Suns fire McD
- Thread starter Hoop Head
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James Jones would be a terrible full time hire, and it’s a questionable interim hire. His “relationship with players” is overstated, players will chase money over doing a “favor” for a friend. There’s a lot more to being a GM than player relationships. He was a player 2 years ago, there’s no way he’s ready to be a GM
Folster
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If that's the case, then it further illustrates, McD's failures. If he was feeling the heat, why trade for another rookie?
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I think McDonough thought Bridges was ready to contribute immediately.
If not, this is another mistake because the Suns are in win-now mode or so I thought.
StreetTruckinTitan
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Not according to their new GM jones. "its not about wins / loses, its about developing our young players"
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I think this is a significant reason McDonough was fired... the realization the Suns are not as far along as anticipated.
The tune has changed with Jones.
StreetTruckinTitan
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It was Jones who just said on the radio.
I think @Mainstreet means we were supposed to be in win now mode but McD assembled a terrible roster for that, so he was let go. We're not one or two bandaids away from being a playoff team right now so this season will be about development, again, now that Jones is running things. So the tune has changed, not because of Jones but since he's in charge now we're looking at this season differently than if McD had done his job well enough to help make us more competitive. Asking an interim GM to get you to the playoffs at the end of preseason is something I don't even think Sarver would pull.
StreetTruckinTitan
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Regardless, it should always be about wins / loses.
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This past summer was supposed to be the last major step of the Suns rebuild minimally with the addition of a center and a starting point guard. How McDonough planned to go another season without replacing Bledsoe is beyond me.
What bothers me the most is how McD talked up how aggressive we would be this offseason in regards to upgrading our roster, from top to bottom. Nothing that was done outside of the Bridges trade looked aggressive, at all. Another issue I had with him is how he talked about having holes at Center and Point Guard headed into the draft and planned to fill those holes, if possible, and addressing the rest in free agency. During the "State of the Suns" meeting before preseason he backtracked and said the two biggest things we needed were defense and shooting, which he said we address. He also mentioned how we added vets who can lead on the court like Ariza and Anderson. I do remember talk of vets early in the offseason, before the draft. McD said we wouldn't be adding 4 rookies to the roster, since we had 4 picks. He failed all around and if you go back and read or listen to his plans before the lottery to that State of the Suns meeting for season ticket holders, he failed at virtually everything with the exception of adding Ayton. That was luck more than anything. If we didn't get #1 or a chance to take Ayton than he would have struck out across the board, basically.
I was a big McD defender before the offseason picked up. I believe you were also, to a certain degree. I think it's fair to say that the further we've moved past his firing the better it looks. You can't fail to deliver all you promised and then try to say you had different plans all along. I know GM's need to keep some things close and out of most fans view but McD always thought he was the smartest guy in the room and other than drafting Booker, plus his initial offseason trades he made that acquired Bledsoe for Dudley, Miles Plumlee & Gerald Green for Scola, and Gortat for a pick from Washington, he either struck out or bunted to first base at all of his turns at bat. He did steal second sometimes but that's as far as he got.
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A very nice analysis. After Ayton was drafted none of the fans would have been surprised if the Suns had traded a couple of first round picks or more for a point guard. It's the trade that never happened.
The signing of Ariza as a top priority in free agency also left me surprised. It's not because I do not think Ariza is a nice addition, but because McDonough spent all the Suns salary space on him. The Suns are still having to deal with a lack of salary space to sign players.
That was a real head scratcher. It's one thing to sign him but it's another to blow all of our cap space on him. Prior to this offseason, McD seemed to have the financials down also. He signed Bledsoe for less than he wanted, same for Knight, since both wanted max deals. That was pre-TV money also so the deals weren't bad and had they been max deals they wouldn't have been that bad once the cap spiked. He signed IT for cheap, the Morrii for about what one of them would have cost on the open market. He also got some cheap deals here and there. It seems like he didn't care about conserving cap space even though we had a huge hole at PG.
McDonough really should have been gone before a single move was made this crucial offseason. Keeping him on just set the franchise back at least another year or two, if not four or five years.
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Hmmm. That's what got us into this mess in the first place almost a decade ago. Win now at the expense of the future or build for the future now and accept the losing that comes with it? We could turn this team into a .500 ball club fairly easily if that was all we ever wanted.
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It's almost like McDonough had a trade in place for a point guard or he misgauged the availability of point guards.
Perhaps he thought the Bucks pick would be more valuable but this doesn't explain the Ariza signing.
I think he should have been canned after the draft. Yes, that screws us some in free agency but the Sixers didn't have a GM either at that point. That way our cap is open to help facilitate a bigger deal.
I think he shopped around and realized it wouldn't cost an arm and a leg to get a PG. Once he put us in position where a trade was necessary though other teams raised their price because they could.
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Honestly, I don’t think players trust McD. Sarver schmoozes with them and makes promises. McD either could not or would not keep them. Sarver looked at the future and understood the Suns future improvement is not in the draft but in free agency. McDs rep, that was partly of Sarvers making, cannot work going forward. So he fired him. He needs a guy who can sell free agents.
It’s a mercenary business. That’s my take.
It’s a mercenary business. That’s my take.
StreetTruckinTitan
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The NAZ is the developmental leaque. Time to pull up the big boy pants and try to win some NBA games. McD had 5 yrs to turn this club around? He failed miserably. They need to do what they can to get a competent PG on this team. At any cost! Free agents arent coming to a losing team unless the Suns over pay. And then your in the same boat anyways right?
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I agree we need a competent PG but that doesn't mean that developing our younger players shouldn't be THE priority. Even with a PG we are nowhere near the playoffs, we're just way too young and inexperienced. And so far, it seems to me that the G League is where players go to learn bad lessons. That's a bit harsh but you don't see stars coming out of the G League for a reason. Players have more control now then ever, you make a possible future star learn this game at the G League level and you'll likely lose him when his contract comes up.
BC867
Long time Phoenician!
In no way am I advocating that McDonough should not have been fired. He should not have been hired.
Do you think maybe that Robert Sarver called the shots, McDonough was the errand boy and Sarver had his scapegoat in place?
And now he's going to start the cycle all over again with Jones. With even less experience than McDonough brought to the job. In a few years, we'll just be filling in new names again.
The Suns are Sarver's play toy. His ego trip. It is no longer a surprise. Betcha Booker is keeping his eye on it. How long before he pulls a 'Bledsoe' (I wouldn't blame him) and goes public?
The only difference is that DBook has more NBA talent in his pinky than Blesdoe had in his whole body. And cares more about the Suns image than the Chief Investor.
Do you think maybe that Robert Sarver called the shots, McDonough was the errand boy and Sarver had his scapegoat in place?
And now he's going to start the cycle all over again with Jones. With even less experience than McDonough brought to the job. In a few years, we'll just be filling in new names again.
The Suns are Sarver's play toy. His ego trip. It is no longer a surprise. Betcha Booker is keeping his eye on it. How long before he pulls a 'Bledsoe' (I wouldn't blame him) and goes public?
The only difference is that DBook has more NBA talent in his pinky than Blesdoe had in his whole body. And cares more about the Suns image than the Chief Investor.
The point I have been trying to make is that we need a competent PG in order to develop our younger players and to ensure that our younger players don't pick up the bad habits that can be picked up in the G League.
Carolinacacti
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The two rookie point guards need to be developed and not in G league where they will pick up bad habits. 1 Sun time to give it up and let the season play out. Next year the rookie PG's will be better or one will be added via trade.
They need to get used to basketball at this level of competition first. Bender was thrown into the fire prematurely, and you saw what happened there...
elindholm
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That wasn't Bender's problem. His problem was that he never had NBA talent.
