The Phoenix Suns promote Brian Gregory to General Manager

[Superbone]

Well, he's going to learn fast enough and these guys know they have to course correct if they're going in the wrong direction.

Yes, but, if it takes torching the future of our franchise for a decade for him to "learn" and "course correct," it will be too late. We will have lost an entire generation of Suns team success. It isn't like one bad mortgage deal where you lose a few mil. This is crippling the entire team and its future for many years to come. There may not be any way to "course correct" if we squander and botch all the assets, contracts, and picks we have.

10 years is a little dramatic. A lot can change quickly depending on what direction they go. But I get your point. Time will tell.

[Superbone]

[Kryptonic]

Well, he's going to learn fast enough and these guys know they have to course correct if they're going in the wrong direction.

Yes, but, if it takes torching the future of our franchise for a decade for him to "learn" and "course correct," it will be too late. We will have lost an entire generation of Suns team success. It isn't like one bad mortgage deal where you lose a few mil. This is crippling the entire team and its future for many years to come. There may not be any way to "course correct" if we squander and botch all the assets, contracts, and picks we have.

10 years is a little dramatic. A lot can change quickly depending on what direction they go. But I get your point. Time will tell.

Bone…. I love you and your optimism and hope you’re right.

[Superbone]

Well, he's going to learn fast enough and these guys know they have to course correct if they're going in the wrong direction.

Yes, but, if it takes torching the future of our franchise for a decade for him to "learn" and "course correct," it will be too late. We will have lost an entire generation of Suns team success. It isn't like one bad mortgage deal where you lose a few mil. This is crippling the entire team and its future for many years to come. There may not be any way to "course correct" if we squander and botch all the assets, contracts, and picks we have.

10 years is a little dramatic. A lot can change quickly depending on what direction they go. But I get your point. Time will tell.

Bone…. I love you and your optimism and hope you’re right.

Me too!

[SunsSince92]

I watched only clips from the presser, and one press conference doesn't mean too much. But I don't really know how anybody could watch this guy talk for a few minutes and come away with any confidence that he is the right man to be general manager of a professional basketball team. I am filled with dread and concern.

I'll give him a chance to prove himself before passing judgement but I can't disagree with anything you've said. The presser didn't inspire any confidence at all.

[Furlanfufi]

Well is like they say: where you least expect it...is where nothing come from, really.

[TOO]

Well is like they say: where you least expect it...is where nothing come from, really.

This is how I convinced my wife to settle for me.

[Kryptonic]

Well is like they say: where you least expect it...is where nothing come from, really.

This is how I convinced my wife to settle for me.

Bs…. I know it was your quick wit and your cunning linguistics.

[TOO]

Well is like they say: where you least expect it...is where nothing come from, really.

This is how I convinced my wife to settle for me.

Bs…. I know it was your quick wit and your cunning linguistics.

She didn't give a lick about that.

[Superbone]

Well is like they say: where you least expect it...is where nothing come from, really.

This is how I convinced my wife to settle for me.

Bs…. I know it was your quick wit and your cunning linguistics.

She didn't give a lick about that.

That blows.

[The Bobster]

In the end you really have to questions Jones's ability to access talent. Both in the draft (Ayton over Doncic, Smith over Haliburton, Bridges over Gilgeous-Alexander) and in the quality of minimum-contract veterans they've brought in the last few years (Damion Lee, Josh Okogie, Bismack Biyombo, Chimezie Metu, Yuta Watababe, Keitas Bates-Diop, Drew Eubanks, Eric Gordon, Bol Bol, Mason Plumlee, Monte Morris, Tyus Jones). Jones is the only minimum salary signing to play meaningful minutes and he's pretty much underwhelmed.

As for his trades, his recent track record hasn't been great, although I most of us would agree there were others involved in making the trades for Durant and Beal. Including Camara in the Ayton/Nurkic swap is looking pretty indefensible, and moving Chris Paul and Jae Crowder robbed them of their on-court leadership.

It's hard to find a significant move that they've made since reaching the Finals that has worked out in the long run (Ryan Dunn perhaps?). And that's not even mentioning the head coaching situation - three firings in three years.

I'm not convinced Gregory is going to pan out as GM, but Jones really hasn't accomplished much since trading for Paul and signing Crowder in 2020.

[Furlanfufi]

My take on all of this is that Jones changed his pattern after Ishbia. And he turn out to be the scapegoat, since he likely did what he was told, and got canned when it didn't work.

[Superbone]

One thing I've been told is never trust anybody with two first names.

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

[Superbone]

[TOO]

Go Sonics.

[JeremyG]

One thing I've been told is never trust anybody with two first names.

What about Mr. Three First Names?

[JeremyG]

In the end you really have to questions Jones's ability to access talent. Both in the draft (Ayton over Doncic, Smith over Haliburton, Bridges over Gilgeous-Alexander)

Jones was not the GM for the 2018 draft.

[Mori Chu]

In the end you really have to questions Jones's ability to access talent. Both in the draft (Ayton over Doncic, Smith over Haliburton, Bridges over Gilgeous-Alexander)

- James Jones wasn't GM in time to choose Ayton over Luka; that was McDo and Saver.

- I don't think drafting Mikal Bridges over SGA is a disaster. Mikal was an excellent player for us, one of our core 3 guys who took us to the Finals, and good enough to be the primary piece in a trade to get Kevin Durant, and later traded by another team for five (5!) first-round picks and players, and currently locking down the Celtics on defense to put the Knicks in position to win and go to the ECF. SGA is better, yes, but this is not Bowie over Jordan here. Mikal was very good.

- Smith over Haliburton was a legitimate tragedy. We had all the info at the time to know that Haliburton was a blue chip prospect and could become a star. But James Jones got too cute about it because he'd recently found a hit with Cam Johnson in the mid 1st round. JJ really blew that pick. No excuses there.

IMO really the only big draft blunder JJ ever made is Smith over Haliburton. That is a really big bad blunder, and I rue it every day. But outside of that bad pick, JJ did really well in the draft overall I think.