Warriors are going to be a pain in the rear to guard

[Mainstreet]

Kerr only had one serious boo boo as a GM and that was the Kurt Thomas trade. It was a mandate from above to clear salary but I have a hard time believing that the trade he made was the best way to go about it. Even Kerr has acknowledged it was one of the worst trades by any GM in recent years.

I'd like to have seen Kerr operate under the new improved Bob Sarver, rather than the Sarver who learned hard lessons after handcuffing Kerr then making a huge mistake hiring Blanks.

That Kurt Thomas trade was a major mistake as you note.

Also trading Shawn Marion for Shaq and hiring Terry Porter as head coach were serious mistakes as well.

 

[Mainstreet]

There's a lot of revisionist history about Kerr's time here mostly from ASU fans. He certainly wasn't the best GM but he got rid of D'Antoni and pivoted into a team that nearly got us into the NBA Finals. Overall he was a decent general manager.

Now as a coach I'm not too sure. I see him more as a big picture guy than going through the 82 game NBA grind. I also think GSW are a good but flawed team.

I do not understand this comment. What are you insinuating?

 

[sunsfan88]

That Kurt Thomas trade was a major mistake as you note.

Also trading Shawn Marion for Shaq and hiring Terry Porter as head coach were serious mistakes as well.

Earl Clark was a pretty stupid decision also.

 

[Mainstreet]

Earl Clark was a pretty stupid decision also.

However, I give Kerr credit for drafting Robin Lopez and Goran Dragic. It cuts both ways.

 

[Phoenix219]

I do not understand this comment. What are you insinuating?

I don't believe "running Mike D'Antoni" out of town after the fantastic run we were on remotely qualifies as a good thing.

We got LUCKY with Gentry and the 2010 team, after the Porter fiasco. Marion trade led indirectly to MDA's departure after that frustrating 1st round Spurs series.

We should have never been matched with them in the first round. That, again, was caused by the Shaq trade.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't believe "running Mike D'Antoni" out of town after the fantastic run we were on remotely qualifies as a good thing.

We got LUCKY with Gentry and the 2010 team, after the Porter fiasco. Marion trade led indirectly to MDA's departure after that frustrating 1st round Spurs series.

We should have never been matched with them in the first round. That, again, was caused by the Shaq trade.

I think it was time for D'Antoni to move on. I have no problem with Kerr about this. What I questioned is the comment made by MaoTosiFanClub. See below.

There's a lot of revisionist history about Kerr's time here mostly from ASU fans.

The reference to ASU fans having a certain point of view perplexed me, like ASU fans having a slanted viewpoint towards Kerr.

 

[Superbone]

Earl Clark was a pretty stupid decision also.

It was supposed to be Jrue Holiday but the GSW renegging on the Stephen Curry deal mucked that up.

 

[Phoenix219]

I think it was time for D'Antoni to move on. I have no problem with Kerr about this. What I questioned is the comment made by MaoTosiFanClub. See below.



The reference to ASU fans having a certain point of view perplexed me, like ASU fans having a slanted viewpoint towards Kerr.

Yeah, I was responding to your reference to his comment as well. He seems to be listing that as one of Kerr's benefits, and I just don't agree. Gentry may have ended up being an upgrade in the end, but that was pure luck after the Porter mess; If Kerr had given Gentry the reigns immediately, then maybe I could give him credit for that, rather then just taking the only remaining option after costing us the better part of 2 seasons.

D'Antoni was stubborn, but so is any great coach. I would have liked to have seen how things would have worked out without all the Sarver mandated draft pick dumping and exectutive meddling. But, I guess that could be said for the entire Sarver era, up until we hired McD. Knowing that Thibs has ended up as a great head coach in his own right, i'm not sure MDA would have been wrong to buck against the thought of having his replacement on the bench waiting under the guise of a "defensive coordinator." We just recent examples of this in Brooklyn, and here with Gentry/Hunter.

MDA was right. Stay out of my way and let me do my job, or, you don't think i can do my job, and I don't want to be here anymore. I can relate.

 

[Phrazbit]

Earl Clark was a pretty stupid decision also.

No GM is going to bat 1.000 in the draft. Overall we drafted reasonably well when Kerr was here, especially given our draft slots. And, as someone else noted, we were supposed to be getting Curry, at the time we picked Clark the Suns were under the impression that Golden State was going to stick to their agreement and Amare was going to GS, Curry was a Sun. Had they known Golden State was going do them really really dirty, the Suns would have taken Holiday.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I think it was time for D'Antoni to move on. I have no problem with Kerr about this. What I questioned is the comment made by MaoTosiFanClub. See below.

The reference to ASU fans having a certain point of view perplexed me, like ASU fans having a slanted viewpoint towards Kerr.

There's definitely a vocal segment of Kerr bashers who unfairly criticize him and I do think it might have something to do with his alma mater.

And yes, forcing D'Antoni out of town was by far Kerr's best move as GM here.

 

[Mainstreet]

There's definitely a vocal segment of Kerr bashers who unfairly criticize him and I do think it might have something to do with his alma mater.

And yes, forcing D'Antoni out of town was by far Kerr's best move as GM here.

I disagree about the alma mater thing. Kerr earned the criticism on his own merit.

When D'Antoni would not embrace some measure of a defensive focus, I think it was time for him to go.

 

[Mainstreet]

No GM is going to bat 1.000 in the draft. Overall we drafted reasonably well when Kerr was here, especially given our draft slots. And, as someone else noted, we were supposed to be getting Curry, at the time we picked Clark the Suns were under the impression that Golden State was going to stick to their agreement and Amare was going to GS, Curry was a Sun. Had they known Golden State was going do them really really dirty, the Suns would have taken Holiday.

Maybe, but I think even Kerr admitted this deal was not locked-in.

 

[Phrazbit]

Maybe, but I think even Kerr admitted this deal was not locked-in.

The Suns seemed pretty certain the deal was happening, it was widely reported and their war room was high-fiving each other when GS made the selection of Curry. I think some of Kerr not calling them out is politics, not wanting to burn bridges, franchises dont like to publicly bad mouth each other, and in his case... you never know who you might be working for in the future.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

D'Antoni was stubborn, but so is any great coach.

That's funny.

 

[Superbone]

The Suns seemed pretty certain the deal was happening, it was widely reported and their war room was high-fiving each other when GS made the selection of Curry. I think some of Kerr not calling them out is politics, not wanting to burn bridges, franchises dont like to publicly bad mouth each other, and in his case... you never know who you might be working for in the future.

Kerr showed great foresight in that regard.

 

[sunsfan88]

Kerr showed great foresight in that regard.

Wouldn't have mattered really. That entire FO and ownership changed. Nobody from back then is in charge of having much power now.

 

[Superbone]

Wouldn't have mattered really. That entire FO and ownership changed. Nobody from back then is in charge of having much power now.

Serves 'em right.

 

[Errntknght]

Kerr is installing a modified triangle. The modification actually eliminates a lot of the wasted dribbling/motion and cuts it right down to the essential parts. Given the players he has and their relative athleticism/skill, it's going to drain a lot of teams just trying to run them down and get through all the screens.

In my recollection the Jackson triangle did not have a lot of dribbling so I don't know how Kerr is going to eliimatate a lot of wasted dribbling. In fact one of the major tenets of motion offenses, of which the triangle is one, is to keep dribbling to a minimum.

Lets not forget that Jackson had one huge advantage over Kerr - he had Tex Winter, the originator of the triangle, very close by his side in Chicago and LA. If Kerr doesn't have some assistants that are well versed in the complexities of the triangle I think he'll wind up dropping it fairly soon or modifying it beyond recognition.

 

[Phrazbit]

An interesting read on the Curry/Suns trade straight from the horses mouth.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawaka...ft-night-2009-we-were-very-far-down-the-road/

It confirms a lot of stuff mentioned, from the Suns perspective they felt Curry was theirs when Golden State called his name, no, it was not set in stone but Kerr felt it mostly hinged on Amare's physical and contract talks with GS. Also, Kerr makes it clear the Suns would have selected Holiday had they known the Curry trade was not happening.