The Phoenix Suns have started the 2012-2013 season 13-28 after losing MVP point guard Steve Nash to the Los Angeles Lakers in the off season. The Suns were hoping the additions of Michael Beasley and Goran Dragic would at least help them stay around the .500 mark.
With the Suns in the midst of losing 13 out of their last 15 games at home and holding the worst record in the Western Conference, the team made the move to fire their head coach Alvin Gentry.
Gentry took over the team in 2009 at the All Star game when Terry Porter was relieved of his duties. Gentry in his first full season as coach guided the team to the Western Conference finals. However after that, the team couldn’t reach that same level of success, and was never able to find another player to team along side Steve Nash.
Alvin Gentry released a statement.
“After nine years with the Suns, the organization and I came to a mutual agreement to go in different directions, I have the utmost respect for Robert and what he’s done with the organization. It’s unfortunate that I was unable to accomplish what I set out to do here.
Suns VP of basketball operations Lon Babby complimented his former coach as being a good coach and good person.
“Alvin Gentry is a good coach and a good person, he was the perfect coach for our previous group. But with the current group, all of us, including Alvin himself, realized that it just wasn’t working, the pieces just weren’t fitting.”
The truth about the Suns right now is, they don’t have the talent to compete with the best of the best in the Western Conference, they have some nice complimentary pieces, but they are lacking that one player who can put the team on their back. While this method of building a team in the NBA is painful, it’s the way it is, you have to be real bad, and hope you get that game changing player in the draft, or that a player is willing to take less to play on your squad. Also ownership has to be willing to spend the money when the time comes, if not, your team if fighting an uphill battle.
Source ESPN
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