Now that Dan Majerle is out of a job, the Phoenix Suns should strongly consider bringing him in as an assistant coach with the team for next season.
With news breaking that Grand Canyon University, in all of their great, well-known basketball heritage, ditched former Phoenix Suns legend, Dan Majerle, Thunder Dan finds himself without a job.
Prior to taking the helm at GCU, Dan Majerle served as the associate head coach with the Phoenix Suns from 2008 to 2013. During that stretch, the Suns posted a 198-196 record. For what it’s worth, 57 of those losses came in the 2012-2013 season, just before he bolted for the ‘Lopes.
Throughout the years as Phoenix Suns head coaching jobs have come up (so pretty much every year), Majerle’s name has been floated around as a possible target. It even went as far as then-GM Ryan McDonough inquiring with Majerle about the role. However, his commitment to building an NCAA tournament team at GCU was strong, and nothing ever materialized.
Now that GCU is no longer committed to Majerle, it is time to think about hiring his services again, but this time as an assistant.
Monty Williams has done a phenomenal job as the first-year head coach of the Phoenix Suns. During this an abbreviated season, the Suns have won more games than any season of the last five. And they played all 82 games in those.
This comes despite the fact that this team is cursed and has been plagued with horrible luck all season.
There is no way of knowing if there will even be an assistant coaching job open next season, but with the coaching carousel in full swing every year, it feels inevitable.
More importantly, however, there is no way of telling if Majerle would even be a good fit for Monty’s staff.
What I do know is that Majerle has head coaching experience with success, has been an NBA assistant for the Phoenix Suns for five seasons (again with success), and he bleeds orange and purple.
That is a worthy resume to me, even if it is admittedly supremely superficial.
In the past, he has declined the opportunity to interview for the role of head coach, so there is a good chance the idea of now being an assistant is not that appealing. Then again, he is without a job and considering how much basketball runs in this man’s veins, I wouldn’t discount it just yet.