Phx-Suns.Net

ShelC wrote:WHAT DO WE WANT OUR IDENTITY TO BE? You can't interview VinnyD, Kidd, Clifford, Budz, Fiz, Igor and tell me you, as a GM or owner, have a vision for your team. You're pretty much saying, "here are our players, how would you play", and if you like what they have to say you're going to hire them. It should come from the top down. "Hey, we want a defensive identity where we limit possessions and play halfcourt basketball" OK, here's Steve Clifford. Or, "You know what, we want to run and gun and shoot 3s like the Ws and Rockets and we know we need to add some shooters and a PG" OK, here's Kidd and VinnyD, Igor and maybe Vogel.

This is the part where Kidd blew the socks off Billy King.... in his interview for the Brooklyn job, a few weeks after his retirement, King probably went through the identical list of generic questions.....veteran coaches of the interview circuit, knows not to divulge too many ideas, just go through general terms, the common thinking is teams collect info for their scouting bank. Kidd being the rookie interviewee, shared details on every player, his scouting report, he got up on the whiteboard and drew out plays and schemes to fit the personnel they had at the time of the interview. Kidd I would bet has gone all in again with this interview....these guys just can't be fooled by it. We know his IQ is off the charts and he will blow a rookie GM away....but at the end of the day, will he get along with.....Sarver, McDonough and James Jones.......

As for identity, I don't think you want to pigeon hole yourself, there's a handful of young kids that have their strong points and weak points. Josh Jackson, Devin Booker and draft pick I would imagine will be the "Big 3" going forward. You need to draft the best available players at your pick, not say, okay, I said we'd be a run and gun team, so I will draft only shooters, even though the other player is a lot better. You have to be open to be able to manipulate your scheme to better suit the personnel you got, can get.

For those that want an article that repeats what we are talking about:

https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ ... 542258002/

My guess is Bordow favors Stotts>Kokoskov>Fizdale>Triano.

What would a Stotts Suns team look like?

ShelC wrote:WHAT DO WE WANT OUR IDENTITY TO BE? You can't interview VinnyD, Kidd, Clifford, Budz, Fiz, Igor and tell me you, as a GM or owner, have a vision for your team. You're pretty much saying, "here are our players, how would you play", and if you like what they have to say you're going to hire them. It should come from the top down. "Hey, we want a defensive identity where we limit possessions and play halfcourt basketball" OK, here's Steve Clifford. Or, "You know what, we want to run and gun and shoot 3s like the Ws and Rockets and we know we need to add some shooters and a PG" OK, here's Kidd and VinnyD, Igor and maybe Vogel.

Not sure I agree with this at all. The best coaches sculpt the style of play around the roster they have to work with. Everyone can have their desired style, but they have to be flexible enough to flip it 180 degrees if personnel dictates it. What was Pat Riley's style? With the Lakers it was "Run and Gun," with the Knicks it was "Bully Ball." Look at the styles Popovich used for his early Championships vs. his most recent one. Totally different because league trends and his roster dictated it.

The bottom line is that this offseason can go in a number of different directions starting with the players we draft. I want a coach to build a style that maximizes whatever roster we end up with. Making coaching hires and personnel decisions to fit a predetermined style can lead to awful mistakes.

Shabazz wrote:

ShelC wrote:WHAT DO WE WANT OUR IDENTITY TO BE? You can't interview VinnyD, Kidd, Clifford, Budz, Fiz, Igor and tell me you, as a GM or owner, have a vision for your team. You're pretty much saying, "here are our players, how would you play", and if you like what they have to say you're going to hire them. It should come from the top down. "Hey, we want a defensive identity where we limit possessions and play halfcourt basketball" OK, here's Steve Clifford. Or, "You know what, we want to run and gun and shoot 3s like the Ws and Rockets and we know we need to add some shooters and a PG" OK, here's Kidd and VinnyD, Igor and maybe Vogel.

Not sure I agree with this at all. The best coaches sculpt the style of play around the roster they have to work with. Everyone can have their desired style, but they have to be flexible enough to flip it 180 degrees if personnel dictates it. What was Pat Riley's style? With the Lakers it was "Run and Gun," with the Knicks it was "Bully Ball." Look at the styles Popovich used for his early Championships vs. his most recent one. Totally different because league trends and his roster dictated it.

The bottom line is that this offseason can go in a number of different directions starting with the players we draft. I want a coach to build a style that maximizes whatever roster we end up with. Making coaching hires and personnel decisions to fit a predetermined style can lead to awful mistakes.

I agree. Excellent take. Unfortunately, those coaches are rare. But I sure don't want Sarver/McD dictating our play style.

The GM has to be on board with the play style, because he has to make moves that compliment it. It can't be the GM sitting the coach down and saying, "Here's your players, and here's how you are going to coach them." But it also can't be the coach benching talented players because he doesn't like the style they play.

It's got to be the coach and GM in agreement about what the roster is capable of and the goals they have for teaching players and making roster changes.

Indy wrote:

UglyTruth wrote:

Superbone wrote:Bordow with another "chill" tweet:
https://twitter.com/sbordow/status/988561306687963136

Bordow is an idiot. He claimed he had some inside information which he was gonna drop about why Budenholzer withdrew and never did.

He's a company man through and through. Never breaks any kind of information either and has no inside information at all. All he's good for is to "confirm" any rumor or news that's put out by Woj/Stein/Gambo etc.

He never claimed to have inside info. He said he heard some stories, but wouldn't share them since Bud was going to have a press conference in ATL. But then the news came out that he was going to NY, and ATL walked back their press conference.

Ok where are those “stories” then?

Fizdale has withdrawn from candidacy for Suns job according to Gambo and RealGM sources.

So that’s Majerle, Budenholzer and Fizdale who have all declined opportunity to work with Robert Sarver.

We're such a joke. We have one of the best young stars in the league, an up and comer in JJ, maybe the 1 pick if not the 2 pick in this year's draft and guys are turning us down while we line up interviews with Vinny Del Negro and James Borrego. FML.

Sarver is too much of an emomaniac to realize he is the problem. This team is doomed.

It's not doom and gloom yet. I didn't have Fizdale in my top 3 or 4 anyway. I still think if the lottery finally falls in the Suns favor that things could turn around quickly.

djy2j wrote:Sarver is too much of an emomaniac to realize he is the problem. This team is doomed.

He doesn't come off as an eternally sad and moody person to me.

ShelC wrote:We're such a joke. We have one of the best young stars in the league, an up and comer in JJ, maybe the 1 pick if not the 2 pick in this year's draft and guys are turning us down while we line up interviews with Vinny Del Negro and James Borrego. FML.

At this point it feels like we are either offering insultingly low money to every coach candidate, or Saver is giving off such a douchebag vibe in these meetings that nobody wants to work with him. Or both.

When you have a well run organization, people want to work for you, and players want to play for you. We are an org that people "check in" with; free agents like LaMarcus Aldridge stop by to talk, but they sign elsewhere. Coaches may interview, but then they formally withdraw their name from consideration. Pretty damning.

It's definitely both, all of he above, whatever. The franchise will never again be respected with him at the top.

Flagrant Fowl wrote:It's definitely both, all of he above, whatever. The franchise will never again be respected with him at the top.

I seriously hope he's competitive enough to self reflect and turn this around. I'm a little concerned that he may have never been an athlete at anytime and this is a foreign concept to him.

O_Gardino wrote:The GM has to be on board with the play style, because he has to make moves that compliment it. It can't be the GM sitting the coach down and saying, "Here's your players, and here's how you are going to coach them." But it also can't be the coach benching talented players because he doesn't like the style they play.

It's got to be the coach and GM in agreement about what the roster is capable of and the goals they have for teaching players and making roster changes.

That too.

UglyTruth wrote:Fizdale has withdrawn from candidacy for Suns job according to Gambo and RealGM sources.

So that’s Majerle, Budenholzer and Fizdale who have all declined opportunity to work with Robert Sarver.

Son of a bitch! Did he at least give a reason?

In2ition wrote:It's not doom and gloom yet. I didn't have Fizdale in my top 3 or 4 anyway. I still think if the lottery finally falls in the Suns favor that things could turn around quickly.

I had Fizdale near the top but slowed my roll after the second hand hooker anecdote.

Kokoskov is my top guy for now but I am sick and tired of these coaching candidates pulling out. I didn't even know that was a thing. (Keep your minds out of the gutter.) I don't recall hearing about coaches pulling their names out of contention during coaching searches. What in the F is going on?

At least we know Triano wants to be here. I'll take him over McHale, Kidd, and Del Negro for sure. Cripes!

Also, don't think guys around the league - players, coaches, agents - don't talk to each other. The Knicks can get by by overpaying. If we're not willing to overpay to get talent in, we're stuck with bottom of the barrel or first timers.