Believe it or not: Suns head coach job is better than the Lakers

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LeBron James Devin Booker Phoenix Suns (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

So long as Robert Sarver owns the Phoenix Suns, it feels like the franchise will be in a constant state of mis-management. And yet the open head coach job is better than their primary rival’s.

The Phoenix Suns are on the verge of having their seventh head coach in as many years after the not unexpected but still ridiculous firing of one-year head coach Igor Kokoskov.

And yet, even though the glaring problem with the Phoenix Suns is the fact that Robert Sarver remains the franchise’s owner, and the historically superior franchise Los Angeles Lakers head coaching position too is open, the Suns’ just is – believe it or not – a more attractive job for head coaching candidates.

First off: the stars who will run the show

Both franchise’s already have a star on the roster, each who was unable to carry a young core to the promised land of the playoffs this past season.

There is no doubt that while Devin Booker is still a budding (and often forgotten) star with the Phoenix Suns while LeBron James is arguably the greatest player in NBA history (I say arguably because some will say as much, while I vehemently disagree), James’ star-power is much weightier in NBA circles and he demands much greater attention from free agents and potential trade targets around the league.

But while LeBron’s star continues to shine bright, it is dimming.

Unlike in years past where he has been able to take arguably as bad a roster as L.A.’s was last season, and guide them not only to the playoffs but even to the Finals, there is a ton of wear-and-tear on his body which will begin the process of breaking him down (as evidenced by his hip issues in 2018-19) to the point where his game will undoubtedly be passed by others around the league sooner rather than later.

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Devin Booker, on the other hand, is 12-years LeBron’s junior, and will be one of those players who will in the near-term pass LeBron in physical ability.

With Booker currently on the rise, he is slowly gaining a voice in the management of the franchise – although according to James Jones, not that loud of a voice. As such, while he will make his opinions known, he cannot demand changes or run the franchise in a manner that is generally unbecoming of a player, and thus does not himself have the authority to dictate even who the next head coach should be.

LeBron, though, does all of that on a day-to-day basis.

At this point he is a coach-killer, and I suppose he probably feels that he needs to be with so little time left in his tank.

A new head coach will not carry the Lakers’ lockerroom when sharing it with LeBron James as he will have the opportunity to in Phoenix with Booker.

Between the two stars, there is also that Booker’s primary and sole focus at this point in his career is his game and finally taking the Phoenix Suns into the playoffs and beyond. Unmarried, he works tirelessly on improvement throughout the year, and has improved his game in obvious and meticulous ways each year he has been in the league.

‘Bron is about as good (nay, great) as he will ever be, and as such has already begun looking outward into his post-NBA series of ventures.

Many believe he chose LA over other locations (including remaining in Cleveland) not primarily to win with the Lakers, but to both act and produce in television and movie projects (which he spent time doing during the regular season) potentially taking more of his attention away from the franchise than ownership and management would ever allow to happen to anyone not named LeBron James.

None of that is to say that LeBron could not win one more championship with the Lakers before his ultimate retirement and that their new head coach couldn’t ride his coat tails and deal with all of the drama surrounding LeBron then move on in three or four years.

But while there is no guarantee that Devin Booker will ever be a part of a championship team in Phoenix, there too is no guarantee of the Lakers making it back over the top, and the headache surrounding their aging star is alone reason enough to believe that Phoenix is a better job than the Lakers.

Oh, and there’s more.

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