Did Saunders sideswipe Porter's path to Suns job?

by Phoenix Stan on Jun 3, 2008 10:32 AM MDT in Commentary Comment 19 comments

Up until about 30 minutes ago when over my morning coffee I read about Flip Saunders getting canned I was all but certain that Kerr's tea leaves were coming up Porter.

We heard from various sources that the Suns wanted someone with head coaching experience and of all the candidates that meant Porter. He had a solid run with the Bucks and has an outstanding reputation in the league.

Now, with this morning's news is the apple cart over turned? Will the Suns be interested in Saunders and/or will Porter be tapped to lead the Pistons?

In the mean time, we are fortunate to have some GREAT insight into Terry Porter from the great folks over at Blazer's Edge .

Check this out from Rick Adelman's 1991 book The Long Hot Winter.

This guy could be your next Suns coach:

I felt at the time, Terry would never truly be the leader until one thing happened: he needed a contract that got him on equal footing with everybody else. It finally happened after the 1988-89 season. He played out his original contract and hit the jackpot. He made a heck of a deal. And the thing that impressed me the most is that the summer he got that contract was the summer during which he worked the hardest. He wanted to show he deserved the money.

After the contract, his level of play and his confidence level - everything - was different. He was a different player. I think he finally felt accepted, that he had arrived - that he belonged. And I think the leadership role was a natural thing for him out on the court from that point on. In the playoffs last season he made big shots, rose to the occasion time after time. I saw a new maturity about him as a player and as a person. He knew he belonged with the top players in the league.

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My one and only thought, based on no analysis and a completely superficial, knee-jerk reaction

Do we want to go from one coach who couldn’t get his team over the hump (D’Antoni) to another (Saunders)?

by beatcal on Jun 3, 2008 10:39 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Two Sides

Let’s assume that Saunders is a candidate, because we don’t know yet.

My knee-jerk reaction is that Saunders is the better coach to win this year. Although he may not be the best coach around, he does have the experience and he will be given a good roster that knows how to score. Perhaps he can help them play defense. It is true he couldn’t get Detroit over the hump, but a lot of coaches have similar problems. And, as has been said before, Jackson and Pop already have jobs.

I do not, however, think Saunders is a good long-term candidate. I’m particularly thinking about how the Pistons allowed LeBron to go 1-on-5 and beat them. When MJ was around, at least Chuck Daly, et al., didn’t let one player beat them. Saunders simply isn’t, if he’s hired, going to be around for a long time.

Going back to his days as a Suns-killer, I’ve always feared and respected Porter. His coaching resume also seems above-adequate for this stage in his carreer. This year, though, he would be doing a lot of learning. This may not be the best year for him.

I think I like Porter better for the long-term but Saunders for the short-term. I also think that Porter may be able to import some defense but keep the offense intact. I’m not sure Saunders would know what to do on the offensive end; not that it’s a huge problem because the players do seem to know how to score occassionally.

Rambling, rambling …

Go for Porter unless Detroit tries to snatch him up!

Mmmmm ... Guinness

by JSun on Jun 3, 2008 10:45 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Saunders as head coach, Porter as assistant and heir apparent!

That’s my solution. The only flaw, I think, is that it would probably be unacceptable to both men. Aside from that, it’s money.

by beatcal on Jun 3, 2008 11:21 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Gut reaction

My gut reaction with no thought at all (other then I am kind of hungry) is to stick with Porter.

Something tells me that I would rather “gamble” on that guy with less experience to come in and perhaps turn into the next Byron Scott then getting what you get w/ Flip.

I do think that Saunders had a tough job in trying to get the most out of Sheed and really that’s what the Piston’s failures are all about. But if he couldn’t get the most out of Sheed why/how could he get the most out of Amare?

Blogging Suns Basketball

by Phoenix Stan on Jun 3, 2008 11:46 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

What's bad for one not necessarily the same for another

My initial reaction was ‘Great, Kerr should interview the guy’. Flip was known for playing defense (the Detroit tradition). Then what about offense? I’d not blame the loss to Celtics on Flip ‘cuz this year’s Celtics is simply too strong. Despite winning games in the regular season, Detroit’s offense was stagnant against the Celts. Again, there are ppl who brought up last year’s LBJ won the 1-on-5 against Detroit. But why didn’t Dumar fire Flip last year?

My choice would be Porter but then Flip definitely worth the interview.

by majesticblue on Jun 3, 2008 12:20 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Kerr Has Made up His Mind

From the East Valley Tribune:

”...But in Phoenix, the choice is more cut-and-dry. With Collins apparently not considering Phoenix and Saunders said to not be under consideration by the Suns, Porter is the only person with the resume that Shaw said the team requires.”

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/117730

It's the Arizona talking, really.

by RD74 on Jun 3, 2008 1:49 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Porter

Porter is still choice #1 right now. I just cant see Kerr trusting a guy like Flip after he lost all the trust of his veteran players. Overall though from what i’ve been reading Porter is still the dude and isnt first in line for the Pistons job anyways.

"Troops in desperate straights know no fear. Where there is no escape, they stand firm; When they have entered deep, they persist; When they see no hope, they fight." Sun Tzu The Art of War

by Turambar on Jun 3, 2008 9:02 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

I think Porter lacks some sex appeal...

...but who else is there aside from Riley? (I assume Riley is not interested in coaching, though, because his name never emerges in coaching rumors.)

If we hire Porter and he proves to be a bust, Steve Kerr’s job will be in jeopardy. I guess that’s the nice thing, though, about having FU money. Getting fired is no big deal.

by beatcal on Jun 4, 2008 10:18 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Sex appeal?

I thought we were looking for a basketball coach.

April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?

by Hawk42 on Jun 4, 2008 10:29 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Riley (and Kerr)

There are a couple things about Riley:

1) He owns a percentage of the Heat as part of his contract, something like $20 million worth or so. Any opportunity to coach elsewhere would have to make up for that somewhere. The last time this came up it was the Lakers after 2004 when they fired Phil, but prior to trading Shaq. Dr. Buss brought Riles in to talk about bringing him in as coach, and Riley has said he was interested, but he wanted to coach Kobe AND Shaq. When he realized Buss was deadset on trading Shaq, he flew back to Miami to start working out a plan to acquire him for Miami, which he was obviously able to do.

2) It was just a couple months ago that Shaq threw the Heat in general and Riley in particular under the bus in a very public, very petty, and very ugly manner. No way Riley would come here to coach Shaq, and no way Shaq would buy in to Riley as coach in any way, shape, or form.

As for Kerr, he is Sarver’s boy. Not in a bad way, just that they are tight, and I seem to recall that he (Kerr) is also part of the Suns investment group, meaning he is in fact a part owner. I think he’s going to have a lot of leeway for several years, and unless the team just absolutely craters, he’s going to be around for a while, and given the opportunity to learn on the job. Just my hunch there.

by SoCalSun on Jun 4, 2008 12:06 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Did Riley quit his coaching job at Miami?

I just don’t remember..

by sonicking on Jun 4, 2008 6:08 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Just another update I found this morning...

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-sunscoach&prov=ap&type=lgns

by USMCGUNZ on Jun 5, 2008 3:57 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

Kerr is an idiot

Kerr is sucking his thumb trying to make a decision. Sarver should just tell him to hire the cheapest one and get on with it. They saved 3 mil by firing D’Antone, do you think they will give Flip 4 mil?

by TheTruthSquad on Jun 5, 2008 8:25 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs

An idiot would just hire the cheapest one and get on with it.

Why is Steve Kerr an idiot for taking his time? There is nothing going on for the Suns, or the rest of the league right now that having a head coach would change; it’s all about the finals. The draft is a full month away, and the new coach won’t be a majority decision maker in that regardless of who it eventually is. If anything, the longer they wait the higher the possibility (however slim that is at this point) that someone with experience will become available, Flip Saunders is an example. Not saying Flip would or wouldn’t be a good hire for the Suns, just that he is an option that wasn’t available as recently as 1 week ago.

Also, what does it matter what Sarver and Co. pay a head coach? It’s not a factor for the salary cap, and as long as the team and the eventual hire come to an agreement, it’s just another multi-million dollar contract that makes no impact on me in any way.

by SoCalSun on Jun 5, 2008 12:07 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

Kerr is doing the right thing

Some people persist in the belief that Sarver is cheap and blame him for the selling of KT and draft picks.. These people are ready to jump on Sarver any second. They are desperate for proof that Sarver is trying to save money (How hypocritical, aren’t we all trying to save money when it comes to our investments?).I say give him a break. I agree with you, SoCalSun.

April 29, 2008 Total Eclipse of the Sun. Is the sky falling?

by Hawk42 on Jun 5, 2008 2:13 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs

It all depends on how important you think the draft is..

Given that he’s already gotten a shortlist, and isn’t going to interview either Michael Cooper or Kurt Rambis, then I don’t see any remaining head coach candidates that really stand out, including Thibodeau. If Steve Kerr has mostly made up his mind, is leaning towards Terry Porter, and has gotten buy-in from his players, then he should move forward with Porter.

Bearing in mind Louis Pasteur’s maxim, “Chance favors the prepared mind”, the draft is coming up, and we have a decent slot, this year with a good opportunity to get a mid first round sleeper. If I were Steve Kerr, I’d really be focused on that.

Moreover, Kerr and the new coach still have to put together a coaching staff for the summer league, and develop their game plan for the new season

"True glory consists of doing what deserves to be written, and writing what deserves to be read".

by Pliny the Elder on Jun 5, 2008 6:33 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs