Suns are a 'mess' that front office changes may not fix
Suns are a 'mess' that front office changes may not fix | Good Word with Goodwill
Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill is joined by the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn to discuss Phoenix's promotion of Brian Gregory to general manager, demoting GM James Jones to a senior adviser role and the problems the club still faces heading into the offseason. Hear the full conversation on 'Good Word with Goodwill' and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Knicks Requests to Interview 2 Rival Head Coaches Rejected
Knicks Requests to Interview 2 Rival Head Coaches Rejected originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Knicks' overtures to speak with the head coaches of two rival playoff squads have been rejected. Advertisement New York recently relieved five-year head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties, after he had led the club to its most successful season in a quarter century, a 51-win stint that ended in a six-game Eastern Conference Finals defeat to the Indiana Pacers. Under Thibodeau, the Knicks posted an impressive 226-174 regular season record, making the playoffs in four of their five seasons. Thibodeau's Knicks squads went 24-23 in the playoffs, and won four playoff series, amidst consistent roster churn. Just prior to training camp this season, New York imported five-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns, after having added All-Defensive Team swingman Mikal Bridges earlier in the 2024 offseason. Advertisement Thibodeau leaned heavily on his starting five during the 2024-25 regular season, before finally expanding his rotation during the postseason. Some critical fans — and, fatally, Knicks decision makers in the front office and ownership group — grew frustrated with the 67-year-old Thibodeau's perceived overreliance on a finite rotation. Still, Thibodeau got a lot out of his squads, and helped raise the ceiling of a franchise that had struggled to enjoy consistent success this century prior to his arrival. Brad Penner-Imagn Images Now, it appears that the Knicks are aiming to make a splash with their next hire, targeting a few head coaches currently on long-term deals with playoff teams. Advertisement Sources inform Shams Charania of ESPN that New York asked to interview with Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch about their new head coaching vacancy. Finch, 55, has been serving as Minnesota's head coach since midway through All-NBA superstar shooting guard Anthony Edwards' 2020-21 rookie season. He boasts a 209-160 overall regular season record, and a 21-21 playoff record. Finch has guided the Timberwolves to the Western Conference Finals in each of the past two postseasons. Udoka, 47, has been in Houston since 2023. He owns a 93-71 regular season record with the Rockets and led the franchise to its first playoff stint this spring, a seven-game first series loss to the Golden State Warriors. Advertisement During his one-and-done season coaching the Boston Celtics, Udoka in 2021-22, Udoka guided Boston to a 51-31 record and an NBA Finals berth... where the Celtics fell to the Warriors. Provided Udoka doesn't have to play Golden State in the postseason, he seems to have plenty of upside on the hardwood. Charania adds that the Knicks have yet to reach out to ex-New York point guard Jason Kidd, currently the head coach of the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas would apparently reject an interview request, however. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those"
Michael Cooper believes Magic Johnson deserved the Finals MVP over Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the 1985 Finals: "I'm sure he wanted those" originally appeared on Basketball Network. In the NBA, the spotlight doesn't always land on the team's certified No. 1 option when it comes to their biggest triumphs. Advertisement A perfect example of this could be seen in the Boston Celtics' 2024 title victory, where Jaylen Brown was awarded the Finals MVP over Jayson Tatum. Similarly, in the 2025 Eastern Conference finals, it was Pascal Siakam who walked away with the MVP honor over Tyrese Haliburton. For Michael Cooper, such scenarios bring back memories of his own experience with the Los Angeles Lakers, especially during the 1985 NBA Finals. As, according to the former Defensive Player of the Year, it was Magic Johnson who truly carried the team on and off the court, but it was eventually Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who walked away with the Finals MVP honor. Cooper explained why Magic deserved the '85 Finals MVP award over Kareem A 37-year-old "Cap" was statistically the Lakers' best player during the 1985 NBA Finals when they beat their arch-rivals Boston Celtics, averaging a team-high 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists over six games. However, for Coop, Johnson's leadership was the ultimate x-factor for the Showtime Lakers. Advertisement Speaking on his podcast, the 69-year-old former shooting guard recalled how while Kareem might be prejudged as the team's anchor in terms of production, it was Magic who orchestrated the offense and encouraged all the players to find their rhythm, especially after dropping the series opener by 34 points. Moreover, Cooper understood that given that Abdul-Jabbar was in the last leg of his career, the emotional sentiment motivated everyone to crown him the Finals MVP, which made everyone conveniently overlook the fact that the team's point guard had averaged 18.3 points and a staggering 14.0 assists while playing the most minutes for the team in that series. "Magic was very pivotal in the room and for the entire series because he was the one that was firing us up, getting us ready to go. Kareem was a player that you didn't have to talk to much in the locker room. He was reading a newspaper or (was) in his own world," Cooper recalled the behind-the-scenes talks. "Magic was never about individual accolades, although I'm pretty sure he wanted those. We all do, but Magic was about the bottom line, 'How many championships?'... What you don't know is Magic was always in Kareem's ears and fed him the ball constantly," Cooper concluded. Advertisement Related: "He said, 'You the guy that broke all my records in high school, right?" - Shawn Kemp on the time Larry Bird told him exactly what he was going to do before scoring 40 points Magic made sure to bring out the best in Kareem When looking back on Kareem's illustrious resume, which contains six championships and six MVPs, it's impressive how he attained individual as well as team success so thoroughly. There's no denying that his dominance redefined the center position and earned him well-deserved accolades. But as Mike pointed out, without Magic's unselfish play and leadership, some of those titles might not have materialized. In 1980, for example, a young Magic stepped up when Kareem was injured. In the 1982 playoffs, Kareem averaged just 20.4 points, but it was Johnson again who fueled the Lakers' title run. Advertisement Even in 1987 and 1988, during Kareem's final championship runs, he averaged just 16.6 points across those two postseasons, while Magic continued to steer the ship and helped him add more silverware to his resume. Safe to say, had it not been for Magic, who knows, without those Larry O'Brien trophies, many would have found flaws in Abdud-Jabbar's legacy as well. Thankfully, Abdul-Jabbar had a teammate from Michigan who did everything to enrich his name in the basketball lore, and Coop recognized it fully. Related: "It was easy, beautiful basketball" - The moment Spencer Haywood realized what a genius Magic Johnson was This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
New Suns Coach Has Strong Words After Officially Joining Team
New Suns Coach Has Strong Words After Officially Joining Team originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Jordan Ott, 40, was officially introduced as the new head coach of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, taking over a team that finished the 2024–25 season with a 36-46 record, missing out on the 2025 NBA Playoffs. Advertisement Ott began his NBA coaching career as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks in 2013 under then-head coach Mike Budenholzer. He went on to serve as an assistant coach for the Brooklyn Nets from 2016 to 2022, working under Kenny Atkinson, Jacque Vaughn, and Steve Nash. In 2022, he joined the Los Angeles Lakers as an assistant in Darvin Ham's staff before spending the 2024–25 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he reunited with Atkinson. Phoenix Suns head coach Jordan Ott during an introductory press conferenceMark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images After a disappointing conclusion to the Phoenix Suns' 2025 season, the team is expected to enter a rebuilding phase. Head coach Mike Budenholzer was dismissed shortly after the season ended, and the futures of All-Stars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker remain uncertain amid ongoing trade speculation. With changes underway at every level of the organization, newly appointed head coach Jordan Ott outlined his vision during his introductory press conference. 'This is an exciting opportunity because, first off, the players. It's always the players,' Ott said. 'And it's the actual organization. I know that I have the support from above me that we can do this step by step. To do it the right way, to build this thing out.' Ott emphasized that his approach will be rooted in accountability and consistent effort, both from himself and the roster. Advertisement 'But I'm always going to bank on who I am as a person,' he said. 'We're going to demand that you work. That's where it's going to start.' 'We're going to help them at every phase of their game,' Ott said. 'We're going to help develop them, get to a new level that they didn't think they could get to. And it's going to take all of us.' 'Over time, it's the guys that have high character,' the newly minted head coach added. 'That's very important to me and to us.' Related: Mike Budenholzer Expected to Be Considered for Western Conference Coaching Job This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
