The Phoenix Suns held their media day at Footprint Center Wednesday, with owner Mat Ishbia enthusiastically gushing about his vision for the future of the organization to open things up. In accepting responsibility for how the team tried to skip steps on the road to success in trading for Kevin Durant, Ishbia also cut a more reserved figure in proclaiming future success.
This season will not be judged solely on wins and losses - which is a good thing because there will be some humbling defeats on this road back to relevancy - and instead is about allowing the youngsters on this roster to grow. With no fewer than 11 new recruits through the door - and with Devin Booker now the single superstar in The Valley - this is the correct stance to take.
Ishbia alludes to larger future role for returning Steve Nash.
In the days leading up to media availability, it was announced that franchise legend Steve Nash would be returning to Phoenix in a senior advisory role. With head coach Jordan Ott about to embark on his maiden voyage as a leading man, this was perhaps cause for concern for him. Nash has previous coaching experience with the Brooklyn Nets, and Durant was part of the reason that didn't work out.
His departure from Brooklyn coming because both Durant and Kyrie Irving seemingly wanted the team to go in a different direction. It is unclear if he wants to get back into the world of coaching - but with a strong relationship with Booker already built - about the best place for him to get back into the game would be in Phoenix.
Ishbia was clearly delighted to have the two-time league MVP around the building again, and during his conversation with the assembled media proudly proclaimed that Nash had already struck up a friendship with new General Manager Brian Gregory. Even more cryptically, Ishbia mentioned that Nash could be around the place as much as he wanted, and that everybody would learn from him.
As great as that sounds in theory, the Suns have to be careful not to undermine coach Ott before he's had a chance to put his own mark on the roster and culture there. Complicating matters further - or perhaps helping depending on your point of view - is the fact Ott was on Nash's coaching staff when the pair were in Brooklyn.
Does this mean he would feel more comfortable both asking for his advice and also telling him when to back off? Or will that pre-existing relationship mean Nash feels even more comfortable giving his two cents, even when it isn't asked for? Ishbia has clearly landed on the latter, but this remains a situation to monitor.
Having a replacement in the wings if a situation goes wrong sounds great in theory, but it also can become an unwelcome distraction. That is not the reason why the Suns once let Kevin Young walk to BYU - despite many believing he was the head coach in waiting in Frank Vogel didn't work out - but it helped eliminate the chatter of that being a possibility. A potentially difficult situation brewing.