PHOENIX – Suns owner Mat Ishbia said Wednesday he hasn’t had a chance to discuss coach Frank Vogel’s performance this season. During a 30-minute session with reporters, Ishbia didn’t even hint that the coach’s future was in danger, but that he would be evaluated like everyone else.
“In my opinion, everyone is responsible,” Ishbia said, adding that he plans to speak with Vogel, general manager James Jones and the players over the coming days.
The third-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves swept the sixth-seeded Suns in four games on Sunday, ending a season that began with championship aspirations. Although Game 4 was competitive until the final minutes, Minnesota controlled the series, beating Phoenix by an average of 15 points. Locally, some are calling this season the most disappointing in franchise history, which has sparked speculation about what should happen next.
Ishbia said he understands the frustration, but that the narrative that “Phoenix’s house is burning” is incorrect. He doesn’t think the Suns are as far along as one might think.
“Ask the other 29 general managers: 26 of them would trade their entire team for our entire team and our draft picks and everything as is,” Ishbia said during a scheduled news conference. “The house did not catch fire. We are in an excellent position. It’s not difficult to repair. It’s not like we’re saying, “Hey, we don’t have enough talent to win a championship.” “We have enough talent to win a championship. Do we have enough continuity? …There are a lot of things we can look at. Do we have the right leadership in place?
Athleticism reported Sunday that players had lost confidence in Vogel and were questioning the coaching staff’s ability to structure the offense and maximize output from a roster featuring the top talents of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Furthermore, sources briefed on the matter said Athleticism that Durant, even though he averaged 27.1 points, wasn’t always happy with how he was used.
The Suns also struggled defensively – although they improved on that front as the season went on – and with turnovers. Leadership and accountability within the locker room were also issues. After Sunday’s elimination loss, Booker said Phoenix simply had to do a better job with details like offensive and defensive rebounding and securing “50-50” balls. Durant declined to elaborate because he didn’t want to appear like he was making excuses.
Ishbia hired Vogel last summer after Phoenix lost to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals. After the Suns traded for Beal, expectations soared in the Valley of the Sun. It was “make or break” from the start, but the Suns never found the chemistry or edge needed to reach such heights. They had to come together in the final week to stay out of the Play-In tournament. In the first round, they were overtaken.
Ishbia said the Suns will learn from this experience and gain great growth from it.
“We’re in a great position – not a good position – a great position,” Ishbia said. “We haven’t won an NBA championship, so we’re going to figure out what we need to change, what we need to tweak, what we need to improve to be better and win a championship next year. And guess what? We don’t We might not win one next year, but we’ll definitely try every year. So get ready for that.
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