With the news that the New York Knicks have fired Tom Thibodeau, Phoenix Suns owner Matt Ishbia has the chance to prove, once again, that he is the worst owner in sports by abandoning the team’s current head-coaching search and hiring Thibodeau instead. It would be a terrible decision, but it would fall in line with the rest of the choices Ishbia has made since taking over the team.
For the past two seasons, Ishbia has brought in guys who have ample head-coaching experience in the NBA in a desperate attempt to compete for a championship with the current Suns roster. That fits Thibodeau to a tee.
But it would be a massive mistake.
Why shouldn’t the Suns hire Tom Thibodeau?
Phoenix has reportedly narrowed down its coaching search to two candidates from the Cleveland Cavaliers: Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott. Both guys have yet to earn their chance to be an NBA head coach. In theory, they would get to learn and grow with the Suns.
Rumors of Kevin Durant trades have swirled since the end of the season, and it seems almost inevitable that the superstar will be gone this summer. Because of that, hiring a young, fresh head coach would fit with the Suns’ (theoretically) young, fresh new direction.
Building around Devin Booker, Ryan Dunn, Oso Ighodaro, and whatever players the Suns get in return for Durant would be the ideal situation, especially with a new head coach in town.
But that hasn’t been Ishibia’s motto from the very moment he joined the team.
All Ishbia has done is throw money at the wall and hope it works. It’s what he did in the Durant trade, it’s what he did when he traded for Bradley Beal, and it’s what he did when he hired Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer. Hiring Thibodeau would continue that trend.
Instead of addressing the real problem, hiring Thibodeau would see the Suns continue to double down on what is clearly an incomplete roster without any sort of legitimate structure. Ishbia would once again be trying to solve the organization’s problem by spending a bunch of money to bring in a big name.
For the past few seasons, the Suns’ ownership group has been one of the worst in the sport, consistently making decisions that have backfired in a huge way.
If they abandon their current plans to hire Bryant or Ott as their new head coach in favor of Thibodeau, it would solidify Ishbia as the worst owner in the league.