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Sarver, McDonough On Suns, Rebuilding

December 24th, 2013 at 10:28am CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns are 17-10 and perhaps the most surprising team in the NBA two months into the season. The winning comes on the heels of GM Ryan McDonough‘s mission to “clean up the nonsense, frankly, that had gone on here in years past,” as he tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The GM and owner Robert Sarver share plenty of thoughts on the turnaround and what might come next with Wojnarowski, and we’ll pass along the highlights here:

Sarver on his reluctance to embrace rebuilding:

“For all successful people in business, I think that the notion of taking a step back to take a step forward is a foreign concept. You simply don’t say, ‘We’re going to go backward for a couple years,’ in business. But pro sports – especially the NBA – is different, and it’s set up to do just that. I had a hard time stomaching the idea of rebuilding, and spent a couple of years trying to patch together a way that we could still capitalize on Steve [Nash]‘s ability. I was a couple of years too late in really facing the music.”

Sarver on the hiring criteria for McDonough and coach Jeff Hornacek:

“I needed to get a team with a GM and a coach who would have a good working relationship. We had problems with Steve [Kerr] and Mike [D’Antoni], with Alvin [Gentry] and Lance [Blanks]. It puts too much stress on the team.”

McDonough on his approach this season:

“To have a season where everything goes wrong and you’re just hoping for the pingpong balls to bounce your way – and then hope you draft the right guy, who then turns into a great player – that’s not something I’m comfortable doing and Jeff, [Suns president of basketball operations] Lon [Babby] and ownership wanted no part of it. We can keep drafting and adding to our talent, or we have six first-round picks over the next two years and could accelerate the process using picks and our cap space to trade for a star player.”

McDonough on free agent signings next summer:

“We have max cap space next summer and we will be chasing the top guys. But if we don’t get them, it won’t be the end of the world. Then, we will hope to draft well and put together a group that might take a little longer to get to a contending level, but will have a longer timeline together.”

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Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Stephenson, Korver

November 7th, 2013 at 7:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Eric Bledsoe has kicked off his inaugural campaign as a full-time starter in Phoenix with a bang, averaging 21.0 PPG, 7.2 APG, 5.0 RPG, 1.8 SPG in 33.8 MPG, and helping the Suns to a 3-2 record after five games. The 4th year veteran is set to become a restricted free agent next summer after failing to land an extension last week, and while some may be worried that this potentially means a short tenure for Bledsoe in Phoenix, GM Ryan McDonough was openly optimistic about being able to re-sign him (Adam Green of Arizona Sports, hat tip to Burns and Gambo of Arizona Sports 620):

“I feel very confident that he’s going to be a Sun long-term…We negotiated with Eric and his agents. I think the contract situation was handled very professionally on both ends…We can match any offer to Eric next summer…Another advantage would be we have an extra year to play with. Other teams who are making Eric an offer can offer him four years, we can offer him up to five if we chose to do so…So there’s some inherent advantages that I just mentioned, also we can give higher percentage increases than another team could give Eric in a contract.”

Here are some more miscellaneous news and notes to pass along tonight:

  • Looking into Lance Stephenson‘s comments that he thinks the Pacers would “do anything” to keep him in Indiana for the long term, Candace Buckner of IndyStar.com (along with USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt) explores how the 23-year-old shooting guard could be positioning himself for a five-year max deal next summer. While I’m not too sure about labeling Stephenson as a max-level player at this point, if he can maintain his current averages of 16.3 PPG, 6.2 RPG, 4.6 APG, and 47% shooting from the field, he should draw some very lucrative offers next July.
  • Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post notes how the Nuggets’ plans to recruit Kyle Korver this past summer led to nothing more than brief contact because of the massive turnover that had been going on within the front office and coaching staff. Korver would eventually re-sign with the Hawks.
  • The Thunder have hired former Raptors vice president and assistant GM Maurizio Gherardini in a senior adviser/international affairs position, according to Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK.
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Suns Bringing James Nunnally To Camp

September 28th, 2013 at 8:23pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Suns have added shooter James Nunnally to their camp roster, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The UC-Santa Barbara grad shot 63 percent from 3-point range for Miami during summer league. 

Coro adds in his Arizona Republic post that new GM Ryan McDonough believed the Suns needed more perimeter shooting even before trading Caron Butler and Jared Dudley this offseason. McDonough explained the decision to Coro:

“We brought him (Nunnally) in a for a two-day workout recently and we were impressed with him on and off the court. It was competitive with other teams interested in signing him and we recruited him. We were able to get him with the opportunity that he will have here.”

The 23-year-old shot 58 percent from the field and averaged a team-high 13.0 PPG during summer league with Miami. He made quite the impression when he was 5-for-6 from long range for a 21-point second half in a losing effort to the Suns in that time.

Nunnally averaged 15.7 PPG from 2009 to 2012 with California-Santa Barbara and averaged 10.3 PPG and shot 41 percent from 3 last season for Bakersfield, the Suns' D-League affiliate. He'll be the 18th addition to the Suns' training camp, which runs Tuesday through Sunday next week. They won't have to cut down to between 13 and 15 players until the night before the regular season. 

Read more

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Older NBA Rookies: Datome & Christmas

September 14th, 2013 at 6:42pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Suns signed Dionte Christmas this year after former Celtics assistant general manager Ryan McDonough became the Suns GM earlier this summer. Christmas has been playing professionally overseas for a number of years after going undrafted out of Temple in 2009.

The 26-year-old was one of the last cuts during the Celtics' training camp last fall, and Jessica Camerato spoke with him for CSNNE.com about how his connection with McDonough helped him choose Phoenix after he'd received numerous NBA camp offers and overseas deals.

"I think (my relationship with McDonough) played a big role because he knows what type of guy I am," Christmas told her by phone on Friday. "He knows that I work hard. I come in every day, I'm going to give it 110 percent."

Another rookie who has been playing professionally for a number of years before moving to the NBA this summer is Italian import Luigi "Gigi" Datome who signed a two-year, $3.5MM deal with the Pistons in June.

Datome spoke with Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype about what he's expecting during his first season outside Italy. When asked which current player he would compare himself too, Datome mentioned the Heat's Shane Battier in terms of his shooting and all-around contributions to make the team better.  

With the Pistons signing unrestricted free agent Josh Smith this summer to team with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe in their front court, a shooter like Datome will be valuable. Gigi shot 51.5 percent from the floor with Virtus Roma last year and nearly 40 percent from three-point territory when he was named Italian League MVP.

Gigi's marksmanship will help space the floor when the 6'8" shooter replaces Monroe or Smith at either forward spot. Smith, Drummond and Monroe will be drawing the majority of their opponents' attention toward a crowded paint, and none of the three possess much accuracy outside of ten feet, so Datome's accuracy behind the arc should open up driving lanes for another new Pistons acquisition this summer, Brandon Jennings.

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Western Notes: Lakers, Landry, Blazers, Frye

August 31st, 2013 at 9:16pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Clippers signed Antawn Jamison earlier this week, and Jamison conducted a radio interview with ESPN 710 in Los Angeles on Friday, transcribed and given context by ESPN Los Angeles scribe Ramona Shelburne this morning.

In the interview Jamison spoke about last season under the microscope with the star-studded Lakers, applauded the competitive drive of Kobe Bryant, and discussed his sometimes strained relationship with coach Mike D'Antoni, who removed Jamison from the rotation late in the year. Said Jamison of Bryant:

"I would never count Kobe Bryant out of anything. I've played with some special players. Gilbert Arenas when he was [in Washington D.C], at the top of his game, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal [in Cleveland]. I've played with a lot but never played with an individual player who had the type of mindset, the drive that he has. If [Bryant] says he's going to win a sixth ring, believe me, he's going to do everything possible to get that ring."

Jamison also said there was little communication or rapport between the players and D'Antoni after Mike Brown was fired five games into the season.  

"Mike was pretty much put in a difficult situation. There was no training camp where he could get a feel for guys. There was a breakdown of communication when we first got there. And throughout the season it was kind of up and down."

Here's more from around the Western Conference, including a possible D-League addition to the Lakers next season…

  • The Los Angeles Times' Eric Pincus shares the offseason workout video (via Ryan Ellerbusch of Maximum Exposure) of Lakers summer league standout forward Marcus Landry. 
  • Landry – younger brother of Carl Landry – averaged 15.2 PPG in 5 games this summer and in February was named to the Futures All-Star roster for the 2013 D-League All-Star Game.
  • Pincus adds that the Lakers are planning to bring 16-20 players to training camp despite having just 12 players under contract. They're expected to sign second round pick Ryan Kelly.
  • Sam Tongue of Blazers Edge wonders whether Blazers President Chris McGowan can enhance fan experience by upgrading their digital properties to "talk with the fans, rather than at them."
  • The Boston Globe's Gary Washburn tweets that Suns GM Ryan McDonough says they'll know whether Channing Frye will play in 2013/14 in the next few weeks, but he's "optimistic he'll be able to play."
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Odds & Ends: Abdur-Rahim, Kazemi, Butler

August 29th, 2013 at 6:17pm CST by Ryan Raroque
According to a team press
release, former NBA All-Star and Kings' director of player
personnel Shareef Abdur-Rahim has
been named as the general manager of the Reno Bighorns, which serves as Sacramento's D-League affilliate. Abdur-Rahim will be joined by Chris Gilbert,
who was named assistant general manager. Here are some more of this evening's miscellaneous news and notes:

  • Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets that the 76ers could still send second-round pick Arsalan Kazemi overseas for the coming season. 
  • Caron Butler is "thoroughly excited" about returning home to Wisconsin to play for the Bucks, writes Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. 
  • Suns GM Ryan McDonough issued a statement about the team's trade agreement with Milwaukee, saying that the deal was about creating more cap space (Paul Coro of AZCentral.com). 
  • Yannis Koutroupis of Hoopsworld profiles this year's rookie head coaches and identifies some challenges that may lie ahead for each of them. 
  • Later in the same piece, Koutroupis wonders if Marcin Gortat is the next player in Phoenix to be on the move. 
  • The newly created Delaware 87ers of the NBDL acquired the rights of 16 players via the D-League's expansion draft last night (NBA.com). Among the more notable names on that list with NBA experience are Ish Smith, Sean Williams, Willie Warren, Jerome Dyson, and Josh Akognon. Smith and Akognon remain on NBA rosters, but if they were released and wanted to play in the D-League, Delaware would hold their rights.
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Western Notes: Beasley, Grizzlies, Harden

July 27th, 2013 at 7:24pm CST by Spencer Lund

Michael Beasley is entering the final fully guaranteed year of his contract, and he's in danger of seeing his NBA career come to an early end, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com examines.

Caplan spoke with 33-year-old Suns GM Ryan McDonough about the their rebuilding efforts designed to add hardworking athletes who can run their up-tempo offense, led by their newest addition in the back-court, Eric Bledsoe. 

But when asked if the 24-year-old Beasley–who averaged career lows across-the-board last season in Phoenix–would be a part of the Suns' rebuilding efforts, McDonough's message was loud and clear for the maladroit former No. 2 overall pick:

"I guess what I’ll say generally about that is we’re going to treat everybody the same,” McDonough explained.

“There won’t be any special treatment for anybody on the roster and as Jeff [Hornacek] and I told all the guys coming in, we don’t care how much money you’re making, where you were drafted, how long you’ve been in the league, what, if anything, you’ve been promised in the past. We’re going into this as an open competition, and when training camp comes, guys who buy in and play the right way and play hard will play, and those who don’t, won’t.”

Beasley signed a three-year $18MM contract with the Suns in July of 2012, but the 2014-15 season is only guaranteed for $3MM. According to Mark Deeks at ShamSports.com, the final year becomes fully guaranteed for $6.25MM if the Suns don't waive him on, or before, 5 p.m. Mountain Time on the second day after the team's final gaeme of the 2013-14 season, including playoffs, or June 15th.

Here's what else is happening around the Western Conference on Saturday night…

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Western Notes: Suns, Mavericks, Jazz

June 20th, 2013 at 11:33pm CST by Ryan Raroque

A well-deserved congratulations to the Heat for winning the NBA Championship as well as the Spurs for putting up a hard fought series. As we wrap up one of the more memorable Finals matchups in recent history, here are some of tonight's news and notes out of the Western Conference:

  • Paul Coro of AZ Central says that Suns GM Ryan McDonough could use one of his three draft picks on an international player under contract and keep him overseas for more seasoning before bringing him over. Coro adds that if Phoenix doesn't select a center with their fifth overall pick, it could certainly be a targeted position with their 30th. 
  • Given their draft history, Eddie Sefko of SportsDayDFW thinks that the Mavericks will either trade this year's pick or draft an international player with the intent of keeping him overseas as to not take up any of this summer's salary cap space. If they do keep the pick, Sefko thinks that they'll look at either Michael Carter-Williams or Dennis Schroeder. In a separate piece, Sefko boldly predicts that the Mavs will wind up with Dwight Howard this offseason.
  • Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin is excited to have Jerry Sloan involved with the franchise again, writes Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune. 
  • Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times thinks that the Clippers going after Doc Rivers at the expense of a first round pick is a no-brainer.
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Western Notes: McDonough, Hunter, Wright

May 9th, 2013 at 10:13pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Not long after being officially introduced as the Suns' new general manager, Ryan McDonough addressed the topic of his head coaching search, saying that several people on his list of ideal candidates for the job have matched up with the list that had been in place before he was hired, adding that Lindsey Hunter still remains as "one of the top guys" (Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic via USA Today). McDonough also underscored the draft as a franchise's "lifeblood" for "sustainable success" and was complimentary of some of the current players on the roster. Here's more out of the Western Conference tonight: 

  • Both Kevin Sherrington and David Moore of SportsDayDFW put themselves in Mark Cuban's shoes and give their theoretical free agent pitches to Chris Paul. Sherrington points to the differences in the Clippers' and Mavericks' ownership, while Moore emphasizes the opportunity to play with a shooter like Dirk Nowitzki and for a proven coach in Rick Carlisle. 
  • Tim Cowlishaw of SportsDayDFW has his doubts about the Mavericks keeping Brandan Wright, noting that coach Rick Carlisle had issues with Wright's rebounding and inconsistency. With only six players under contract for next season as of right now, Cowlishaw expects the makeup of the team to be drastically different. 
  • Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News makes the argument that the Warriors are a much more dangerous team now than they would have been with a healthy David Lee.
  • Lee told CSN Bay Area's Ric Bucher that he plans to return to action again this postseason and hasn't ruled out the possibility of getting surgery to repair his torn right hip flexor once the season is over (Sulia link). 
  • Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com describes Masai Ujiri's journey toward becoming one of the league's top executives after humble beginnings ten years ago. 
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Suns Hire Ryan McDonough As GM

May 7th, 2013 at 12:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Suns officially have a new general manager, having hired Celtics assistant GM Ryan McDonough to replace Lance Blanks, the team announced today in a press release. The team will formally introduce McDonough at a press conference this Thursday.

"Ryan distinguished himself among an impressive group of candidates for our GM position," said Suns president Lon Babby in a statement. "His natural leadership and communication skills will serve the Suns well. And, his prodigious work ethic and ability to identify talent will enable us to take full advantage of the 10 draft choices, including six in the first round, that we have over the next three years. We welcome his championship pedigree to our organization."

McDonough had been considered one of the frontrunners for the Suns' GM opening along with Bucks assistant GM Jeff Weltman. Various reports, including one earlier today, suggested that Phoenix was also interested in hiring Grant Hill for the position. McDonough's hiring seems to indicate that either the Suns weren't seriously interested in Hill or that the veteran intends to continue his playing career.

McDonough joined the Celtics' front office in 2003, as a 23-year-old special assistant to basketball operations. After working in the team's scouting department and as Boston's director of player personnel, he has served as an assistant GM to Danny Ainge for the last three seasons. McDonough is expected to work with Babby to make a decision on the Suns' head coach.

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