After rumors of his seat being hot and his firing possibly around the corner, James Jones said Igor Kokoskov’s job is safe for now. This is good news for the Phoenix Suns.
The Phoenix Suns have lost a LOT this season and just recently had a 17-game losing streak. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton, the heartbeat of the team, were fed up and voiced their frustration. Head coach Igor Kokoskov’s seat was rumoredly heating up according to John Gambadoro on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Then the unthinkable happened as the Suns WON a game, beating the Miami Heat. It was a strong team win and all the players were visibly relieved and all smiles. James Jones then came out on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and said the Suns are sticking with him through at least the remainder of this season.
Jones said the team is committed to him, supports him and wants to finish out the season on a high note. They believe he is up to the challenge. This is a great move as he does deserve more of a chance.
Look, Kokoskov has looked like a bad coach at times and the Suns have been bad on both ends of the court, playing sloppy and undisciplined with awful chemistry. A 12-50 record, worst in the NBA, does not help his case. Whenever there is a season this bad, changes usually follow and even if it’s not completely the fault of the coach, his seat gets really hot.
I don’t think he is a bad coach. The roster has multiple gaping holes and the team’s poor performance can’t go solely on the man with the clipboard. He’s a rookie NBA head coach as well who is also learning and even though he has clear areas needing vast improvement, I fully expect him to improve. It would be sad if he didn’t get more of an opportunity in Phoenix.
He had spent 18 years as an assistant coach, including five with Phoenix, before becoming the head coach in the valley. Add in an impressive Euro take to his resume, featuring gold medals as the head coach for the Serbian national team.
There has been good as he has worked with T.J. Warren on his shooting and helped him go from a player you don’t want shooting threes to one of the best three point shooters in the league. He has also helped improve the defense on the wings and even though it’s been inconsistent due to the youth, you can already see when they are clicking how much they close out on shooters and how many deflections they get.
It hasn’t been all bad and I’m happy that his tenure as head coach doesn’t end now. With the right moves, some solid veterans that can contribute and a point guard and power forward, only time will tell how good of a coach he can really be.
Igor Kokoskov is finishing out the season as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. I’m glad he gets more time to show what he can really do.