Suns fire McD

[AzStevenCal]

I tend to be overly optimistic this time of year but I think a point guard like Lillard gets the Suns in the playoffs or at least very close.

If they all stayed healthy and if Anderson and Ariza played like they did yesterday, I could see us fighting for a spot. But prior to last night I've been a little under-enthused over Ariza and especially Anderson.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I think Sarver fired McD, not for what he did, but for what he did not do. I do not think he had that big of a problem with his drafting or even trades.

McD could never close the deal on a big time free agent. Free agency is the main pathway to the next stage of improvement. He came to the conclusion that McD could not be successful in signing quality free agents.

I will find it hard to argue with that. I just hope he finds someone who is good at it.

 

[Mainstreet]

If they all stayed healthy and if Anderson and Ariza played like they did yesterday, I could see us fighting for a spot. But prior to last night I've been a little under-enthused over Ariza and especially Anderson.

I guess I'm putting a lot of hope in Booker and Ayton if the Suns add a quality point guard. Also I'm counting on the coaching of Igor. If the Suns can have player movement and passing like last night I think it can go a long way. The Suns have a lot of depth this season which should serve the second unit well. If Jackson can do anything they are right there.

As sort of a prototype, I'm looking at what Utah did with Gobert and Mitchell.

 

[Mainstreet]

Kinda takes some steam out of the argument that there was a fight with McDonough that led to the firing when you look at all the collateral damage. My initial reaction is that James Jones made a power play, but I hope I'm wrong.

This would be a worse case scenario... that Jones maneuvered his way into power at the tail end of the rebuild. I'm hoping it is something different. Something that fans can understand and relate too.

 

[Western Font]

Yep. If you simply take Sarver at his word, he did not think McD is the guy he wants taking us the next step.

OK. Fine. I would not have fired McD because I have no confidence in Sarver's ability to make a good hire to replace him. But it is what it is.

This is how I felt during the "Should McD be fired" thread, but with Ayton on the roster and Booker extended, it's clearly a more attractive job even despite Sarver. My speculation is that Sarver was willing to give McD another offseason because he had the luxury of wanting Ayton and knowing he would get him. And hopefully because he likes Igor.

I'm intrigued by a lot of the players drafted and pieces acquired individually, but even I can admit that the bird's-eye view of the last few years is downright silly, and that McD's transaction history has been inefficient. The kicker for me really was trading the remaining Heat pick to move up for Bridges, who was selected with the Lakers pick used to get Knight, who was moved with another player for whom we traded up (Chriss) to get an equally bad contract and a player (Melton) we will hopefully like--but could have drafted. <<<I hope I even have that right.

After all the talk about stockpiling assets for the game-changing moves, the Suns really are just straight-up their last two lottery picks plus another that really panned out in Booker. I hope Bridges is really good. I hope Okobo is our PGOF, and sooner rather than later. I like Warren. I hope Bender develops. But yeah, the cost of doing business to get here has been high.

 

[Proximo]

I think Sarver fired McD, not for what he did, but for what he did not do. I do not think he had that big of a problem with his drafting or even trades.

McD could never close the deal on a big time free agent. Free agency is the main pathway to the next stage of improvement. He came to the conclusion that McD could not be successful in signing quality free agents.

I will find it hard to argue with that. I just hope he finds someone who is good at it.

If he does think that he is completely out of touch. Sarver himself is far, far more of a reason a free agent would avoid the Suns than any GM.

 

[Proximo]

Igor's offense last night finally showed how well it can work, and we still had our same group of bad pg's.

That game really made me optimistic. So much so, that I would not rush to make a pg trade if teams are trying to take advantage of us right now to a ridiculous degree, which they probably are.

 

[Adrian]

Adrian Wojnarowski

✔@wojespn
https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1049726630371971072

Story soon on ESPN: Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is leaning toward the eventual hiring of interim general manager James Jones as the franchise’s full-time GM, league sources tell ESPN. Jones had been VP of Basketball Operations under former GM Ryan McDonough.

 

[1Sun]

Igor's offense last night finally showed how well it can work, and we still had our same group of bad pg's.

That game really made me optimistic. So much so, that I would not rush to make a pg trade if teams are trying to take advantage of us right now to a ridiculous degree, which they probably are.

One so-so game by the point guards against a team resting half of its players, where the point guards still weren't all that great and everyone outside of Jackson was just hitting their shots does not mean there is not still a gaping hole at point guard that needs to be filled ASAP.

 

[Town Drunk]

Adrian Wojnarowski

✔@wojespn

Story soon on ESPN: Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is leaning toward the eventual hiring of interim general manager James Jones as the franchise’s full-time GM, league sources tell ESPN. Jones had been VP of Basketball Operations under former GM Ryan McDonough.

Not a surprise.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Adrian Wojnarowski

✔@wojespn

Story soon on ESPN: Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver is leaning toward the eventual hiring of interim general manager James Jones as the franchise’s full-time GM, league sources tell ESPN. Jones had been VP of Basketball Operations under former GM Ryan McDonough.

awesome. another super cheap, beyond inexperienced GM to run the ship who learned from the previous atrocious GM.

 

[sunsfan88]

Sarver has earned a long reputation for aggressively involving himself in basketball decisions, but it's become harder for coaches and front office staff to manage in the past two years after the Suns became Sarver's primary business interest.

Suns coaches became accustomed to regular beratings and demands of strategy and lineup changes, league sources said. Rival executives could sometimes hear Sarver yelling in the background on negotiation calls with the Suns' front office. Agents tell stories of private conversations occurring with Sarver without the front office's knowledge.

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...ng-promoting-james-jones-full-general-manager

This is concerning.

 

[Cheesebeef]

This is concerning.

jesus.

 

[Town Drunk]

Lol. Sarver continues to be the underlying issue. Unreal.

 

[devilalum]

If this is true nothing short of an ownership change is going to do any good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Town Drunk]

If this is true nothing short of an ownership change is going to do any good.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Absolutely. McD needed to go, no doubt, but the common denominator continues to be Sarver. The thought that he had backed off appears to have been wishful thinking.

 

[GatorAZ]

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[AzStevenCal]

Absolutely. McD needed to go, no doubt, but the common denominator continues to be Sarver. The thought that he had backed off appears to have been wishful thinking.

Yeah, clearly somebody is lying. For our sakes, we'd better hope it isn't Sarver otherwise we're screwed. And it's not looking good right now.

 

[Willie D]

I think Sarver fired McD, not for what he did, but for what he did not do. ...

McD could never close the deal on a big time free agent....

Exactly how many FAs were willing to come to Phoenix? NONE! Why? Because they heard all the stories about the Sarverfish. How he treated his players like chattel.

Why do you think Danny Manning bolted from the Clips? Same reason. I reiterate that the Suns are now run by a Sarverfish who took his lessons from Donald Sterling. He sucked at banking, and he sucks at basketball.

The Sarverfish rots from the head down. Good luck on keeping Ariza or Booker around for the long term.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

This is concerning.

Sarver yelling in the background. Why is this not a reach for me to imagine?

Yeeeee-UCK!

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Exactly how many FAs were willing to come to Phoenix? NONE! Why? Because they heard all the stories about the Sarverfish. How he treated his players like chattel.

Why do you think Danny Manning bolted from the Clips? Same reason. I reiterate that the Suns are now run by a Sarverfish who took his lessons from Donald Sterling. He sucked at banking, and he sucks at basketball.

The Sarverfish rots from the head down. Good luck on keeping Ariza or Booker around for the long term.

“Sarverfish?”

 

[sunsfan88]

Yeah, clearly somebody is lying. For our sakes, we'd better hope it isn't Sarver otherwise we're screwed. And it's not looking good right now.

James Jones said the same thing just few months ago;

Sarver is different, though.

Robert has always viewed the Suns as his primary business,” Jones said. “This is his love interest.

“It’s uncommon for a lot of owners to be there day in and day out like Robert is.”

http://arizonasports.com/story/1518...-robert-sarver/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

[JCSunsfan]

Exactly how many FAs were willing to come to Phoenix? NONE! Why? Because they heard all the stories about the Sarverfish. How he treated his players like chattel.

Why do you think Danny Manning bolted from the Clips? Same reason. I reiterate that the Suns are now run by a Sarverfish who took his lessons from Donald Sterling. He sucked at banking, and he sucks at basketball.

The Sarverfish rots from the head down. Good luck on keeping Ariza or Booker around for the long term.

. I was not really trying to defend Sarver. I posted that before all of this other stuff came up. I was just speculating on Sarver's reasoning for firing McD

 

[GatorAZ]

Barkley just said on Bickley & Marotta that he almost got the Magic GM job last summer.

 

[AzStevenCal]

James Jones said the same thing just few months ago;

I remember that article but to me, it's saying something quite different than the one from ESPN that you posted.