Phoenix Suns' owner Mat Ishbia continued to back up his desire for continuity throughout the organization on Monday, as CEO Josh Bartelstein inked an extension to stick around.
The 37-year-old the first ever hire when Ishbia took over the franchise, and he has done his part to make the Suns competitive once more.
Extension of Bartelstein met with mixed reaction in The Valley
There is no doubt that Bartelstein is one of Ishbia's guys, and the University of Michigan links again ring true here. The owner (Ishbia), CEO (Bartelstein), General Manager (Brian Gregory) and head coach (Jordan Ott) all having passed through that college at one time or another.
So while getting all of the areas of the organization aligned has been necessary and contributed to the Suns making the playoffs last season, is Bartelstein really the guy to help take the Suns to the next level?
It is true he arrived from the Detroit Pistons with a wonderful reputation, but there have been some duds since he arrived. Trading for Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic as bad as it got, although the recent deal for Miles Bridges wasn't much better.
It remains unclear why an unprotected first round pick had to be included, with the Hornets getting two real rotation guys out of the deal. That is not smart business, and neither was going after Kevin Durant in the first place.
Bartelstein can't take all of the flack for that one, but that's kind of the problem. Both he and Ishbia are clearly on the same page, but it never hurts to have constructive pushback on certain issues. How often is that the case here? Is Bartelstein being kept on because he agrees with Ishbia more oftern than not?
On the other hand it is hard to argue that this front office and ownership group has not transitioned away from the Robert Sarver era really well.
Going after Durant was a decision most would have made in the moment, and it would be harsh to can Bartlestein off the back of last season. Bringing back Collin Gillespie and Jordan Goodwin were the right moves, while adding Pat Spencer on a two-way was nice.
So while he is going to get some heat from fans unhappy with the a portion of the fans who are unhappy with the moves the team have made, that is going to be the case no matter what. Josh Bartelstein is here for the long haul, and we really shouldn't be surprised.
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