Phoenix Suns Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Suns Hire Monty Williams As Head Coach

May 3rd, 2019 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

Sixers assistant Monty Williams has agreed to become the new head coach of the Suns, the team announced today in a press release. Williams will stick with Philadelphia until the end of the club’s playoff run before officially making the move to Phoenix, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter), Williams and the Suns have reached an agreement on a five-year contract. Wojnarowski (via Twitter) first reported that the two sides were finalizing a deal.

“I am thrilled to welcome Monty Williams to the Suns family as our next head coach,” general manager James Jones said in a statement. “Monty brings a wealth of NBA experience, both as a coach and former player, in addition to being a high-character individual who will infuse basketball wisdom and life lessons into our locker room. Monty is well respected for his coaching pedigree, leadership and commitment to the community, all of which make him the ideal person to lead our team moving forward.”

It will be Williams’ second opportunity to serve as an NBA head coach. He previously held that position in New Orleans from 2010-15 for the Hornets and Pelicans. Over the course of five seasons with the franchise, he posted a 173-221 (.439) record, with two postseason appearances. New Orleans didn’t win a playoff series during that stretch.

Despite Williams’ modest record as a head coach, he has long been regarded as one of the NBA’s top assistants. He worked as a member of Brett Brown‘s staff in Philadelphia this season after returning to the game following a two-year absence while he mourned the death of his wife, Ingrid, who was killed in a car crash in Oklahoma City in February 2016.

Williams spent one season as the Thunder’s associate head coach in 2015/16. Before his stint as New Orleans’ head coach, he was an assistant in Portland for several years.

In Phoenix, Williams will take the reins from Igor Kokoskov, who was dismissed after just one season. The Suns’ five-year committment to Williams suggests that that team plans to be more patient with its new head coach, giving him the opportunity to develop Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges, and the organization’s other young prospects.

The Suns also interviewed Trail Blazers assistants David Kanterpool and Nate Tibbetts during their search process, but Williams was always considered the frontrunner. He had two interviews for the job, with team owner Robert Sarver in attendance for the second meeting.

Williams had been under consideration for the Lakers’ head coaching vacancy as well, so it appears his agreement with the Suns paves the way for Tyronn Lue to become the favorite for that job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Suns’, Cavs’ Head Coaching Searches

May 2nd, 2019 at 8:44am CST by Luke Adams

The Suns met with Monty Williams for a second time on Wednesday night, with team owner Robert Sarver in attendance for the interview, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (via Twitter), league sources say the Suns’ job will be Williams’ if he wants it, and the possibility of a union between the two sides is one that’s gaining real momentum.

However, Williams is in high demand this spring, having also interviewed with the Lakers. Plus, he’d likely be a strong candidate to replace Brett Brown in Philadelphia if the Sixers bow out in the second round and the team decides to make a change on the sidelines. In other words, Williams can afford to be deliberate about his next move.

For what it’s worth, the Suns have yet to formally put an offer on the table to Williams, according to Wojnarowski. Stein and Woj both confirm that Williams is Phoenix’s top target, so the club may be waiting to see if the Lakers make him an offer that can be countered, as Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic hypothesized earlier this week.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers – one of the other four teams in the market for a new head coach – continued their search this week by interviewing former Grizzlies coach J.B. Bickerstaff on Tuesday, per Joe Vardon of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Vardon also reported that Jazz assistant Alex Jensen would be interviewing with the Cavaliers later in the week — that meeting will take place on Friday, writes Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

The Cavs are being patient as they go through the interview process, and appear likely to meet with their finalists for a second round of interviews once they’ve talked to all the candidates once. Stein reports (via Twitter) that Mavericks assistant Jamahl Mosley, who met with Cleveland earlier in the process, is expected to advance to the next round.

Southwest Notes: Nene, Pelicans, Gay, Guards

April 30th, 2019 at 6:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Nene didn’t play in the Rockets first four playoff games but he saw action in the team’s closeout win over the Jazz and Game 1 loss to the Warriors, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes.

“It’s a man’s game and he’s a man,” coach Mike D’Antoni said of Nene’s play. “He’s effective for limited minutes. We have to be careful with him because we like for him to last the whole time. But he was good.”

Nene only suited up in 42 games for the Rockets this season. He’s made all six of his attempts over the past two playoff games, giving Houston 22 minutes of solid play.

Here’s more from the Southwest Division:

The Pelicans have poached athletic trainer Aaron Nelson from the Suns, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports (Twitter link). Vice president of basketball operations David Griffin worked with Nelson while the two were in Phoenix together.
Rudy Gay is the only free agent of “significance” in San Antonio, Sean Deveney of Sporting News writes in his Spurs offseason preview, adding that Gay would like to stay with the Spurs on a “team-friendly” deal. The combo forward made slightly over $10MM this past season.
The Spurs could look to trade either Bryn Forbes of Marco Belinelli, Deveney contends in the same piece. The team has a logjam at their guard spots and both Dejounte Murray and Derrick White have too much upside for Spurs to think about moving either of them. Deveney also adds that coach Gregg Popovich, who’s expected to sign a new deal with San Antonio, values Patty Mills as a leader, making his departure unlikely.

Suns, Monty Williams Expected To Meet For Second Interview

April 30th, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

After interviewing Sixers assistant Monty Williams in Toronto last Friday, the Suns plan on meeting with the head coaching candidate a second time, reports Shams Charania of Stadium (video link).

According to Charania, the interview – which will likely take place later this week – is expected to include team owner Robert Sarver. That’s a noteworthy detail, since it means that Phoenix is taking a step forward in the process of pursing Williams, Charania notes.

Williams, who previously served as the head coach in New Orleans from 2010-15, is drawing plenty of interest so far this spring. He has already interviewed twice with the Lakers, meeting last week with a large contingent of executives that included team owner Jeanie Buss.

The Suns reportedly view Williams as their top candidate, but didn’t make him an offer after Friday’s interview. Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic has suggested that the Suns may be waiting for the Lakers to make an offer so that they can counter that proposal and make a better one — though the fact that Sarver has yet to meet with Williams represents another reason to wait.

If Williams has a preference between the Lakers and Suns, he has yet to tip his hand. As Rankin points out, it’s worth noting that Williams could become a head coaching candidate in Philadelphia too, should the Sixers fall to the Raptors and consider moving on from Brett Brown. However, if Brown continues to coach like he did in Philadelphia’s Game 2 win, that’s probably an unlikely scenario.

Gonzaga Assistant Close To Joining Staff

April 29th, 2019 at 8:29pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Suns are close to hiring Gonzaga assistant coach Riccardo Fois for a major player development role within the organization, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets. Fois is current the Zags’ coordinator of analytics and video operations.

Monty Williams Top Candidate For Head Coach

April 28th, 2019 at 2:48pm CST by clarkcrum

Pelicans‘ new general manager David Griffin is prioritizing hiring highly-respected trainer Aaron Nelson, currently the Suns’ Senior Vice President of Athlete Health & Performance, away from Phoenix, reports Marc Stein of The New York Times. As his profile on the National Basketball Athletic Trainers Association states, Nelson and his staff have built the Suns into an industry leader with a reputation for prolonging the careers of some of the game’s best players.
In other Suns’ news, 76ers’ assistant coach Monty Williams, a highly-regard head-coaching candidate this offseason for both Phoenix and the Lakers, had a “very positive” meeting with Suns’ brass on Friday (story). Williams, the first candidate to meet with the Suns’ front office since Igor Kokoskov‘s firing on Monday, is a top contender to be James Jones‘ pick for the team’s next head coach.

Monty Williams Interviews With Suns

April 27th, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Suns met with Sixers assistant Monty Williams on Friday, but didn’t make a job offer, reports Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. The meeting was described as “very positive,” Rankin adds, and Williams remains a top contender for the position.

He was the first candidate the Suns have interviewed since firing first-year coach Igor Kokoskov on Monday. The meeting was held in Toronto because the Sixers are there for the first two games of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.

The Lakers also interviewed Williams this week, along with former Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue.

Williams, 47, has head coaching experience in New Orleans, where he worked for new Suns VP of basketball operations Jeff Bower. Williams compiled a 173-221 record in five seasons. Phoenix GM James Jones also has experience with Williams, who was an assistant coach with the Trail Blazers during the three seasons that Jones played there.

The Suns were scheduled to meet today with Portland assistants Nate Tibbetts and David Vanterpool.

Sarver Content Letting New GM Jones Run Show?

April 26th, 2019 at 11:16am CST by Luke Adams

While Suns owner Robert Sarver has received criticism over the years for perceived meddling in the franchise’s basketball decisions, Sarver seems content – at the moment – to remain in the background and let new general manager James Jones run the show in Phoenix, writes Greg Moore of The Arizona Republic.

Suns To Meet With Monty Williams In Toronto

April 25th, 2019 at 2:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lakers aren’t the only team with interest in Monty Williams. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Suns officials are traveling to Toronto to meet with the Sixers assistant on Friday before Philadelphia opens its series against the Raptors on Saturday. Phoenix received permission earlier this week to interview Williams, who has been identified as the team’s top candidate to replace Igor Kokoskov. The Suns may try to preempt a Lakers offer, Wojnarowski writes.

Booker Wasn't Consulted On Kokoskov's Firing

April 24th, 2019 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Suns star guard Devin Booker had no input in the firing of coach Igor Kokoskov, GM James Jones told the Arizona Republic’s Katherine Fitzgerald and other media members. “I speak to Devin, I speak to all of our players, about our organization. But in these instances, this isn’t a decision for Devin to make. This is my decision,” Jones said. That’s curious, since Booker indicated after signing his five-year maximum salary extension that he’d have a say in all major moves going forward. I think it’s a collective agreement. Moving forward, throwing in any advice I can, stay in the loop and watch what’s going on and know what’s going on,” Booker said last month.