PHOENIX — There is “no big rush” to hire a new coach for the Phoenix Suns, the team’s general manager said Monday.
Steve Kerr said he plans a thorough search that includes people with teams still in the NBA playoffs.
“We’re going to make sure we cover our bases,” he said. “There’s not a huge rush because we’re not one of five or six teams out there looking for someone, so we don’t feel like we’re competing with other people.”
The Suns are looking for a coach in the offseason for the first time in two decades after Mike D’Antoni left to become coach of the New York Knicks. D’Antoni’s departure followed philosophical differences with Kerr, who took over as GM a year ago.
Kerr said he and owner Robert Sarver wanted D’Antoni to stay, but the coach balked at some of the changes the general manager wanted. Those reportedly included a bigger emphasis on defense, giving playing time to some younger players and perhaps altering his staff.
But Kerr wants no major alteration in the Suns’ style.
“Our personnel is geared toward getting out and running,” he said. “It’s exciting basketball. I believe in it. I just think we need to be more balanced, though. We have to be better at the other end of the court as well, so I’ll be looking for someone who shares that vision.”
D’Antoni resigned with two years and $8.5 million remaining on his Suns contract. He compiled a 232-96 record over the past four full seasons, but the team could never make it to the NBA finals. Three times the Suns were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs.
“Mike had great success here and did a really good job,” Kerr said. “The players should appreciate what he’s done and I appreciate what he’s done, but for all the different circumstances and reasons, he’s moving on and we’re moving on.”
The Suns’ five-game loss to San Antonio in the first round this year reinforced many of Kerr’s feelings about the need for an added emphasis on defense. But D’Antoni’s easygoing, funny and highly personable demeanor masks an intense competitiveness and more than a little stubbornness.
That helped lead to his falling out with the Suns, and when D’Antoni asked for permission to talk with other teams, it brought an end to his highly entertaining era.
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