The Phoenix Suns suffered the indignity of a sweep in the opening round of the NBA's postseason and the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the offseason is going to be a long and ugly postmortem into how exactly this happened.
Drizzled on top of that will be endless trade rumors and speculation surrounding their top three players, with talk of Devin Booker joining the New York Knicks somehow having already spent days in the league's news cycle. This despite the rumors being debunked by a media member much more in the know than most others.
With the organization on shaky ground right now, Suns' owner Mat Ishbia addressed the media on Wednesday, and there were plenty of talking points once he was done.
General Manager James Jones also spoke to the media - and although Ishbia assured everybody in attendance that nobody's job is under threat just yet - plenty of fans appear to have run out of patience with Jones. That may be unfair though, because Ishbia has always appeared to be a hands on owner.
Having this media availability in the first place was further proof of that, as it is not something that happens very often. Here are the main takeaways from what turned out to be over 40 minutes of both men speaking to the media, and what it says about the state of the organization after one of the most disappointing seasons in their history.
3. The Suns aren't prioritizing the draft
It became clear from the responses of both Ishbia and Jones that the NBA Draft is not an avenue the Suns see as a serious way to add a player who can help them win in the near future. Given the lack of draft picks the franchise currently have that makes sense, although the Suns do have a late first rounder in this year's draft.
A class which many believe will be one of the most underwhelming in recent memory. Still, the chance to add a young player on a cheap contract should in theory be exactly what the Suns are looking for. They currently have not only the highest salary bill in the league, but their luxury tax owed for next season rivals the salaries being paid out by some other teams.
"If fans like to look in the future and say hey, I really like that 2031 draft pick, because maybe that seventh-grader is gonna be really good and we’re gonna draft them and one day he’s gonna be a player. You ain’t going to like the Phoenix Suns... because we’re gonna say draft picks are to get great players."Suns' owner Mat Ishbia
Given Ishbia's massive swings to acquire both Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, this shouldn't come as a surprise. Then again, this is a team that has no outs and no young players or even many picks to move to change their situation in the immediate future. Not that the top brass in The Valley care, as they clearly aren't taking the draft seriously as a viable way of getting better anytime soon.
2. Frank Vogel is still the head coach... for now
This unexpected press conference was both rescheduled from Monday to Wednesday and later updated to include Ishbia which had most people thinking the same thing. Namely that head coach Frank Vogel was going to be relieved of his duties after an underwhelming season.
Only that never happened, with Ishbia going on to tell those in attendance that not one conversation has taken place regarding the futures of Vogel, Jones or any of the players on the roster. Although that is most likely not true - Ishbia has surely gotten his inner circle together to dissect the season that was - coach Vogel is, for now at least, not getting the chop.
"You sitting there saying, Darvin Ham needs to get fired, Frank Vogel needs to get fired. Who put them trash ass teams together need to get fired. They didn't just all the sudden suck as coaches. People who put them teams together should start packing."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) May 2, 2024
Charles Barkley. #Suns pic.twitter.com/23AbQdNoTy
It would be a stretch to say that Ishbia backed him to succeed - but in kind of skirting around his future altogether - it may be that a decision has not been made yet. Quite how much you can blame what happened on Vogel is unclear as well, as all he did was work with what he was given. Even Bradley Beal appeared to back him in public once the season was over.
There is every chance Vogel is going to stay on for next season, because the Suns watched their top assistant Kevin Young go to BYU recently. David Fizdale is waiting in the wings if needed, but the Suns need only look at the Milwaukee Bucks hiring Doc Rivers halfway through the regular season to see that change for the sake of it is not always a good thing.
1. Mat Ishbia loves this team
The overriding emotion throughout the entire press conference was one of complete confidence bordering on delusion from Ishbia, which was in complete contrast to the season the Suns just endured. But rather than see where the organization is right now as a negative, Ishbia painted a much brighter picture.
"I think some of the narratives around our team and our organization maybe are incorrect. And my perspective is this: We’re in great position. Not a good position, a great position."Mat Ishbia on the Suns
Ishiba would go even further than that, claiming that the Suns were in an enviable position relative to most other teams in the league. This despite an up-and-down regular season and being dumped out of the playoffs by Anthony Edwards and company.
"I feel like the narrative around the house is burning, it’s incorrect. The Phoenix Suns are doing great. Excellent. Not as good as we want to be, and not as good as we’re gonna do next year, and that’s what we’re gonna figure out. What do we gotta tweak, modify, adjust to win a championship next year?"Mat Ishbia on the Suns
You can't help but admire Ishbia's unwavering belief that the Suns are going to be even better next year, but it is hard to see how. Durant will be 36-years-old, Beal missed a third of this season through injury and this team still doesn't have a traditional point guard to run the show. You can be sure of one thing though, and that is that Ishbia will do what it takes to win. Even if he currently can't do much.