Sources: Suns owner, GM hold individual meetings with players to assess problems
Adrian Wojnarowski By Adrian Wojnarowski
1 hour ago
Yahoo Sports
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Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver and general manager Ryan McDonough held individual meetings with Suns players on Sunday, trying to gain a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the team's spiral, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

The Suns are 12-20 to start the season, including a humiliating defeat to the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night in Phoenix.

View photo
.Jeff Hornacek has a team option for the 2016-17 season left on his contract. (Getty Images)
Jeff Hornacek has a team option for the 2016-17 season left on his contract. (Getty Images)
Management met with key players and assistant coaches on Sunday, league sources told Yahoo Sports.

Ownership and management has been reluctant to fire coach Jeff Hornacek, affording him every chance to work the team out of its struggles, league sources said.

The Suns lost guard Eric Bledsoe for several weeks to a meniscus injury on Saturday night, and forward Markieff Morris will serve one more game on a suspension for throwing a towel at Hornacek on the team's bench last week.

Assistant coach Mike Longabardi is a possible short-term solution as an interim coach, should the Suns fire Hornacek. Another possibility could be assistant coach Earl Watson.

Hornacek, a popular former Suns player, has strong relationships with Sarver and McDonough, but ownership's patience with the franchise's loss of momentum could ultimately prompt a change.

Hornacek won 48 games as a rookie coach in 2013-14, before the team took a step back last season.

Hornacek has a team option on the 2016-17 season in his contract, which the organization has yet to exercise.

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CrushAlot wrote:

CrushAlot wrote:You can't make this stuff up.

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This makes watching Calderon trying to cover Bradley and Thomas a little easier.

Not to me, should have taken the cap space.

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smackeddog wrote:I do find it funny when GMs desperately weasel out of taking responsibility for the mess they created, and instead try to pin it on the coach. Hornacek did a great job getting that team to over achieve a few years ago. Since then management has gone about making stupid decision after stupid decision, whilst alienating most of their players in the process.

It's so true. That team is stuck between rebuild and win-now and that is because Hornacek over-achieved. Had they struggled the last couple of years, the GM would not have done some of the things he did. Thats not the coaches fault. The GM built this mess and the coach did a great job getting the most out of the talent. Chandler was a terrible signing. He was not convincing LA to sign there. LA would have had to want to go there on his own. Len is the big man of the future, and now he has to wait a few years to get his chance since Chandler will be pretty much untradeable. The GM has also made one of the twins mad and built a culture that lacks trust in the front office. The twin is clearly a baby, but the front office has a responsibility to be sensitive to the players. When you look at what they have put together there, i am not sure which direction they can go. And the coach is the last one to blame, but they will probably make that change to use as a scapegoat.

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

smackeddog wrote:I do find it funny when GMs desperately weasel out of taking responsibility for the mess they created, and instead try to pin it on the coach. Hornacek did a great job getting that team to over achieve a few years ago. Since then management has gone about making stupid decision after stupid decision, whilst alienating most of their players in the process.

It's so true. That team is stuck between rebuild and win-now and that is because Hornacek over-achieved. Had they struggled the last couple of years, the GM would not have done some of the things he did. Thats not the coaches fault. The GM built this mess and the coach did a great job getting the most out of the talent. Chandler was a terrible signing. He was not convincing LA to sign there. LA would have had to want to go there on his own. Len is the big man of the future, and now he has to wait a few years to get his chance since Chandler will be pretty much untradeable. The GM has also made one of the twins mad and built a culture that lacks trust in the front office. The twin is clearly a baby, but the front office has a responsibility to be sensitive to the players. When you look at what they have put together there, i am not sure which direction they can go. And the coach is the last one to blame, but they will probably make that change to use as a scapegoat.

Story out said they will look at Luke Walton. Nice leak to starphuch a second year assistant who is filling in for Kerr on the bench.
Im sure we all want Luke, so long as he brings that MVP guy with him!!!

Its a nice way for fans to get all excited that change is coming and of course change is always good! I don' Know if Len is the future but Tyson is a win now guy and they ain't. Bledsoe got hurt and they got a coach that has a team option. Might go a long way to make good on it, tell the players to play for the coach and move on.

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

smackeddog wrote:I do find it funny when GMs desperately weasel out of taking responsibility for the mess they created, and instead try to pin it on the coach. Hornacek did a great job getting that team to over achieve a few years ago. Since then management has gone about making stupid decision after stupid decision, whilst alienating most of their players in the process.

It's so true. That team is stuck between rebuild and win-now and that is because Hornacek over-achieved. Had they struggled the last couple of years, the GM would not have done some of the things he did. Thats not the coaches fault. The GM built this mess and the coach did a great job getting the most out of the talent. Chandler was a terrible signing. He was not convincing LA to sign there. LA would have had to want to go there on his own. Len is the big man of the future, and now he has to wait a few years to get his chance since Chandler will be pretty much untradeable. The GM has also made one of the twins mad and built a culture that lacks trust in the front office. The twin is clearly a baby, but the front office has a responsibility to be sensitive to the players. When you look at what they have put together there, i am not sure which direction they can go. And the coach is the last one to blame, but they will probably make that change to use as a scapegoat.

Story out said they will look at Luke Walton. Nice leak to starphuch a second year assistant who is filling in for Kerr on the bench.
Im sure we all want Luke, so long as he brings that MVP guy with him!!!

Its a nice way for fans to get all excited that change is coming and of course change is always good! I don' Know if Len is the future but Tyson is a win now guy and they ain't. Bledsoe got hurt and they got a coach that has a team option. Might go a long way to make good on it, tell the players to play for the coach and move on.

What do you guys think about Hornacek as a possible replacement for Fisher? Haven't seen enough of Phoenix to know what kind of system (if any) Hornacek likes to run.

So someone else can hire a more polished Fisher going forward?
What kind of system does he run? Fisher is running the system Phil wants him to run.

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

smackeddog wrote:I do find it funny when GMs desperately weasel out of taking responsibility for the mess they created, and instead try to pin it on the coach. Hornacek did a great job getting that team to over achieve a few years ago. Since then management has gone about making stupid decision after stupid decision, whilst alienating most of their players in the process.

It's so true. That team is stuck between rebuild and win-now and that is because Hornacek over-achieved. Had they struggled the last couple of years, the GM would not have done some of the things he did. Thats not the coaches fault. The GM built this mess and the coach did a great job getting the most out of the talent. Chandler was a terrible signing. He was not convincing LA to sign there. LA would have had to want to go there on his own. Len is the big man of the future, and now he has to wait a few years to get his chance since Chandler will be pretty much untradeable. The GM has also made one of the twins mad and built a culture that lacks trust in the front office. The twin is clearly a baby, but the front office has a responsibility to be sensitive to the players. When you look at what they have put together there, i am not sure which direction they can go. And the coach is the last one to blame, but they will probably make that change to use as a scapegoat.

Story out said they will look at Luke Walton. Nice leak to starphuch a second year assistant who is filling in for Kerr on the bench.
Im sure we all want Luke, so long as he brings that MVP guy with him!!!

Its a nice way for fans to get all excited that change is coming and of course change is always good! I don' Know if Len is the future but Tyson is a win now guy and they ain't. Bledsoe got hurt and they got a coach that has a team option. Might go a long way to make good on it, tell the players to play for the coach and move on.

What do you guys think about Hornacek as a possible replacement for Fisher? Haven't seen enough of Phoenix to know what kind of system (if any) Hornacek likes to run.

So someone else can hire a more polished Fisher going forward?
What kind of system does he run? Fisher is running the system Phil wants him to run.

Its what Fisher does here that I care about. Like the player who plays better once he leaves NY, if he cant cut it in NY, then what he does elsewhere means little to the Knicks. Phil said when he was hired that he wanted to see system basketball, not necessarily the Triangle. I hope he stays true to his word if a better coach becomes available, someone who can get this team to gel.

I'd like Hornacek as an assistant coach. Maybe his uptempo style can have the same influence on us that Alvin Gentry's did for the Warriors last season (personnel not withstanding).

NardDogNation wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

GustavBahler wrote:

Nalod wrote:

Knixkik wrote:

smackeddog wrote:I do find it funny when GMs desperately weasel out of taking responsibility for the mess they created, and instead try to pin it on the coach. Hornacek did a great job getting that team to over achieve a few years ago. Since then management has gone about making stupid decision after stupid decision, whilst alienating most of their players in the process.

It's so true. That team is stuck between rebuild and win-now and that is because Hornacek over-achieved. Had they struggled the last couple of years, the GM would not have done some of the things he did. Thats not the coaches fault. The GM built this mess and the coach did a great job getting the most out of the talent. Chandler was a terrible signing. He was not convincing LA to sign there. LA would have had to want to go there on his own. Len is the big man of the future, and now he has to wait a few years to get his chance since Chandler will be pretty much untradeable. The GM has also made one of the twins mad and built a culture that lacks trust in the front office. The twin is clearly a baby, but the front office has a responsibility to be sensitive to the players. When you look at what they have put together there, i am not sure which direction they can go. And the coach is the last one to blame, but they will probably make that change to use as a scapegoat.

Story out said they will look at Luke Walton. Nice leak to starphuch a second year assistant who is filling in for Kerr on the bench.
Im sure we all want Luke, so long as he brings that MVP guy with him!!!

Its a nice way for fans to get all excited that change is coming and of course change is always good! I don' Know if Len is the future but Tyson is a win now guy and they ain't. Bledsoe got hurt and they got a coach that has a team option. Might go a long way to make good on it, tell the players to play for the coach and move on.

What do you guys think about Hornacek as a possible replacement for Fisher? Haven't seen enough of Phoenix to know what kind of system (if any) Hornacek likes to run.

So someone else can hire a more polished Fisher going forward?
What kind of system does he run? Fisher is running the system Phil wants him to run.

Its what Fisher does here that I care about. Like the player who plays better once he leaves NY, if he cant cut it in NY, then what he does elsewhere means little to the Knicks. Phil said when he was hired that he wanted to see system basketball, not necessarily the Triangle. I hope he stays true to his word if a better coach becomes available, someone who can get this team to gel.

I'd like Hornacek as an assistant coach. Maybe his uptempo style can have the same influence on us that Alvin Gentry's did for the Warriors last season (personnel not withstanding).

Alvin Gentry can't coach. The Warriors were already well coached by Mark Jackson. They just needed a more mature Curry/Thompson/Draymon

fisher is smart. he set expectations so low, all he can go is up