![]() ![]() Williams got elected as coach of the bubble - "coach of the seeding games" was the official NBA award - and was a four-time Coach of the Month in his tenure with the Suns as well. Phoenix became one of the feel-good stories of the bubble, going 8-0 to narrowly miss out on what would have been a most improbable playoff appearance. He was 194-115 with the Suns - an NBA-best 168-76 since the start of the restart bubble near Orlando to end the 2020 season. This was Williams's ninth season as a head coach, after a five-season run with New Orleans from 2010 through 2015. Now, he's out, and the Suns will start anew. He was the coach of the year that season as chosen by his peers in the National Basketball Coaches Association.Ī year later, Williams was the NBA's winner - and the NBCA one yet again. Williams was second in the official NBA coach of the year balloting in 2021, behind New York's Tom Thibodeau. And then they went 2-4 against the Nuggets, all four losses by double figures. The Suns were 12-1 in Durant's first 13 appearances, five of those in the playoffs. They had to wait about a month after acquiring him for a January knee injury to heal, and then as he warmed up for what was supposed to be his home opener with the Suns on March 8 he slipped on the court during warm-ups, hurt an ankle and missed three more weeks. They used 26 starting lineup combinations, and had Durant for only eight regular-season games after the trade. They were only 29-30 the rest of the way. The Suns started 16-7 this season, looking every bit like a contender again. Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon mum on potential interest in Raptors' coaching gig."When you look at really good coaches who have lost their jobs shortly after winning a championship, that's something that is just different about our business," Williams said Friday, adding that "it's just a part of our NBA economy." Williams, after the season ended, blamed himself. Paul got hurt in the playoffs to continue his run of bad luck on the health front in the post-season, Ayton sat out the finale and Booker and Durant simply looked gassed by the time it was over. It just didn't work, at least, not this year. 1 pick Deandre Ayton and Chris Paul - that the team hoped would be enough to deliver a title. In February, Ishbia green-lighted a blockbuster trade that brought Kevin Durant to Phoenix and gave the Suns a core - him, Devin Booker, former No. It's the second major move made by the Suns in the three months or so since new owner Mat Ishbia closed the sale that gave him control of the club. Bucks fire head coach Mike Budenholzer after stunning 1st-round playoff exit.Raptors fire head coach Nick Nurse, who led team to 2019 championship.Nurse won the 2019 NBA title with the Raptors, while Budenholzer was the coach who overcame Phoenix's 2-0 lead in the 2021 finals. … Clearly there’s a friendship, there’s a relationship, there’s a bond there - no question,” Charania said.The Suns now become yet another high-profile coaching opening, after Toronto fired Nick Nurse and Milwaukee fired Mike Budenholzer. “This is a guy in Isiah Thomas that is on the board of (directors of) Mat Ishbia’s mortgage company. Thomas had attended multiple Suns playoff games this postseason. He was involved in sexual harassment allegations at the workplace and poor basketball operations management of the New York Knicks in a tenure from 2003-08. What isn’t on Charania’s radar, however, is a role for Isiah Thomas, the former NBA star and friend of Ishbia who brings baggage. More change is coming for the Suns under Ishbia, who according to Wojnarowski, allowed Jones to deliver the news to Williams. “This is a guy who does have significant value in the market,” Charania said of Ayton. Now, the Suns enter a coaching search that could directly impact how their roster is reshaped around Booker and Durant.Ĭhris Paul has a partially-guaranteed contract that could be expendable, most likely as a trade chip.ĭeandre Ayton has three years left on his max deal, and his future might be tied to whether a new coach believes there’s more to squeeze out of the big man. ![]()
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