The Phoenix Suns must learn from Arizona State

It wasn’t too long ago that former General Manager Lance Blanks stabbed Dan Majerle in the back by passing over the Assistant Coach for Lindsey Hunter as Head Coach of the Phoenix Suns.

That entire affair can be summed up simply: a guy, in a position of authority, wanted to do a solid, nepotistic favor for a friend, although his both gratuitous and irresponsible decision completely destroyed the order of things and in doing so created an unnecessary level of chaos for a franchise that echos in the Valley to this day.

Neither Lance Blanks nor Lindsey Hunter lasted much longer as they were both mercifully fired following the 2012-13 season.

Even so, scars were borne, a season was lost, and the prodigal Sun has yet to return.

For Arizona State University Football, Athletic Director Ray Anderson has seemingly repeated Lance Blanks’ decision, thrusting the vast majority of the fan base into a maelstrom of panic. By Anderson’s action of having never interviewed any additional candidates, a solid stream of fans who just one week ago were gleefully holding their University’s victory on the gridiron over the heads of rival University of Arizona like a bear might rub a fresh salmon in the face of an otter, are now begging for a Coup d’état – of sorts – by University President Michael Crow, who now stands as the only voice who can reject the hiring of a long since washed up coach from taking over as head of the Arizona State Football program.

For the Phoenix Suns, the need to make a choice for who the long-term head coach will be is a situation that will likely be the first, and possibly most important, decision that current Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough will make this offseason.

He must not only learn from Ray Anderson’s mistake, but his own as well:

Following Blanks’ removal, the Suns hired McDonough whose first major order of business was hiring Jeff Hornacek as the team’s Head Coach. As we all know, Hornacek didn’t work out in the end and McDonough hired Earl Watson as his interim replacement.

Although Watson failed to provide any uptick in the win column, McDonough inexplicably offered Watson a contract, while never having interviewed a single additional candidate.

Of course Watson quickly proved to be God-awful (and in my humble opinion, the worst head coach in the league during his tenure)  and was removed three games into the current season. Jay Triano now holds the reigns with the mandate that he will finish the year as the team’s interim coach, although he is almost guaranteed to be a candidate come this summer.

There is no doubt that the team has improved under Triano following the Watson era, thus potentially tempting McDonough to once again forgo the interview process and non-competitively offer Triano the position moving forward.

Yet this is where McDonough must not fall prey to short-term positivism and in his mind potentially mis-represent the mistake he made with Watson. It may in fact be fortuitous in this way that the situation surrounding Ray Anderson and Arizona State football is unfolding at this time as is should play as a reminder of what not  to do, reminding him to do the one  thing that above all else might be the most important responsibility: go through an exhaustive search to hire the right coach for the team.

Outside of allowing a toxic situation to develop within the franchise that eventually causes Devin Booker to demand a trade, there is nothing else wrong that management can do that strikes more fear into the hearts of fans than McDonough making a rash decision on head coach. A head coach has such an important role in the success of a team, especially with one so young, and the necessity of doing one’s due diligence to hire the appropriate person for this roster is imperative to it’s development and future success.

It is entirely possible that Jay Triano is the man moving forward, although with the succession of losses and the team’s actual regression in opponent’s scoring average under Triano versus Watson, those facts alone should act as a warning that what level of positivity may come with his extension.

Regardless, Ryan McDonough not only owes it to himself, to Triano, to the team, and to the whole of the Valley of the Suns, to do his do diligence in Phoenix and not  repeat his own mistake, nor do what Ray Anderson has done in Tempe.

Next: Possible Head Coach Options for the Phoenix Suns

For a franchise that will have suffered through what will soon be eight years of failure to make a playoff run, and for the last three years has been the model of miserable in the NBA, listlessly hiring a head coach who may need to be fired in 18-24 months would be like a major earthquake leveling an already crumbling city.

The Phoenix Suns cannot withstand the kind of mistake that Ray Anderson is making. Ryan McDonough can, and must, do better, for the Phoenix Suns.