The Phoenix Suns look to complete their coaching staff and prepare for the draft

The Phoenix Suns and Steve Kerr have made a decision to hire Terry Porter as the head coach. They took their time and closely reviewed many candidates before making the final decision.

It is well understood that the head coach must be on the same page with the General Manager of the team Steve Kerr. The former coach Mike D’Antoni was rumored to have differing opinions on coaching philosophies with Steve Kerr, which inevitably led to him leaving the Suns for the NY Knicks.

Steve Kerr wanted coach Mike to focus more on defense with the team, when Mike wanted to outscore opponents and then defense came somewhere after that. 

Terry Porter was the best decision of the available candidates. He can bring the defensive toughness that the team desperately needs. He is very respected by players in the league because of his extensive playing career.

Steve Kerr stated “Terry and I have to collaborate on this because I have a feeling for what this team needs, and he has a feeling for who he'll work well with.”

It is very important to Steve Kerr to find a coach familiar with the forward / center position to encourage Amare Stoudemire and help him reach his full potential.

Steve stated “the physical presence of looking someone in the eyes is important” insinuating they want a big man to fill this spot. Terry Porter can help develop Amare’s skills but lacks the experience in the forward / center position.

There have been several names rumored to fill these positions.

The interview process started with Bill Cartwright and Buck Williams. Bill Cartwright was an assistant coach with the New Jersey Nets since the 2004 season. He was a teammate of Suns general manager Steve Kerr in Chicago in 1993-94 and also was an assistant on Kerr’s 1996-97 and 1997-98 Bulls teams which won NBA titles.

Buck Williams was a three-time All-Star with the Nets and averaged 14.2 points and 11.0 rebounds over 17 seasons with New Jersey, Portland and New York. He and Porter played on the 1989-90 and 1991-92 Trail Blazers teams that advanced to the NBA Finals.

Buck Williams and Bill Cartwright are both veteran big man with extensive NBA careers that are very familiar with forward / center position.

The Suns are also interested in San Antonio Spurs Assistant Chip England who is known around the league as one of the best talent developers.

There are several leftover candidates from the Mike D’Antoni era that are interested in working with Porter. Those coaches are Alvin Gentry and Jay Humphries.

Other options are internal personnel that were rumored as possibilities for the head coaching position.

Fan favorite Dan Majerle who was teammates with Terry Porter in Miami is very close to the organization and is very interested in the job as well as Eddie Johnson. Both are analysts for the organization currently.  

Former player Jeff Hornacek is also a possible candidate for one of the assistant coaching positions.

The Suns still have a lot of work to do before the season starts.

There are many rumors surrounding Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw. There has also been expressed interest in moving down from the 15th draft position as well as acquiring another early round pick. Some of the team interested in trading their pick is the New York Knicks, where D’Antoni would love to get Diaw or Barbosa back, as well as the Portland Trailblazers who are stacked with young talent but lack veteran leadership.