Suns fire Head Coach Igor Kokoskov

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

[O_Gardino]

tj, ayton, jimmer, tyler johnson, bridges, oubre, jamal can shoot.

You forgot our best shooter: Daniels. And what is with your infatuation with Jimmer? He's been a big zero thus far.

This is just silly. TJ only played half the year. Ayton didn't shoot more than 1 three all year. Jimmer? Really? Tyler shot 32%, Bridges shot 33%, Oubre shot 32%, and Jamal shot 33% from 3 this year. TJ and Daniels are the only guys that shot above 35% from 3. We need at least 3-4 rotation players shooting about 37%, and 2 that can hit in the upper 30s/low 40s.

Maybe I've gone over to the dark side, but I'm with SDC on this one. There was plenty of good shooting on the roster throughout the season. The Suns just never figured out how to create open shots in the offense.

There were 99 guys in the league this year that took over 200 3s and made at least 35% of them. Zero were on the Suns. Anytime you can't have any of the top 100 guys in the league at a particular skill on your team, your are not well-constructed in that area. There are only 30 teams--you should have at least 2 or them, if not 3.

Winning teams generate open, makeable shots at the 3pt line. We didn't. But it's not because we went into the season with nobody on the roster who can make an open shot.

On opening night we had Booker, Daniels, Ariza, Anderson, and Bender, the worst of whom shot .368 last season. Add to them Bridges, who was supposed to be and nba ready 3&d guy, and Warren and Jackson, who were supposed to have worked on their shots all summer, and you've got a team who should have 3 guys on the floor at all times who are good shooters.

It wasn't the shooters, it was the shot creation. And some of that rests on Igor's shoulders.

[Superbone]

You forgot our best shooter: Daniels. And what is with your infatuation with Jimmer? He's been a big zero thus far.

This is just silly. TJ only played half the year. Ayton didn't shoot more than 1 three all year. Jimmer? Really? Tyler shot 32%, Bridges shot 33%, Oubre shot 32%, and Jamal shot 33% from 3 this year. TJ and Daniels are the only guys that shot above 35% from 3. We need at least 3-4 rotation players shooting about 37%, and 2 that can hit in the upper 30s/low 40s.

Maybe I've gone over to the dark side, but I'm with SDC on this one. There was plenty of good shooting on the roster throughout the season. The Suns just never figured out how to create open shots in the offense.

There were 99 guys in the league this year that took over 200 3s and made at least 35% of them. Zero were on the Suns. Anytime you can't have any of the top 100 guys in the league at a particular skill on your team, your are not well-constructed in that area. There are only 30 teams--you should have at least 2 or them, if not 3.

Winning teams generate open, makeable shots at the 3pt line. We didn't. But it's not because we went into the season with nobody on the roster who can make an open shot.

On opening night we had Booker, Daniels, Ariza, Anderson, and Bender, the worst of whom shot .368 last season. Add to them Bridges, who was supposed to be and nba ready 3&d guy, and Warren and Jackson, who were supposed to have worked on their shots all summer, and you've got a team who should have 3 guys on the floor at all times who are good shooters.

It wasn't the shooters, it was the shot creation. And some of that rests on Igor's shoulders.

I agree that it's somewhere in between. One will shoot a better percentage if they're getting open, unforced shots. The offense wasn't providing enough of those. But then maybe some of that was because there weren't enough good shooters on the floor at the same time so the defense could concentrate on the one or two that were.

[Cap]

I don't think I have ever said this before, but Chuck is right. This is a dumpster fire. Our FO is a joke, in line with the Kings.

BUT... for anyone just looking at Sarver, don't think Booker wasn't asked about the firings of Watson, Triano, or Igor before they happened.

You're going to put this on Booker? Really?

Not putting it on him at all. Just saying that he likely supported the firing of all of them. You can't just look at Sarver. Maybe they were all good firings, but if that is the case, you need to look at the decision makers bringing them in. With as much the team talks about Booker being our face of the franchise and our cornerstone, do you think he was asked about each coach before hiring and before firing? Or are they just playing him lip-service?

All good questions. I am wondering how much say he has in hirings. Like you said, that's the bigger issue. Why aren't we hiring any coaches with any staying ability. Something is wrong in the coaching evaluation process.

Sarver seems like one of those owners who measures his manhood by how often he fires people. Maybe he likes bringing guys in who are easy to fire. Low salary is a big part of that, since you generally have to keep paying them after you fire them.

[Superbone]

You're going to put this on Booker? Really?

Not putting it on him at all. Just saying that he likely supported the firing of all of them. You can't just look at Sarver. Maybe they were all good firings, but if that is the case, you need to look at the decision makers bringing them in. With as much the team talks about Booker being our face of the franchise and our cornerstone, do you think he was asked about each coach before hiring and before firing? Or are they just playing him lip-service?

All good questions. I am wondering how much say he has in hirings. Like you said, that's the bigger issue. Why aren't we hiring any coaches with any staying ability. Something is wrong in the coaching evaluation process.

Sarver seems like one of those owners who measures his manhood by how often he fires people. Maybe he likes bringing guys in who are easy to fire. Low salary is a big part of that, since you generally have to keep paying them after you fire them.

Could be. Sounds like the guy in the highest office of the United States right now. Also, when you are unwilling to hire an established coach, this is the likely outcome. They're just throwing darts and hoping one of them sticks.

[jonh]

Maybe if Josh Jackson wasn't consistently one of the worst players in the league, he might not be dealing with this problem. Im fine with almost any other player besides Jackson whining about this. One thing is for sure, Bender will not be on the roster next year (for better or worse).

[jonh]

You're going to put this on Booker? Really?

Not putting it on him at all. Just saying that he likely supported the firing of all of them. You can't just look at Sarver. Maybe they were all good firings, but if that is the case, you need to look at the decision makers bringing them in. With as much the team talks about Booker being our face of the franchise and our cornerstone, do you think he was asked about each coach before hiring and before firing? Or are they just playing him lip-service?

All good questions. I am wondering how much say he has in hirings. Like you said, that's the bigger issue. Why aren't we hiring any coaches with any staying ability. Something is wrong in the coaching evaluation process.

Sarver seems like one of those owners who measures his manhood by how often he fires people. Maybe he likes bringing guys in who are easy to fire. Low salary is a big part of that, since you generally have to keep paying them after you fire them.

Could be. Sounds like the guy in the highest office of the United States right now. Also, when you are unwilling to hire an established coach, this is the likely outcome. They're just throwing darts and hoping one of them sticks.

Both the presidency and the Suns are actively trying to decrease their Eastern European connections. So they've got that going for them.

[Superbone]

Not putting it on him at all. Just saying that he likely supported the firing of all of them. You can't just look at Sarver. Maybe they were all good firings, but if that is the case, you need to look at the decision makers bringing them in. With as much the team talks about Booker being our face of the franchise and our cornerstone, do you think he was asked about each coach before hiring and before firing? Or are they just playing him lip-service?

All good questions. I am wondering how much say he has in hirings. Like you said, that's the bigger issue. Why aren't we hiring any coaches with any staying ability. Something is wrong in the coaching evaluation process.

Sarver seems like one of those owners who measures his manhood by how often he fires people. Maybe he likes bringing guys in who are easy to fire. Low salary is a big part of that, since you generally have to keep paying them after you fire them.

Could be. Sounds like the guy in the highest office of the United States right now. Also, when you are unwilling to hire an established coach, this is the likely outcome. They're just throwing darts and hoping one of them sticks.

Both the presidency and the Suns are actively trying to decrease their Eastern European connections. So they've got that going for them.

LOL!

[Indy]

You forgot our best shooter: Daniels. And what is with your infatuation with Jimmer? He's been a big zero thus far.

This is just silly. TJ only played half the year. Ayton didn't shoot more than 1 three all year. Jimmer? Really? Tyler shot 32%, Bridges shot 33%, Oubre shot 32%, and Jamal shot 33% from 3 this year. TJ and Daniels are the only guys that shot above 35% from 3. We need at least 3-4 rotation players shooting about 37%, and 2 that can hit in the upper 30s/low 40s.

Maybe I've gone over to the dark side, but I'm with SDC on this one. There was plenty of good shooting on the roster throughout the season. The Suns just never figured out how to create open shots in the offense.

There were 99 guys in the league this year that took over 200 3s and made at least 35% of them. Zero were on the Suns. Anytime you can't have any of the top 100 guys in the league at a particular skill on your team, your are not well-constructed in that area. There are only 30 teams--you should have at least 2 or them, if not 3.

Winning teams generate open, makeable shots at the 3pt line. We didn't. But it's not because we went into the season with nobody on the roster who can make an open shot.

On opening night we had Booker, Daniels, Ariza, Anderson, and Bender, the worst of whom shot .368 last season. Add to them Bridges, who was supposed to be and nba ready 3&d guy, and Warren and Jackson, who were supposed to have worked on their shots all summer, and you've got a team who should have 3 guys on the floor at all times who are good shooters.

It wasn't the shooters, it was the shot creation. And some of that rests on Igor's shoulders.

On wide open 3PAs this year (no defender within 6 feet) we shot 35.5% from 3. Only the Lakers were worse.

On 3PAs with a defender 4-6 feet away, we shot 31.9%--Only MEM, CHI, DAL were worse.

We took 2400 threes this year, and 2085 of them were with a defender at least 4 feet away, and most of those were at +6 feet away. We only made 34.3% of them. That is on the players, not on the coaches.

If you want to say that we should have got more than 85% of our 3s wide open, then sure, put that on the coaches. But the shots were there. We just kept missing them.

[SDC]

id try calipari or pitino. this is a young team after all. disgraced pitino seems gettable.

[JeremyG]

Any chance Mike D'Antoni gets fired if he loses in the second round to the Warriors?

[carey]

Any chance Mike D'Antoni gets fired if he loses in the second round to the Warriors?

That is a really good question, Jeremy. I don't know the answer of course but it makes you think. Do you hold off on Monty knowing that waiting likely means he takes the L.A. job? Or do you hire Monty now and then miss out on D'Antoni if he is fired by the Rockets?

[JeremyG]

Any chance Mike D'Antoni gets fired if he loses in the second round to the Warriors?

That is a really good question, Jeremy. I don't know the answer of course but it makes you think. Do you hold off on Monty knowing that waiting likely means he takes the L.A. job? Or do you hire Monty now and then miss out on D'Antoni if he is fired by the Rockets?

It would be nice if the Lakers just choose Lue as their coach. Lue does have a second interview with them tomorrow.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Any chance Mike D'Antoni gets fired if he loses in the second round to the Warriors?

0% chance.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Last year it was Mike Budenholzer who used the Suns as leverage to get the job he really wanted, now it's Monty Williams.

There's an easy way to figure out who'll be hired. Who's the cheapest and thereby the least experienced candidate? He's the guy.

[JeremyG]

Any chance Mike D'Antoni gets fired if he loses in the second round to the Warriors?

0% chance.

What if they get swept? I could see him getting fired.

[JeremyG]

Gambo says Dave Joerger is not an option for Suns.

[Indy]

Gambo says Dave Joerger is not an option for Suns.

Yeah, he would demand too much, and he is vocal. That is not what Sarver will hire.

Sarver has hired 7 coaches since he got here. The only guy with more than a season or 2 of NBA head coaching experience was Gentry, and he was just promoted from the bench. Porter had 2 years, Hunter had zero, Jeff had zero, Watson had zero, Igor had zero, and Jay had 3 in Toronto (but was also just promoted from the bench in an interim role). JOeger has coached the last 6 years as a head coach. Sarver's ego couldn't take it.

The average pre-Suns coaching experience of all of his hires has been 794 NBA games coached for 7 guys. That isn't even 2 full seasons. Who hires someone to one of the 30 most intense jobs in a billion dollar business without 2 years of experience before?

Fitting, since he doesn't keep them around for longer than that anyway.