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Per a national report, the Phoenix Suns have hired Bryan Gates to the coaching staff to work under Monty Williams alongside Mark Bryant, Randy Ayers and Brian Randle.
Gates takes the position vacated by lead assistant Willie Green, who left to be the head coach of the Pelicans.
Which is funny because Gates’ most experience with a single NBA team was with the Pelicans. Under Monty Williams. Coaching current Suns point guard Chris Paul and the aforementioned Willie Green for a year.
Small world.
Phoenix coach Monty Williams is hiring Bryan Gates as an assistant to replace Willie Green, who left to become New Orleans’ head coach, sources tell ESPN. Gates will reunite with Williams after working for him for five seasons (2010-2015) with the Pelicans.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2021
Since leaving the Pelicans along with Williams in 2015, Gates has worked for the Timberwolves (one year), the Kings (three years), and the Timberwolves again (two more years).
Prior to working with Monty in New Orleans, Gates was twice the G-League Coach of the Year (2007, 2008) and worked with the Kings.
If you’re counting, that’s two Kings stints, two Wolves stints and two Monty stints. No bridges burned, that’s for sure.
Regarding his current availability, you might recall that the Wolves fired Ryan Saunders mid-season and simply installed a new coach, Chris Finch, over top of Saunders’ coaching staff and players.
Now, Saunders assistants are available for work. Another assistant on that staff, David Vanterpool, already found new work.
Now so has Gates, landing squarely on his feet with the Western Conference Champion Phoenix Suns.