When trying to think of one word to describe Phoenix Suns' owner Mat Ishbia's time at the helm of the franchise, eventful would be capturing it well while also putting it lightly. Ishbia has done so much since buying the organization - yet rather than move closer to their goal of winning an NBA Championship - they waved a massive white flag this offseason and went back to basics.
They did sign Devin Booker to a two-year, $145 million extension, although even that felt like a potentially damaging decision to make. One the Suns surely had to do, but what kind of message does it send when you reward your best player so handsomely - and with a player option for that second season - after being part of a 36 win season and not even being named an All-Star?
Bill Simmons has some choice words for Ishbia that will hurt.
Bill Simmons took to his podcast on The Ringer recently and was joined by Zach Lowe, as they delved into all things NBA as the summer rolls on. When the subject of the second apron came up, Simmons couldn't resist a not so subtle dig at Ishbia's tenure so far by comparing him to his own dog Murph and his inability to resist 20 pounds of dog food. No seriously, check it out below for yourself.
As strange as the analogy is, Simmons is also correct here. In some ways the second apron - which the Suns finally escaped after buying out Bradley Beal - saves Ishbia from himself because it limits the kinds of trades and signings he can make. If not for that second apron, who knows how he would have doubled down once again having traded for Beal and Kevin Durant?
Prior to that he had traded for and then did all he could to get rid of Jusuf Nurkic, while Jimmy Butler appeared to be another short-term solution at the deadline last season. It doesn't look like Ishbia or the front office have any restraint when it comes to how they're trying to build this thing, and they've gone in any direction that takes their fancy in the past.
Even hiring a first time General Manager in Brian Gregory and head coach in Jordan Ott is a risk, while trading for the often-injured Mark Williams at the same time you draft Khaman Maluach is a head-scratcher as well. They already had this guy on their roster as well and he looks ready to take on a bigger role in The Valley, but he might not be given the chance.
Ishbia deserves this criticism from Simmons, because his decisions to this point have led the Suns as far away from their 2021 NBA Finals run as they have been in some time. As a new owner he couldn't help himself, but the hope now is that he has learnt from those painful lessons and at least commits to a vision of what he wants this team to look like. Until he changes his mind again.