Back in early July of last summer, the Phoenix Suns were actually looking forward to April. April, otherwise known as the month the NBA Playoffs start, has brought one of the most embarrassing season’s in Phoenix Suns history to an end at last.
After losing out on All-Star forward Lamarcus Aldridge in free agency to the San Antonio Spurs, the Suns’ chances at contending had started disintegrating. Nonetheless, this feisty Phoenix team was still made up of talented players, from Brandon Knight to Eric Bledsoe, Markieff Morris, Tyson Chandler, and even sharpshooter Mirza Teletovic, the Playoffs were still a reachable goal.
Two months into the season, and things once again took a turn for the worst. This time, point guard Eric Bledsoe suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee against the Philadelphia 76ers on December 26th. Three days later, the team announces via twitter that Bledsoe would be sidelined for the rest of the season. All the while, a series of Markieff Morris incidents were occurring with the team and starting center Tyson Chandler’s struggles were becoming noticeable. The Phoenix Suns were falling apart.
Gradually, the present day tradition of shifting blame towards the coaching staff kicked into full effect, and it was now decision time for the Suns. Ultimately, the Suns decided against firing Jeff Hornacek, rather opting to scrap veteran assistant coaches Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting instead.
Another month passes by. The Suns continue to struggle, going just 2-12 in the month of January. Finally, the inevitable happens: The Suns announce the firing of Jeff Hornacek after spending just three seaons with the team in total.
Following the decision of letting Jeff Hornacek go, the Suns later decided to hire ex-Phoenix guard Earl Watson as interim head coach. Nontheless, the Suns’ season was already over. They were not heading to the Playoffs in April, and it was the harsh reality of February now facing them head on.
It is now the present day, and the Phoenix Suns are planning to start its search for a new head coach soon, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein:
Sources told ESPN.com that the Suns plan to consider multiple candidates, with Watson among them, once they complete a sixth successive non-playoff season that began with postseason aspirations but ultimately cost the popular Jeff Hornacek his job on Feb. 1, after a dreadful 2-19 stretch that included a number of injuries.
NBA coaching sources told ESPN.com that Golden State Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton, former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni (who currently serves as associate head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers) and former Suns star Dan Majerle (head coach at fledgling Division I program Grand Canyon in the Western Athletic Conference) are among the names likely to feature a broad list of targets.
Along with these names, one more prominent one continues to arise in conversations as well: Steve Nash. Nash, a former MVP on the 2006 Phoenix Suns team, recently retired last season after a storied 18-year career. Despite recent speculation, Stein notes it is highly unlikely that Nash accepts any coaching position from the Suns:
ESPN.com reported in late January that Suns owner Robert Sarver has strong interest in former two-time MVP Steve Nash for the coaching vacancy, but sources continue to say Nash is not interested in going into full-time coaching at this time.
Nash, according to sources, is not presently prepared to entertain the thought of a head-coaching position or even an assistant coach’s role at this juncture, preferring to focus on fatherhood (he has three young children), his various off-court interests, the part-time consulting role with the Warriors that he took on at the start of this season and his duties as the general manager of Team Canada.
Stein, making one final note, also relayed that Golden State Warriors assistant Luke Walton is another unlikely candidate:
However, NBA coaching sources say the Suns would be considered an extremely long shot to lure Walton from his post with the Warriors.
This news correlates with the recent report from Marc Berman of the New York Post, saying that the Knicks are also a longshot to land Walton. In addition, Berman added New York is beginning to sense Walton is not yet ready to leave Golden State, at all.
Regardless, the Phoenix Suns have problems in need of fixing. First, they must prioritize finding a long-term head coach. Not interim, but rather permanent. In the very near future, further details will begin emerging from the Suns’ league-wide head coaching search, as the team continues to search for ways of improvement next season.
