando. I'm not happy the way the team bowed down to Bledsoe's demands. It did and still does seem like an over payment in spite of the new TV deal. Team chemistry has noticeably declined. I liked the Wright acquisition. I don't mind the Morris deals but I don't like how the two are joined at the hip. I'm not a huge fan of Marcus at the three. I REALLY don't like how Dragic has been marginalized.

Overall: D

Edit: The Dragic debacle knocks his overall down as well.

Year 2 hasn't completed so it's a partial grade and there is still time to improve it but overall I'm not really happy with year two so far. It's looking like playoffs are probably out of the picture now but I'm not really concerned with that. I'm more concerned with the team improving from year to year and continuing to get stronger and making a long term push for greatness. I'm hoping that McDonough can still do some things this year to push his overall rating to a B in my mind.

[Sunsfan4life]

There is 4 aspects to building a team.
Draft
FA
Trades
Coach

I didn't like the Marcus Morris,Tucker or Bledsoe contracts. I'm fine with Markieffs and like 'Bone stated IT2,although he hasn't fit in that well, was a nice value contract. Fine with it. He needed to do a better job of finding another big in the off-season as well.

So I'd say when it comes to signing or re-signing FA's I'd give him a "C-".

Every trade he's made I've liked at the time. He fleeced the Clippers for Bledsoe and Acquired a young piece,current piece and first for Scola. That was a fleecing as well. I liked the Wright Move and at the time liked the Gortat move although Gortat has looked good in Wash. So for Trades I'd give him an "A".

Drafting....Len looks like a really good pick, Goodwin has talent but is TBD, I liked Warren, but obviously thats still TBD. I hated the Ennis pick. I liked Bogdanovic and Brown. I was mad we passed on Kyle Anderson and Gary Harris. So for drafting I'd say he gets a B with a lot of TBD's left.

Coaching: Hornecek isn't Pat Riley but I think he has been a fine coach. Maybe can be a bit better in the Xs and Os cat, but I like his demanor and the players seem to play hard for him. So for choosing a coach at the time, he gets a B+ for choosing a guy like Hornecek for a young team.

FA C-
Draft B
Trades A
Choosing a Coach: B+

[SDC]

not trading for gasol (using okafor + 1 late 1st rounder) has convinced me this guy is an amateur.

[AmareIsGod]

not trading for gasol (using okafor + 1 late 1st rounder) has convinced me this guy is an amateur.

Because we know what the Suns did and didn't offer as well as what the Lakers wanted for Gasol.

[TOO]

not trading for gasol (using okafor + 1 late 1st rounder) has convinced me this guy is an amateur.

Because we know what the Suns did and didn't offer as well as what the Lakers wanted for Gasol.

You're talking to a brick wall.

[iLLmatic]

Laker fans and SDC seem to know however.

[Mori Chu]

Interesting discussion and good idea for a thread. I overall am pretty satisfied with McD's job. I think the biggest thing he did wrong was overpay Bledsoe. Eric Bledsoe had almost no negotiating power. You want to leave, Eric? Fine, leave. We have Dragic, IT, and Ennis. Bye. They sweat him out with that long delay, and that seemed like it'd get him to take a reasonable offer. And then McD comes out and pays him a big contract. I don't think he's ridiculously/grossly overpaid, but I wish we had locked him up at a lower amount.

I think signing the Morrii was a good thing and that the deal is reasonable overall. I think letting Frye go was the right thing to do. I think drafting Warren and Ennis was fine, even though they aren't getting minutes so far.

Giving PJ Tucker that contract may have been a big mistake. He almost immediately started getting in trouble with the law and got suspended. He is a decent player but doesn't know his limitations. He's regressed this year.

I think overall McD has done a great job on trades. Getting Bledsoe for Dudley? Amazing. Getting Wright and Bullock for basically nothing? Superb. No complaints there. And we seem to be active as we head into the trade deadline, so we'll see what comes of that.

It's easy to criticize a GM based on what they didn't do or what they maybe should have done. But we don't always know what constraints they were under, what other teams were offering or asking for, etc. I think overall Ryan McDonough has done a really nice job here and I support him.

Having said all of that, the work is NOT done. This is not a roster that can win a championship, so if McD wants to get us there, he still has to make multiple savvy moves and drafts.

[ShelC]

McD's a technical GM. He's a guy who knows the ropes, knows the rules, can make smaller savvy deals that maybe guys like Kerr, Blanks and Babby couldn't.

The signings...they're polarizing. I think given the situation, signing Bledsoe was the right move. The Morris Bros...not so much. PJ Tucker...not so much. I understand them but I still wouldn't have made those commitments.

[SDC]

McD's a technical GM. He's a guy who knows the ropes, knows the rules, can make smaller savvy deals that maybe guys like Kerr, Blanks and Babby couldn't.

The signings...they're polarizing. I think given the situation, signing Bledsoe was the right move. The Morris Bros...not so much. PJ Tucker...not so much. I understand them but I still wouldn't have made those commitments.

how do you explain him drafting ennis, then signing IT, then signing bledsoe, with dragic still on board?

[ShelC]

I think Ennis was taken with the intention of a trade. IT was leverage/insurance against Bledsoe. And I also think McD is from the school of "retain/obtain as many assets as you can". Hence the reasonable deals with IT, the Morri, PJ. It's not like he threw a bunch of money out there or really overpaid for anyone. At least IMO.

[Ring_Wanted]

Mixed bag this year, in terms of value and performance.

Can't complain when he gets something out of Shavlik.

I specifically wanted to shop around with cap space and Minni's seconds and that's exactly what they did. Hard to beat using that 'package' to get one of the most efficient big men in the L, even if it's a rental.

IT3 has backfired on the court, though. Time to pawn off this asset.

Ennis was a waste of a pick the second the Raptors wouldn't trade for him, but next season he could have a place in a Ish type or role.

Warren was a prospect I really wanted after getting word that he could defend, so I am glad he grabbed him. I will always wonder what would have happened if we would have taken Nurkic #14. Could see Warren lasting to #18, but also gone to the Hawks or Bulls/Nuggets.

Seeing how Adreian Payne was traded for a protected 1stR, I would have tried to acquire him.

Twins: Kieff is a pretty good contract. Marcus, not so much, but is not bad either; just an average player making average money. It's their head on and off the court what is undermining those signings to me, and if I were the GM I'd put them out there to see what can get me, this deadline and in the summer. In the meanwhile, as stated a couple of times, I would also work on acquiring a better fit for the starting unit and making Markieff a 6thMOY.

Tucker: Wanted him back. Third year not fully guaranteed is good for the team as a way to compensate the probably excessive 5.5M per. Still, his performance has disappointed me. After a nice start making 3s, his %s are down, but above all so is his defense. Still hustles but he is out of shape and has had off the court troubles. Should have been a real leader. At this point I want to send him to a team that needs a 3D SF, which shouldn't be hard to find. Would also open playing time for Warren and maybe Bullock.


Regarding this week:
If we part ways with Dragic I am 99% sure I'll be livid and will consider a vacation from Suns stuff.
If we don't end up with a better balanced roster after the deadline, I am 100% I'll be disappointed.

Thomas, Tucker, Plumlee, Green (maybe Ennis too) should be actively shopped, and the goal should be alleviating the books while reducing the logjams. I could do without similar talent/production/value back as I'd bank on addition by substraction and open opportunities for the remaining kids.

[Mori Chu]

Mixed bag this year, in terms of value and performance.

...

Regarding this week:
If we part ways with Dragic I am 99% sure I'll be livid and will consider a vacation from Suns stuff.
If we don't end up with a better balanced roster after the deadline, I am 100% I'll be disappointed.

I want them to make moves and improve the roster, too, but I won't be mad or stop watching if they don't manage to do it by this trade deadline. It's a limited window of time and you can't always line up the deal you want. I don't want them to rush into a bad deal just to make a change. If they need until this offseason to make major fixes, so be it.

[JCSunsfan]

What do you think of the job McDonough has done with our Suns so far? My takes below.

Year 1: A

His first year with the Suns I give him a solid A. I was very happy with the Hornacek hiring, the Green and Plumlee acquisition. Wasn't sure about the Dudley/Bledsoe trade but it seemed to have a very positive effect on the team. I understood the Gortat dumping for salary reasons. The Len pick had some question marks but I'm really happy the way he's turned out. We had a huge turnaround from the previous year. The team culture improved tremendously and we were winning games.

Year 2: D

The IT3 acquisition was a great value get but it has really messed with team chemistry. Losing Frye seems to have hurt the team as well but I understand not wanting to pay him what he got in Orlando. I'm not happy the way the team bowed down to Bledsoe's demands. It did and still does seem like an over payment in spite of the new TV deal. Team chemistry has noticeably declined. I liked the Wright acquisition. I don't mind the Morris deals but I don't like how the two are joined at the hip. I'm not a huge fan of Marcus at the three. I REALLY don't like how Dragic has been marginalized.

Overall: C+

Year 2 hasn't completed so it's a partial grade and there is still time to improve it but overall I'm not really happy with year two so far. It's looking like playoffs are probably out of the picture now but I'm not really concerned with that. I'm more concerned with the team improving from year to year and continuing to get stronger and making a long term push for greatness. I'm hoping that McDonough can still do some things this year to push his overall rating to a B in my mind.

On any test, you are graded on a percentage of POSSIBLE points. How in the world was there anything more that McD could have done that could get him such a low grade for year two? Other than let Bledsoe walk? If he had signed Frye, he would be graded low for paying him too much. I am just curious what moves would have gotten him an A grade for year two. What is the standard against which you are grading him?

[Ring_Wanted]

Mixed bag this year, in terms of value and performance.

...

Regarding this week:
If we part ways with Dragic I am 99% sure I'll be livid and will consider a vacation from Suns stuff.
If we don't end up with a better balanced roster after the deadline, I am 100% I'll be disappointed.

I want them to make moves and improve the roster, too, but I won't be mad or stop watching if they don't manage to do it by this trade deadline. It's a limited window of time and you can't always line up the deal you want. I don't want them to rush into a bad deal just to make a change. If they need until this offseason to make major fixes, so be it.

I'll be disappointed if the logjams are not fixed to some extent, but not mad to the point I'd stop watching. That would probably happen if they move Dragic, unless the return was too good to refuse, which it won't.

Still, no matter how you cut it the team has proven over and over again that its game is less than the sum of its parts, and that needs to be fixed as soon as possible, even at the expense of value in trades (as long as we clear up salary).

Individually almost everybody's season is salvageable at least, but the whole is a real letdown.

There is a number of guys who I believe that need to be gone, or at least that could use a change of scenario.

If bigger stuff like Gibson, Lee, West, etc can't be done, I can't believe nobody would want to take PJ or Thomas for expirings and a protected pick, for instance, and if such deal was there, I'd pull the trigger.

The twins is a more complex situation but like I said I'd put out feelers, and if I could get a prospect I like plus filler and one extra asset, I'd move them too. Their behavior has left a lot to be desired and I can't take that when they are nothing special to begin with. Guys like Stauskas or Vonleh, for instance. Payne too if he wasn't traded already.

One protected 1stR gets you Plumlee, and I wouldn't mind using him as a sweetener to facilitate a move.

On the other hand, I want to keep the Bledsoe-Dragic backcourt, Green (only if he becomes the only microwave off the bench) and the kids. Wouldn't be the least mad if that's all we had left after the deadline, plus protected picks and expiring/shorter contracts.

[OE32]

My grade for McD is A.

He could have done better than Len in the draft, because he could have traded down and grabbed Gobert and Giannis

He traded Dudley and a second rounder for Bled.

He got one draft pick for Gortat, which might not seem like much for a guy who's played so well, but that was also the only first round draft pick traded last season, IIRC, so not as easy a feat as it may seem.

I thought he knocked last year's draft out of the park: grabbed all the BPA's, regardless of position (I like McGary and Jordan Adams, too, as well as Kyle Anderson, so maybe not BPA's, but that's what the staff was doing in principle and I don't have good reason to doubt).

He's re-signed everyone to valuable, tradeable contracts, retaining every possible avenue to more first round draft picks.

He signed IT, which in my view was and remains a coup.

Dragic may be on his way out, but - and this is the reason I give him an A while others give him low grades - I think it's in the long-term best interest of the team. Too much money for not enough production, little chance he'll grow with the team, and he doesn't do many things other than score.

Basically, steady asset accumulation and tremendous talent acquisition through the draft. You want my eyes on the screen, that's how you get it.

[INFORMER]

I'm glad someone is enjoying this.

[Ring_Wanted]

I thought he knocked last year's draft out of the park: grabbed all the BPA's, regardless of position (I like McGary and Jordan Adams, too, as well as Kyle Anderson, so maybe not BPA's, but that's what the staff was doing in principle and I don't have good reason to doubt).

Can't agree here. Warren, sure, but Ennis was questionable at the time and it only got worse after IT.

He signed IT, which in my view was and remains a coup.

Can't agree with this either, considering the impact he has had on our game. His individual production is there, of course.

Dragic may be on his way out, but - and this is the reason I give him an A while others give him low grades - I think it's in the long-term best interest of the team. Too much money for not enough production, little chance he'll grow with the team, and he doesn't do many things other than score.

And I can't subscribe this at all.

Basically, steady asset accumulation and tremendous talent acquisition through the draft. You want my eyes on the screen, that's how you get it.

Funny, because my eyes are far from pleased with what they have seen this season. The state of the books/assets portfolio is good, although not as impressive as say Boston or Minni. But let's also remember that a big reason as to why we can make such claim is because his predecessor acquired the LAL pick.

But the books don't play on the court so my opinion depends on what he does with those assets, for which he still has some days left.

I am not so happy with spending on Tucker, the twins and Thomas and not retaining Frye. Elite two man game is not easy to come by.

[OE32]

I thought he knocked last year's draft out of the park: grabbed all the BPA's, regardless of position (I like McGary and Jordan Adams, too, as well as Kyle Anderson, so maybe not BPA's, but that's what the staff was doing in principle and I don't have good reason to doubt).

Can't agree here. Warren, sure, but Ennis was questionable at the time and it only got worse after IT.

I respect your posts, Ring, but you do know what BPA means, don't you?

He signed IT, which in my view was and remains a coup.

Can't agree with this either, considering the impact he has had on our game. His individual production is there, of course.

I think he's worth at least a first round pick. I don't think he's devalued the players on our roster, but rather that he has given other teams reason to think we have to move our players even if we think they're good.

I am not so happy with spending on Tucker, the twins and Thomas and not retaining Frye. Elite two man game is not easy to come by.

I'm sure we could trade Thomas for Frye if we wanted, but it's not like that was a championship combo, and Frye at that money doesn't have value in trade. I'm looking at this from a liquid prospective. McD's making us rich.

I also think we're in better shape than Boston. Minny? Tough standard to match. They swung the deal of the decade, IMO. Imagine if the Sixers had managed to trade Barkley for rookie Shaq. I don't think Wiggins is Shaq, but then, Love isn't Barkley. And they're not without problems - I'm not a big fan of their bigs. I also like TJ more than perhaps is reasonable at this point.

[Sunsfan4life]

Can't agree here. Warren, sure, but Ennis was questionable at the time and it only got worse after IT.

Just a difference of opinion I think. I don't think Ennis was the BPA available at the time and I think we missed on guys who had a much higher ceiling then he does. I think this was Ryan's worse pick in his 2 years here by far. But I disagree with those who think the suns had a deal in place with Toronto, I legit think they felt he was BPA.

[OE32]

I'm glad someone is enjoying this.

Hey, Alec Brown debut tonight!