The new Suns: Culture change in Phoenix
By DC DECASTRO
There is a new sheriff in town, and boy has he changed the culture of the Phoenix Suns tremendously already.
“He is instilling the same championship culture and standard that he experienced on multiple occasions as a player.”
Those were the words that Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver used to introduce James Jones as the franchise’s newest general manager.
On the surface, this came across as a general statement about an ex-player that played for title-winning teams.
But as we fast forward to the present and review the coaches and players Jones has hired and acquired since, you can see that Sarver was not lying. Jones has not wasted any time bringing in pieces that have had experience contributing to a winning culture.
Among the newest additions, I’ve project whom I expect to be the primary contributors – especially in year one of the Jones regime.
Let’s start with the hiring of Monty Williams.
Williams spent many years in the San Antonio Spurs organization as a player, coaching intern, and front office executive. He learned how championship teams are run and was part of the Spurs team that won the NBA Finals in 2005.
In 2010, Williams earned his first head coaching job for the then New Orleans Hornets.
The thought of working with Chris Paul appealed to Williams when he expressed, “I realized how much easier the game can be when you have an elite point guard running your team.”
The tandem became a playoff team in Williams’ first season.
Williams coached in New Orleans for a total of five seasons, the his last two after they became the Pelicans.
Monty Williams also coached Anthony Davis and the two earned a playoff appearance together.
After the Pelicans terminated Williams in 2015, he spent time as an assistant in Oklahoma City and Philadelphia with both teams making the playoffs – something the Suns have not done since the 2009-2010 season.