How great has Monty been for the Suns to change the culture?

Post #1 » by **bwgood77** » Fri Jun 4, 2021 5:47 pm

I never make threads about the Suns on the GB, but after 11 years of no playoffs...

Huge props to James Jones too for hiring Monty and bringing in CP3 and signing Payne before the bubble, though Monty probably also had a lot to do with those two, having coached them before.

And drafting Cam Johnson (while being laughed at at the time). Now the Jalen Smith pick over Haliburton hurt, but all in all, nice moves overall.

CP3 has been HUGE for the culture and mentoring players as well.

Even Sarver spending and approving all the moves, letting the GM do his thing.

Post #2 » by **bisme37** » Fri Jun 4, 2021 5:48 pm

Very happy for Monty and Suns fans and the franchise. You guys came so far so fast.

Post #3 » by **bwgood77** » Fri Jun 4, 2021 11:50 pm

bisme37 wrote:Very happy for Monty and Suns fans and the franchise. You guys came so far so fast.

Yeah, he has improved so much as a coach since his time in New Orleans and I'm glad he's built such unity and success. He deserves it after all he's been through.

JimmyPlopper · Post #4 » by **JimmyPlopper** » Fri Jun 4, 2021 11:56 pm

Monty Williams, in addition to being a good coach, is also an incredible person. Wonderful to see him succeed like this.

Phystic · Post #5 » by **Phystic** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 2:55 am

Absolutely loved the Monty signing when it happened, and he still impressed me. He's the exact balance of nurturing, motivational and teacher our team needed. Adding CP3 really reinforced that as he fully has Monty's back and the rest of the team immediately took notice.

Now I hated the CP3 trade when it happened, but clearly I was wrong there.

Chuck Everett · Post #6 » by **Chuck Everett** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 3:00 am

From Notre Dame. Dude been in the league a long time. Happy for his success. Props to the Suns. And James Jones as well.

BloodNinja · Post #7 » by **BloodNinja** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 3:26 am

Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

Post #8 » by **bwgood77** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:01 pm

BloodNinja wrote:Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

Not sure about draft with Jalen Smith over Haliburton and possibly could have gone after Wood instead of Saric/Carter, but everything else has worked out great, especially with Payne stepping up.

KodiakBear · Post #9 » by **KodiakBear** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:03 pm

He did take over at a good time with a young growing team, plus they added a superstar point guard and a solid role player in Crowder.

He is a good coach though and his firing in New Orleans was weird. They make the playoffs for the first time in a few years and that is when they chose to fire him.

clyde21 · Post #10 » by **clyde21** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:04 pm

BloodNinja wrote:Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

coaching/fa yes, but I wouldn't say the draft. Jalen Smith pick is still very perplexing, and Cam Johnson is nice but still a reach at 11 hindsight or no hindsight.

Anti Chalmers · Post #11 » by **Anti Chalmers** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:07 pm

Suns was always one of my team growing up. Kidd was one of my favorite players. Happy they’re exceeding all expectations. I see them coming out of the west.

GSWFan1994 · Post #12 » by **GSWFan1994** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:07 pm

Chris Paul is gonna be an amazing coach once he retires.

PrinceCliche · Post #13 » by **PrinceCliche** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:11 pm

He's been amazing, he is just what that organization needed.

Congrats Suns fans, I'm a cp3 fan.

Secret Lover14 · Post #14 » by **Secret Lover14** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:11 pm

GSWFan1994 wrote:Chris Paul is gonna be an amazing coach once he retires.

They said that about Jason Kidd too.

Players don't always make great coaches. It's a completely different skillset.

rtiff68 · Post #15 » by **rtiff68** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:15 pm

bwgood77 wrote:
BloodNinja wrote:Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

Not sure about draft with Jalen Smith over Haliburton and possibly could have gone after Wood instead of Saric/Carter, but everything else has worked out great, especially with Payne stepping up.

I hate to be a wet blanket here, but the one thing you can’t transcend in professional sports is a bad owner. Even when they eventually stumble into success, they find a way to screw it up within 2 years or so. I saw it firsthand working in the NBA.

Watch the Suns make the WCF, then be back in a bad place 2-3 years from now.

Suns fans, I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

BostonCouchGM · Post #16 » by **BostonCouchGM** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:19 pm

he has next to nothing to do with any of the supposed culture change or success. The Suns simply had young players like Ayton, Bridges, and Johnson one year further developed, added Chris Paul and have stabilizing vets like Crowder and Craig. Any undeserved praise for Morris will disappear like a fart in the wind should Paul leave and this team returns to being an 8th or 9th seed.

Post #17 » by **bwgood77** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:26 pm

rtiff68 wrote:
bwgood77 wrote:
BloodNinja wrote:Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

Not sure about draft with Jalen Smith over Haliburton and possibly could have gone after Wood instead of Saric/Carter, but everything else has worked out great, especially with Payne stepping up.

I hate to be a wet blanket here, but the one thing you can’t transcend in professional sports is a bad owner. Even when they eventually stumble into success, they find a way to screw it up within 2 years or so. I saw it firsthand working in the NBA.

Watch the Suns make the WCF, then be back in a bad place 2-3 years from now.

Suns fans, I sincerely hope I’m wrong.

Maybe, but he's improved, hiring Jones, working with him to hire Monty, letting them do what they want, not selling draft picks, etc. He has said he's willing to go into the tax too. He has admitted not extending Joe Johnson for an extra $5 million over 6 years back in 2004 was a massive mistake...so he owns up to his earlier faults.

His biggest mistake along with making move after move to dismantle the SSOL team (though the 09-10 version with Grant Hill and J-Rich) nearly beat the Lakers in the WCF but unfortunately Artest got a crazy rebound/catch of a Kobe airball to win it to put the Lakers up 3-2 in game 5, with them going back to Phx next.

Back to the other biggest mistake...hiring McDonough and keeping him for that long despite bad pick one after another and horrendous trades to get Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss (trading Bogdanovic and 2 firsts for him).

Also replacing Amare with Warrick, Turkoglu and Childress was awful along with the hiring of Lindsey Hunter, Earl Watson, etc.

But with James Jones I think he has began to turn the corner.

KIRAG · Post #18 » by **KIRAG** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:29 pm

COY for me

He proved their great bubble run was not a fluke. Regardless if they make it out of the 2nd round or not, just the culture change and turning a laughingstock of a team and organization three years ago to what they are now is a great feat and impressive. Props to their FO as well for the moves they made creating a balanced team of young promising players with proven and solid vets.

Statlanta · Post #19 » by **Statlanta** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:43 pm

I don't believe in coaches changing the culture. They could have had Igor and this same roster and been winning.

Post #20 » by **bwgood77** » Sat Jun 5, 2021 7:47 pm

clyde21 wrote:
BloodNinja wrote:Suns basically nailed coaching hire, free agency and draft.

coaching/fa yes, but I wouldn't say the draft. Jalen Smith pick is still very perplexing, and Cam Johnson is nice but still a reach at 11 hindsight or no hindsight.

Well, Cam at 11 was solid, and they traded down from where Culver and White went. I think the only players you could argue for that went after him are Clarke (who most Suns fans wanted) and Herro and PJ Washington, but Cam has far better WS/48, BPM and VORP than all but Clarke (who declined a lot this year).

I understand many will say Herro who was probably better last year, but Cam was slightly better overall this year...though Herro probably had more upside than him given age. But regardless a much better pick than considered at the time.