With it being rumored that the Phoenix Suns are now searching for their next full-time General Manager, let’s take a look at who should get an interview.
John Gambadoro of 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station said the Phoenix Suns have begun the process of interviewing candidates for their general manager job.
Since Ryan McDonough was fired on October 8th, only nine days prior to the season, the Suns have been operating without a full-time GM. James Jones and Trevor Bukstein have been serving as co-interim GMs. It is believed that they will stay with the team in one role or another but it’s past time for someone to step 100 percent into the GM role and the search is on.
Phoenix currently has a 12-50 (.194) record, worst in the NBA and on pace for worst in franchise history. They need help and in the form of someone that actually knows what they’re doing. As ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said, “This is an organization that is in a spiral in almost every way and it is a concern in the NBA.”
Phoenix Suns
One responsibility of a GM is to get scouting done, especially on a team like this that has been having to build from the draft, and Jones is not on the road a lot and didn’t seem to understand much about how scouting even works when asked. It’s well known that the Suns haven’t even hired scouts to fill out that side of the front office for a while now.
The next general manager in town will have a rough task, as he will need to turn a once proud franchise around. This team needs to make a complete turn back to being respectable and needs to make progress towards being a winner again (they’ve only had one winning season in the last nine years).
The playoffs seem so far out of sight as the last time the team made it to the post season was in 2009-10 and the new chief will need to get the Suns back in there.
Robert Sarver is so hands on that it’s been detrimental to the franchise, to say the least, and many qualified candidates may refuse to come over just so they won’t have to deal with the headache. If Jerry Colangelo was here, there would be much more and much better options but that just isn’t the case with Sarver.
A former player like “Thunder” Dan Majerle would be great for fans but he likely isn’t leaving Grand Canyon University for a coach or GM position as he’s doing so much for them and isn’t quite finished yet.
However, the team needs to knock on all doors and see if maybe some surprise hero decides to answer.
Here’s an interesting thought. What if the Suns were to trade this year’s pick, unprotected, to acquire Elton Brand from the Philadelphia 76ers as their new GM while making Philly take on Sarver to get the deal done? Yeah, you’re right. That’s too far fetched and wouldn’t ever happen but I’d do it in an instant after seeing what he’s starting for the Sixers.
Back to those interviews, let’s take a look at who I believe Phoenix would be wise to at least make a phone call to. Keep in mind that not all of these candidates can come over right away as they may be in a front office position for another team currently and the Suns would have to get permission to reach out to them. Others are free agents after this season while the rest are available to step right up.
Trajan Langdon
Trajan Langdon is a front office name to watch as he’s had several interviews and a well rounded resume.
The 11th overall pick in the 1999 NBA Draft was the first Alaskan to play in the NBA. He had a short stint in the association before playing nine seasons overseas. His best years came with CSKA Moscow, where he has several accolades including being a two-time Euroleague champion, a Final Four MVP and multiple All-Euroleague team selections. He was also named to the Euroleague 2001-10 All-Decade Team.
He was a pro scout for the San Antonio Spurs and a member of their front office during their 2013-14 title season and then served as the director of player administration and basketball operations for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He worked closely with the team’s GM, their community relations team and was also responsible for pro player personnel reporting for opponents, college and D-League (now G-League) scouting.
Trajan was hired as Assistant GM of the Brooklyn Nets In 2016. He was in serious consideration to become the general manager of the Detroit Pistons prior to this season and was among the top candidates when the Atlanta Hawks were searching for their GM in 2017.
He’s currently the GM of the Long Island Nets G-League team.
Langdon is close friends with former Phoenix Sun Grant Hill and his Euro connections could make him a good fit with head coach Igor Kokoskov.
Rich Cho
This may be one of the most experienced candidates on the list. He’s worked in front offices for more than 20 years, including under Sam Presti in Seattle where Cho’s background in both law and mathematics were utilized by the Thunder when negotiating trades, signing free agents and understanding the NBA’s complicated collective bargaining agreement.
He went from Intern to Director of Basketball Affairs to Assistant GM of the team followed by a short stint as GM of the Portland Trailblazers before going to Charlotte.
Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan declined to offer him a new contract prior to the season after seven seasons as their GM, instead hiring former Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak.
M.J. did credit him with instituting a number of management tools that have benefited the Hornets organization. Cho was promoted over former president of basketball operations Rod Higgins on draft night in 2014. Charlotte made two trips to the playoffs during Cho’s tenure, in 2014 and 2016.
A fun fact about Cho is he’s the first Asian American general manager in the NBA, which shows his perseverance in the face of challenge, something the Suns could use. His experience would bring someone well qualified in for the job and it’d be quite a jump going from a clueless front office to a head guy with so much knowledge under his belt.
Paul Westphal
In a time of turmoil, one of the best solutions may be to bring in someone with so much care and love for this franchise. He may not have the experience in the front office that you would like but that doesn’t always guarantee the best candidate for the position.
Former Phoenix Suns guard Paul Westphal was recently named one of the finalists for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
In his first season in Phoenix as a player, he led the “Sunderella Suns” to the 1976 NBA Finals. In his first season in Phoenix as a head coach, he led the Suns to the 1993 NBA Finals. Both times that Phoenix made it to the Finals, he played a prominent role. Could he lead this team to the Finals his first season as a general manager? Likely not. However, how great would it be if the next time the Suns made it there he was the GM?
“Westy” ranks in the top ten among the all-time Suns leaders in field goals made, free throws made, points, assists and steals. He’s behind only Steve Nash and Charles Barkley in offensive box plus/minus in their time in Phoenix.
This fanbase has a lot of love for him and he’s a member of the Ring of Honor. How great would it be if he helped right the ship and get this team back to the right path and respect?
Bryan Colangelo
So he had a few burner Twitter accounts. So did (does) Kevin Durant and you’d take him on the Suns right now in a heart beat.
Talent is talent, and everyone makes mistakes – even if it’s because a Papier-mâché balloon has thicker skin than either of them.
How much do fans miss the good old days? I know I sure do. Who was the general manager during the Steve Nash, Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire days? That’s right. Bryan Colangelo.
In 1995, he stepped into his father’s (see Jerry Colangelo, Arizona sports mogul) shoes as general manager for the Phoenix Suns.
During his tenure as the GM in Phoenix, he made many transactions that brought in a lot of praise from across the league, including the drafting of stars Marion and Stoudemire. If he made a mistake, he tried his best to go out of his way to correct it. Yes, he did some things that rubbed fans the wrong way but then he’d make a move that left you forgiving him for the other.
He’s the GM that brought back Nash and that’s something all by itself. Nash went on to win back-to-back MVP awards and in his first MVP season the team went 62-20, claimed the top playoff seed in the Western Conference and Bryan won the 2005 NBA Executive of the Year Award.
In 2006, he resigned and went to be the GM of the Toronto Raptors where he won another Executive of the Year award, credited with turning a 27-win team into a 47-win team.
After his time with the Raptors ended, he did freelance scouting and consulting for other NBA executives and agents before ultimately becoming the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers in 2016, following again in his father’s steps as Jerry had recently been brought in as Chairman of Basketball Operations.
Bryan ended up resigning in Philly due to an investigation alleging he used multiple burner accounts on Twitter to disparage his predecessor as well as multiple players. However, that was in another city and state and he will always be remembered in good terms here. I’m pretty sure the city of Phoenix would give him a warm welcome back.
Kevin McHale
He’s a Hall of Fame inductee and one of the greatest power forwards to ever play the game. The three-time NBA champion has been the head coach of the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. He has a house in Scottsdale, Arizona and his name has been floated by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski as a name to watch for the Suns after the firing of McDonough.
Why would the team hire a 61-year-old that has been away from the game for about four years? He’s had his ups and downs in the front office but the Minnesota Timberwolves organization and their fans will always feel some gratitude towards him for drafting Kevin Garnett. Ryan McDonough had his fair share of shortcomings but fans should be thankful to him for drafting Booker.
The Wolves had a rough road under McHale and only got through the first round once. He was not effective at building a supporting cast around Garnett. Could he be effective in building around Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton?
He also violated the league’s legal transaction rules as he allegedly negotiated an under-the-table deal with Joe Smith. There were also the draft day blunders, like swapping a player (Brandon Roy) for another player (Randy Foye) that was picked after him.
McHale did have a knack for hiring good coaches and he did bring in Kevin Love who was another star in Minnesota. He’s had time to think about what he did wrong and how he would have done it better. He also is doing a reality TV show called “GM School” and has done a lot of studying.
Every one makes mistakes but he has done good and deserves another chance. He’d have to be better than what the team currently has at the very least.
Shane Battier
Shane Battier is a two-time NBA Champion and was a great defensive player in the league.
Battier was versatile and could play inside and out. He made his living as a hustle player on the defensive end that guarded multiple positions. Diving for loose balls, drawing charging fouls, swiping the ball for steals and swatting the ball for blocks was the name of his game.
Shane was the ultimate glue guy and played sound, fundamental, team-oriented basketball. He prepared extensively to guard the players he was assigned to. When he was on the Houston Rockets, they made him the only player with access to it’s highly sophisticated statistical data that they compiled on all opposing players which he used to become familiar with the tendencies of the players he would guard in each game.
He’s currently Director of Basketball Analytics and Development for the Miami Heat and has had a lot to do with the blossoming of their young players. He helped Tyler Johnson, who is now a Sun as well as the likes of Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and others.
Battier could be very useful for the development of the wings on the Suns and has a very smart mind. He has all the knowledge, tools and brain to make it as a general manager in the NBA and it wouldn’t be a bad move for Phoenix to take a chance on him.
Sam Hinkie
Hinkie is the previous GM and President of Basketball Operations of the Philadelphia 76ers. He’s about as analytics as they come and he didn’t get quite the fair shake in Philly as he did a lot more than he is credited for and a lot of what you see working with that team now was actually his doing.
He helped the team go through some serious changes, many that are currently in place. The hiring of present head coach Brett Brown was his doing. The drafting of star big man Joel Embiid was his doing.
The Suns will have competition as the New Orleans Pelicans are also taking a hard look at him. However, one would have to think that the fit would be much more comfortable here, the set up would be much more pleasing to him and overall it would make a lot more sense for him to come to Phoenix.
This franchise could use some of his out-of-the-box thinking as well as his thought process when it comes to plotting a path for the franchise and sticking to it. He’d get a fresh start to build around Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton and it would be very intriguing to see what he would put around them.
The Suns are in such a similar situation to how he left Philly with a young, dominant center and wing. He should get the opportunity to finish what he started over there, here.
I’d be very curious to see who he would bring in as the point guard of the future, what system he would develop and who he would pick up. He deserves another opportunity and this might be the best place for him to be able to take full advantage of that.
David Griffin
Out of the candidates that would likely agree to come here, Griffin would likely be the best choice. He’s an Arizona guy who went to ASU and was the former Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations with the Suns during the Steve Nash days. He was the GM of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016 when the team won their only title.
He is very respected around the league and would be great for the current state of this team. One thing no one can doubt about him is he has such a smart basketball mind. He keeps the players happy and his strategy of keeping the ages of the star core players within four years of each other makes a lot of sense.
Many fans want this to be the hire but would he be willing to look past Robert Sarver and accept the terms of a return here? That’s the question. If he would be OK with coming back and dealing with the headache that is Sarver, he would be great for this team.
I think with the thought of having Booker, Ayton and a blank canvas around them, he would be at least intrigued at the thought. The Suns would be wise to bring him back.
Steve Nash
After all Steve Nash did for this franchise, there shouldn’t be a single opening that comes up that the Suns do not contact him about. They should do every thing they can to get him to return to the valley in one position or another.
He came out in the past saying that he’d relish being an NBA coach or general manager and with his high intellect and Hall of Fame play he would be a high-profile and viable contender, especially with his former team. He’d also be welcome here with open arms.
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Nash had a simply remarkable career filled with eight All-Star appearances, five assists titles, back-to-back MVP awards, and a reputation as one of the most skilled point guards in history. He was also the conductor and inventor of the high speed game fans see today. Even before Steph Curry, there was Steve.
His intelligence is already in use by the Golden State Warriors, as he is a part-time consultant, and his resume alone should be intriguing to Robert Sarver and the Suns in their search for a new GM.
When McDonough was fired, his name not surprisingly quickly came up and he’d be the perfect man. Fans would help regain their passion for the team they love with him on board. At that time, he ruled himself out but he also said he’d probably really enjoy it. If the Suns reached out to him again, it would show perseverance on their part and how much they want him back here.
He may choose to wait and stay close to his family but the team would be wise to at least reach out to him about the position and see his mindset on it.
Charles Barkley
Charles Barkley was fearless and fans loved him for that mentality of his. There was a lot of controversy as he will say anything that is on his mind. However, he wasn’t and isn’t afraid of anyone or anything and that attitude is what infused the city and made him a star in Phoenix as a Sun. That same mind of his could be what would make him a great general manager here.
I think he would be the guy, if anyone can be, that would make Sarver be more hands off. Can’t you imagine him just laughing it off if Robert tried to force his way on him. If he tried to make a move or put his thought process in on Barkley’s post, you could already hear that “Hell no.” If Sarver tried to go behind his back, you could almost hear him saying “If you touch that phone one more time…”
Phoenix Suns
Barkley has some wild thoughts but that could be great for this team. He is very passionate and wants the Suns winning again. You can tell whenever the state of the team is mentioned that he is very frustrated just like the fans and I bet he would truly enjoy getting this franchise back to where it should be.
He really wants to be a general manager, to prove a point and to earn that ring missing from his finger. Chuck is still upset that the Orlando Magic didn’t hire him as GM recently, especially since they gave the job to “another one of those analytical idiots instead of just getting the best players.” Arizona Sports said it right in that if James Jones is nothing special, he should definitely be considered as the next full-time GM of the Suns. Well, Jones isn’t and Barkley should be.
“Robert would have to say to me, ‘I’m going to stay out of it. I’m never going to bug you,’” Barkley said. “And I would have to have complete control.” However, as I stated before, even if that wasn’t the case at first, I’m sure Charles could force his will on an owner that would love to see more money coming in and his favorite team back to winning basketball. Barkley could get them there and multiple cameras would be watching.
Gregg Popovich
This isn’t a name you expected but it’s one that actually makes a lot of sense. He is a wild card, for many reasons. A man that was the reason for a lot of heartache in Suns fans every where as he coached the San Antonio Spurs in all those epic battles and likely cost Phoenix several runs at the Finals back in the day, if not titles.
Another reason is just that, he’s a head coach right now. His contract is up at the end of the season though and he’s given serious consideration into moving on from being a head coach. However, if a team was to offer him a front office position he may take a crack at that. He’s very smart, extremely well spoken and has a lot of respect around the league.
Sarver would 100 percent have to stay hands off and let the man do his job but as hands on as Robert is, I don’t think that would be an issue if they managed to bring in someone of Pop’s stature.
His recent quote after the Suns lost to the Spurs on a buzzer beater resonated with fans. “Phoenix got robbed.” He was of course speaking just to that game and how hard the team played in comparison to his team but I don’t think I’m the only one that watched those old games, including that Robert Horry hip check, and then that quote. That touched home.
As much as I absolutely hate the Spurs because of the glory days and how much they were in the Suns way from something truly special and magical, I have SO MUCH respect for Poppovich and I would truly enjoy having him run this front office. I wouldn’t even mind seeing him run for president if you listen to his thoughts and watch his demeanor. He’d have my vote.
Those are 10 candidates that the Phoenix Suns should at least interview for the open full-time general manager position. Who ultimately gets the job is anyone’s guess but I hope they at least find a way to contact each and every man on this list about it.