Kerr Could Get Extension

[Nando88]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/ar ... nsion.html

Vindication goes down smooth. Steve Kerr surely is savoring the taste.

His team is surging. His draft picks are blossoming. His trades are looking better all the time, especially the one he didn't make (Amar'e Stoudemire), and now a serious buzz has returned to the arena.

Near the end of his three-year contract with the Suns, Kerr's image is on the mend, his popularity on the rise. Inside the organization, many believe the Suns general manager will sign a new deal and remain in power, a stunning change to those who believed he would walk away once this season is over.

"Robert (Sarver) and I have talked about it, and I feel good about the situation," Kerr said. "We're going to figure out everything at the end of the season."

Kerr's shifting mind-set can be attributed to many things, from a successful team to a great relationship with head coach Alvin Gentry to a growing comfort level on the job. And with Mike D'Antoni's Knicks next on the menu, it makes for a striking contrast.

Kerr said he and D'Antoni have spoken "several times" since their acrimonious parting in 2008, amid the wreckage of an emotional playoff loss to the Spurs, when a headstrong coach felt undermined, unappreciated and unwilling to listen to constructive criticism.

Kerr claims there's a mutual respect now, and the frost warning has come off the relationship. That's good news.

On the court, it's another matter. While the Suns have rallied in 2009-10, resembling a team that could reach the Western Conference Finals, the Knicks have made little progress in D'Antoni's tenure. They are a team destined for a second consecutive 50-loss season, a once-proud franchise that has endured nine consecutive losing seasons.

It's not D'Antoni's fault. In the NBA, there's no substitute for talent, and the Knicks don't have much. But after signing a $24 million contract, the head coach is starting to feel the heat. Recently, D'Antoni grew testy when asked if staff changes were necessary to improve his team's porous defense.

The New York media is also wondering loudly about Dan D'Antoni, staff member and sibling, just as the media did in Phoenix. To members of Planet Orange, the questions must sound eerily familiar, maybe even a little sad.

"Unfortunately, circumstances dictated a lot of what happened between us," Kerr said. "And some of that was my own inexperience, and unfamiliarity with what he was going through pressure-wise."

In the stretch run of 2010, Kerr needs apologize for nothing else.

The resuscitated Suns are deep, with a strong focus on player development, and peaking at the right time. Robin Lopez could be a fixture at center, and Thursday, Steve Nash proclaimed Goran Dragic as "the point guard of the future."

During the darkest moments in Kerr's reign, the future seemed like a death sentence. Now, his Suns work at playing defense, and are morphing into a versatile, gritty team capable of winning at a snail's pace.

It took him three coaches to find his match, but this is the model and the approach that Kerr demanded after that playoff loss to the Spurs.

"This is exactly how I envisioned it," Kerr said.

"Unfortunately, it took a couple years to get to this point."

And now fans are embracing the general manager once again.

"A lot of people have come up to me and told me how much they're enjoying watching this team play," Kerr said.

"That's incredibly satisfying because that's the whole point, putting a team together on the floor that people can really connect with."

Like any great shooter, Kerr has found his rhythm. He's hearing the cheers once again. And if he can just find a way to secure Stoudemire, basketball fans in the Valley will surely endorse a second term.

[MaryvalesFinest]

Ok it's starting to sound like azcentral is trying to feed us the propaganda that Kerr is GM of the year now...

I was never on the bandwagon where everyone hated him and I'm certainly not on the bandwagon where he's loved now. The guys a medicore GM, if you want a team with mediocrity he's your man. He plays it safe with draft picks and doesn't have the balls to take risks.

Watch, if he stays as GM he's going to sign that big contract and than Amare leaves and he proves once again it's all about the status quo, he will try to sell Channing Frye as the starting PF next to Lopez next season...

As for the draft picks...

Ok the Lopez pick isn't as bad as I thought (thought he would be a complete bust) but from a draft with alot of solid big men taken after him (Speights, Jordan, Ibaka and Mcgee) the Lopez pick was pretty medicore.

Dragic, I don't get the hype. He would be the worst starting point guard in the league if he were to start and it cost a huge ransom to get him with the draft picks and he's being paid more than Rob Lopez who was a first rounder. I still consider this a bad move...

Clark is still a mystery but 90% of GM's would have taken him due to where he fell in the draft so this really isn't a home run...

[Seattlesun]

I talked to Steve for 20 mins prior to the start of this season, and I have to relate to you all that he very readily admitted the mistakes. He HATED the trade for Shaq. He told me Shawn had to go because of his "attitude" but what looked good in getting Shaq was clearly a mistake.

So he GOT RID OF SHAQ. I want a guy in place that will take the chances, make moves, and if they dont work ADMIT IT. He had done that every step of the way. Terry Porter was awful, he fired him. Was moving DA for Porter a good move? No. But dont we all agree we are better off without DA's philosophy now? He fire Porter quickly instead of trying to save face and keep him.

I like what Steve has brought, his willingness to make moves and more importantly his willingness to accept mistakes and fix them.

[DirtyDez]

If we don't rebuild then stick with Kerr. If we do blow it up go after a GM that has experience in.... Ah hell you know where i'm going here.

[sunfire0112]

I was never on the bandwagon where everyone hated him and I'm certainly not on the bandwagon where he's loved now. The guys a medicore GM, if you want a team with mediocrity he's your man. He plays it safe with draft picks and doesn't have the balls to take risks.

You want risk? Be careful what you wish for:

[MaryvalesFinest]

I was never on the bandwagon where everyone hated him and I'm certainly not on the bandwagon where he's loved now. The guys a medicore GM, if you want a team with mediocrity he's your man. He plays it safe with draft picks and doesn't have the balls to take risks.

You want risk? Be careful what you wish for:

I'm one of the few people who would love to have Isiah Thomas as GM, not all his moves worked out but he had balls. Not to mention he was an excellent drafter, Isiah Thomas for GM! and yes I'm serious

[WTFsunsFTW]

I dont understand how I can be embarrassed for MVF more than he is for himself.


As for Kerr,

C for drafting (Lopez+, Dragic+, Tucker-, Strawberry-, Griffin-, Clark?) Average

A for free agent pickups(Hill, Barnes, Frye, Collins, Louuuu) especially from a financial POV. Excellent

C for trades (moving marion was good, getting shaq was fun for a year (and a good business move), moving Diaw was BRILLIANT, KT/draft picks was (Please Use More Appropriate Word), Bell was well timed, I love Dudley, JRich is almost earning his salary, we kept STAT) Average

B for Personnel moves (Firing Dantoni was great, Porter was a shocking disappointment to everyone, Gentry has done some magical things) Above average

(Everyone he got rid of has had a lesser career since, which is a good trend to see even with ugly moves.)

[Blackification]

Honestly Kerr has not been that bad but Sarver has been holding him back. Without sarver I think kerr could have done a much better job but he still did decent. As for an extension what he does with Amar'e is his final test.

[sunfire0112]

Honestly Kerr has not been that bad but Sarver has been holding him back. Without sarver I think kerr could have done a much better job but he still did decent. As for an extension what he does with Amar'e is his final test.

Yes, let's see how he handles the Amar'e situation.

BTW, anyone know when Kerr's contract expires? (Before the draft/FA or after)

[DirtyDez]

I was never on the bandwagon where everyone hated him and I'm certainly not on the bandwagon where he's loved now. The guys a medicore GM, if you want a team with mediocrity he's your man. He plays it safe with draft picks and doesn't have the balls to take risks.

You want risk? Be careful what you wish for:

I'm one of the few people who would love to have Isiah Thomas as GM, not all his moves worked out but he had balls. Not to mention he was an excellent drafter, Isiah Thomas for GM! and yes I'm serious

Isiah is a great play-caller though..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh2fn01cngg&feature=PlayList&p=04B566B4DCFF1524&index=0&playnext=1[/youtube]

[lilfishi22]

I think how he handles Amare will determine if he still has a job here. But for the most part, I like the direction he has taken us in. We've got OK pieces, not really pieces we can build a solid team with but there's room for moves to be made in the near future. You can hate on him all you want for past mistakes, but honestly, I don't have time to dwell in the past, I like where we are now and I'd like to see Kerr finish what he started. If only Sarver would let Kerr makes more basketball moves then I think he has a chance to do some real good in Phoenix.

I don't know what MVF was talking about when he went on about Kerr not taking risks. The Shaq trade took balls. We are talking about trading an F1 car in the Grand Prix for a monster truck. Sure it was a mistake and we might have been able to trade for someone else who fit us better but Marion had to go and the offers just weren't out there. The Dudley trade took a lot of balls as well. There was a good chance Nash would be pissed off at the FO for trading away two of his best friends on this team. That's like trading away Gasol and Odom and hope Kobe stays happy.

[dantian]

If he can make Amare stay, then he has the job.

[DaDragicShow]

At first, I didn't like the moves Kerr made but now it looks great as Lopez, Duds and Dragic all developed and become good basketball players. All Kerr needed was some extra time instead of labeling him a "joke".

[hunterxaz]

Still wish we had D'Antoni, if only he would have focused on defense just a little more. What a phenomenal coach.

[JMac1]

Kerr is mediocre? Well, what do you expect with a 15th and 14th pick and no money?? I like the Lopez and Clark picks. Lopez is a mainstay. Hopefully Clark will fulfill his athletic promise. I feel almost the same way as Mary with Drag. Drag is so damn iffy at times. The three game stretch after the Utah game was great. If he becomes aggressive going to the hoop again, I am fine with him as well. Lopez, Amare, (A developed) Clark, Duds, Lou, Frye and Drag are a good young core, that lineup needs just one star, which is basically replacing Nash.

In summary, I like Kerr because he kept Amare. And as already stated if he keeps Amare, we keep him!

[Jdiddy701]

You guys are funny.. You really would want Kerr to stay as GM? He's maybe one of the worst in the league. Because of him, we gave up a whole season (08-09). Why he kept Porter for so long is beyond me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn't so long ago when everyone was killin him for everything he's done to this organization. Oh wait, you guys always change your mind about people ex. Amare, Jrich, Nash, Lou, Lopez, Gentry, Dragic.

[cavsfan_osiris]

I talked to Steve for 20 mins prior to the start of this season, and I have to relate to you all that he very readily admitted the mistakes. He HATED the trade for Shaq. He told me Shawn had to go because of his "attitude" but what looked good in getting Shaq was clearly a mistake.

So he GOT RID OF SHAQ. I want a guy in place that will take the chances, make moves, and if they dont work ADMIT IT. He had done that every step of the way. Terry Porter was awful, he fired him. Was moving DA for Porter a good move? No. But dont we all agree we are better off without DA's philosophy now? He fire Porter quickly instead of trying to save face and keep him.

I like what Steve has brought, his willingness to make moves and more importantly his willingness to accept mistakes and fix them.

I'm not sold on Kerr, but I agree with this. Every GM will make mistakes. The GM's I admire are those who admit their mistakes and can immediately rectify them. Cavs GM Danny Ferry early on made many mistakes, but he learned from them and was able to fix them and he's become a good GM.

[justinb80]

I think Kerr's fine. While his ultimate legacy rests on what happens with Amare, he's still done well so far. What's wrong with a team on pace to win 50+ and that's 10 deep and that plays a little defense?

Most of Kerr's bad moves weren't his doing. The Shaq trade was pushed by D'Antoni, the Thomas trade was pushed by Sarver. The Porter hiring was his only really bad move, and he acted quickly to correct that, swallowing a lot of money and pride in the process. Those of you who thought we were winning the title in 08-09 are kidding yourselves. Marion needed to go. I agree that Shaq was the wrong piece to get back, but that team was going to be broken up regardless.

Kerr's draft picks are working out. I'm a little more sure about Lopez being good than Dragic, but even then ... Dragic was a mid second-round pick, so he's already doing much better than most second rounders do. However, I still think he can be our starting point guard. No, we don't know about Clark, but I have more faith in Clark than I ever did about Lopez and Dragic.

The only thing this team is missing, and it's been mentioned before, is another true star player. If he re-signs Amare, that helps, then we just need one more. I think Clark COULD be that player, but who knows. We'll have to see.

[justinb80]

You guys are funny.. You really would want Kerr to stay as GM? He's maybe one of the worst in the league. Because of him, we gave up a whole season (08-09). Why he kept Porter for so long is beyond me!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It wasn't so long ago when everyone was killin him for everything he's done to this organization. Oh wait, you guys always change your mind about people ex. Amare, Jrich, Nash, Lou, Lopez, Gentry, Dragic.

I'm okay with admitting I made a mistake. This is the first time in a long time the Suns have been as deep as they are. Everyone ate a little crow for the Lopez and Dragic doubting. In the beginning of the year, we didn't get to see how it'd all fit together. But right now, we're seeing how everything works. Being stubborn about an incorrect opinion does no one any good.

[WTFsunsFTW]

Still wish we had D'Antoni, if only he would have focused on defense just a little more. What a phenomenal coach.

Did you like his 7 man rotation, his refusal to develop young talent, or his complete lack of defensive focus the most?

Because everything else he did we are still doing.

I dont see how ANYONE would have liked to keep dantoni. Expecting us to improve with him is the definition of insanity.

The more you type the less credible you get.