Frank Vogel hired as new Coach

[ShelC]

Money talks. Pay him to keep him, maybe make him Associate Head Coach or something too. Bryan Gates was the other top assistant, wonder if he goes with Monty. And Jarrett Jack was just recently hired as Monty liked former PGs on his staff.

[specialsauce]

Statement move. Wanted an experienced head coach but then retains the top assistant that your star player liked by throwing a bag of cash at him to stay despite not getting the gig. Both sides win. Love it

[specialsauce]

The rest of the staff were a bunch of yes-men they can go to Detroit

[Split T]

Young got paid.

Kinda funny that our top two coaches from last year both just landed the richest contracts for their respective jobs in history. Also funny that the previous highest assistant salary was Kidd when he was an assistant for….Frank Vogel

[TOO]

Statement move. Wanted an experienced head coach but then retains the top assistant that your star player liked by throwing a bag of cash at him to stay despite not getting the gig. Both sides win. Love it

I feel better about this duo than I do KY and Monty. Vogel is a certified defensive whiz. Monty was a certified player of favorites. That's such an upgrade.

[INFORMER]

Great, now we get another season of maybe Ayton will unlock and become what he can be because of this. We will always be left wondering with this guy.

This. I'm just so tired of it. So tired...

Add to that we're still hoping Chris Paul can remain healthy and play at a high level throughout the playoffs?! Insanity...

[INFORMER]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

[INFORMER]

I can't say I know exactly what Young brings to the table, but making him the highest paid non HC is pretty interesting.

I'm taking it as a positive.

[Split T]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

I’d love to do that…would Boston?

[TOO]

I can't say I know exactly what Young brings to the table, but making him the highest paid non HC is pretty interesting.

I'm taking it as a positive.

If he can run the offense, and I mean run an actual adjustment on the fly offense, with Vogel coaching up the defense, Suns could be on to something.

[specialsauce]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

We’re sending DA to Boston for Smart and Williams . Next.

[Superbone]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

We’re sending DA to Boston for Smart and Williams . Next.

Done.

[Superbone]

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/suns ... -he-needs/

Suns keep top assistant Kevin Young for a reported $2 million as Frank Vogel gets offense coordinator he needs
Young to become the NBA's highest-paid assistant after Phoenix hired Vogel on Friday

Frank Vogel teams tend to fit a similar profile. He has coached three No. 1-ranked defenses between the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers. The last of those three came in 2021, when the Lakers had the No. 1 ranking despite lengthy absences from LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and in 2020, Vogel's defense led the Lakers to a championship.

But on the other end of the spectrum, Vogel's offenses have always left something to be desired. The Lakers didn't even rank in the top 10 when they won it all in 2020, and even then, their success largely came in transition. His last two Laker teams ranked 22nd and 24th in offense, respectively, and his Pacers teams weren't much better. For all of his gifts as a head coach, Vogel has never been great at scheming offenses.

The Phoenix Suns, who hired Vogel as their new head coach on Friday, are paying quite a bit to solve that problem. The apparent runner-up to Vogel for Phoenix's head-coaching job was top assistant Kevin Young, who designed Monty Williams' pick-and-roll offense and has earned high praise for his X's and O's acumen. Young would have had no shortage of opportunities elsewhere after missing on the head-coaching job, but Vogel and Suns owner Mat Ishbia have reportedly convinced him to remain in Phoenix, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Doing so wasn't cheap. According to Wojnarowski, Ishbia is making Young the highest-paid assistant coach in the NBA. Young will earn $2 million per year as Vogel's top aide, and while that positions Vogel to succeed with the Suns, it also puts quite a bit of pressure on him.

If Vogel doesn't work out quickly, the Suns have kept a qualified head-coaching candidate in the building. This is a situation Vogel has effectively navigated in the past, when the Lakers hired Jason Kidd, whom they also interviewed for their head-coaching job, as Vogel's top assistant in Los Angeles. Kidd was a favorite of Lakers star LeBron James, so if Vogel had struggled, the Lakers would have had a seemingly viable choice to turn to if they'd wanted to move on. Instead, the Lakers started his first season 24-3 and won a championship, and by the time the Lakers were wary of Vogel, Kidd was the head coach of the Mavericks.

But similar situations have gone the other way in the past. When the Cleveland Cavaliers hired David Blatt in 2015, they also hired runner-up Ty Lue as an assistant. Less than two years later, Lue led the Cavaliers to a championship as their head coach. The Suns, operating fully on a win-now timeline, likely expect Vogel to win the championship or come really close this season. If he doesn't? Young is waiting in the wings.

Whether it's in Phoenix or somewhere else, Young will likely be a head coach in the NBA relatively soon. By paying him this much, the Suns have ensured that they will have the opportunity to elevate him if they need to. But in a perfect world? He and Vogel's complementary skill sets will lead the Suns to a championship.

Here's hoping for a perfect world. Cue Louie Armstrong. "I see trees of green..."

[ShelC]

FWIW, our teams the last few years under Monty weren't exactly defensive slouches either.

[Split T]

They were good, just not when it mattered. Giannis, Luka, and Jokic torched us in the playoffs.

I think there are more explanations for the offense. We had injuries(and depth issues) this year…lack of a 2nd option in 2022(injury/covid/pick your reason) and in 2021 I think the offense was fine, just faced the best defense in the league and had the best player in basketball that we couldn’t stop.

The defensive shortcomings in the playoffs I think are why Monty got let go. He didn’t adjust his strategy when he was clearly getting torched by star players.

[Mori Chu]

In theory it's great having both Vogel and Young. But isn't it a bit awkward for Vogel to have Young on his staff? Most head coaches bring in their own set of assistants. Young was competing with Vogel for this job. Now won't Vogel be looking over his shoulder worried about Young vying to take his place if he messes up?

[INFORMER]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

I’d love to do that…would Boston?

Just depends on how they feel about Cam Payne. But Muscala is a journeyman, and they don't play Pritchard (plus he has been asking for a trade for about a year now), so objectively it is a good deal for them.

[INFORMER]

I’m fine with Payne…I just don’t know that we’re getting a replacement with the money we have.

Trade Payne to Boston for Payton Pritchard, Mike Muscala, and the #35 pick. Next.

We’re sending DA to Boston for Smart and Williams . Next.

I think they'll keep Smart, unless they are getting a better point guard in the trade, like FVV.

[INFORMER]

Now won't Vogel be looking over his shoulder worried about Young vying to take his place if he messes up?

I don't think so. Vogel isn't that insecure, and he has enough experience to be able to navigate the situation. Again, he had Jason Kidd as an assistant.

[JeremyG]

Yeah I remember the Kidd hire and everyone thought they were going to have Kidd take over right away, but it seemed to work out for everyone involved.