NBA Rumor: Suns Front Office

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2 months ago – via Rohan Nadkarni @ Sports Illustrated

Jones, however, is reticent to take any credit during the boom times, particularly after experiencing the criticism that came earlier in his tenure. “I know how the pendulum swings,” Jones says. “You make a decision, you’re the best ever. You make a decision, you’re the worst ever. But the people outside don’t determine how successful we are. I’m big on our people, they determine our future. As long as they trust and believe what we’re doing, I’m good.”
2 months ago – via Rohan Nadkarni @ Sports Illustrated

The floor raisers, the guys Jones brought in to make Phoenix a serious organization again, also shined. Cam Payne helped keep the team afloat after Paul hurt his shoulder, and then pumped up the crowd after he was ejected. Crowder took the defensive assignment against James. Saric had a huge block on Kyle Kuzma. And Johnson hit two threes off the bench. “James Jones, wherever you are, take a bow,” ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy exclaimed during the Game 1 broadcast. “You’ve surrounded your star players with what they need.”
11 months ago – via Matthew Lissy @ Bright Side of the Sun

Free agency and the draft will be a different creature, having to deal with the pandemic. But first James gives his overall reaction to the results of the lottery and how he approached the night going into the draft. “Our approach to the draft hasn’t changed, going into the night we expected to get the 10th pick and we ended up with the 10th pick,” Jones said. “It would have been good to move up in the lottery, but given where we are, we will be able to find a really good player at 10. Someone that can add to this team’s capacity and help us continue our strides forward.”
11 months ago – via Matthew Lissy @ Bright Side of the Sun

With mock drafts flowing like the wind and every player dissected, the spot at #10 can really go a lot of ways. For James, he takes things as they come and looks to trust his process in finding the right fit. “Controlling what we can control right now.” James continues. “We had to just rely on what we see. We have to go back to the game film and we watched a lot of it to kind of parse out what these guys can bring to our team and what they can add to our team. I’m confident as we get closer to the draft, there will be ways for us as an organization or teams as a whole to get closer to the players. It may not be draft workouts, but watching individual workouts. Chopping down most recent game footage. It will be a challenge and you’ll just have to rely on what you see and worry less about what you project a guy will be able to do.”
2 years ago – via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated

What preconceived notions did you have about Robert Sarver and what has it been like getting to know him? Jones: Like it or not, right or wrong, Robert’s direct and that’s the way I was raised. That’s the way I operate. And so I didn’t have any preconceived notions because I knew exactly who he was and exactly what he was about. So when he asked me to entertain coming and working for Phoenix, it wasn’t Robert or fear of Robert or fear of the situation as much as it was the timing and location right for my family. Because I knew what I was getting in. He’s passionate. He’s direct. And more importantly when you get to know him, he’s a really good guy. He wants to succeed. Sometimes so much so he believes he wants it more than you do.
2 years ago – via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated

Williams: For me, it was like, he didn’t lie. When we had direct conversations about our past, not one time did he buckle. He told me straight up like whatever it was, and I did the same. And I felt this somewhat of a kinship. As an African American, I know that I’m not going to be afforded a ton of opportunities to be a head coach. And for me it was like, I can’t mess this up. And I felt he felt the same way and we basically expressed that to each other. … He wasn’t trying to be rude. He just told me like straight up, we both have regrets about some things we have done in our past. For me, I can vibe with a cat like that.
2 years ago – via Marc J. Spears @ The Undefeated

You two are now the only black GM-coach duo in the league. What are your thoughts on that? Jones: For me, I know that I’m a role model and I’m blessed to be in this position. And I know that a lot of people look at my opportunity and my success as kind of a light, a positive sign that there is a lot of balance and diversity at every level in the NBA. Not just coaches and players, but also to management. So I’m prideful. I have a lot of pride in the fact that I have accomplished it, but I really don’t think about it much. I think about the team and our unique situation more than the global perspective.
2 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

Bower’s hiring would not mean the end of the road in Phoenix for interim GM James Jones. Jones was part of the interview process. So too was Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Jones and former assistant general manager Trevor Bukstein led the Suns’ front office this season as co-interim GMs after Phoenix owner Robert Sarver fired GM Ryan McDonough on Oct. 8, 2018, nine days before the 2018-19 regular season started.
2 years ago – via Arizona Republic

Now, that’s a direct blast at Jones and the Suns. So, the usually calm and reserved Jones went right back at Wojnarowski during a radio interview. “I don’t talk to Woj,” Jones said. “He doesn’t know what goes on inside the building. That’s his opinion, but it’s totally inaccurate. We do have 10-plus scouts and our guys were on the road this week. Kentucky. Virginia. Murray State. Carolina. ACC schools. (Pac-12) schools. We’ve placed a major emphasis on practices, on video scouting, live game scouting, because this a very important draft.”
2 years ago – via ESPN

One longtime former player remembers the owner barging into the locker room following a loss to officiously instruct big men on how to set better screens. A former assistant coach was floored when Sarver confronted his boss on the way from the court to the coaches’ office immediately after the buzzer to berate him on his substitution patterns. Another former coach was taken aback when Sarver marched into the head coach’s office at halftime and insisted the team run a trap at an opposing point guard who had abused the Suns’ defense.
2 years ago – via ESPN

McDonough was regarded as less capable at communication, people skills and fostering relationships with players. There’s a strong sense that McDonough, in a characterization that was made by several sources, prioritized job security ahead of personal conviction. Though Sarver had a tendency to meddle, sources say McDonough’s struggles to forcefully make his case on strategy and personnel matters demonstrated his ultimate failing as a GM: an inability to manage an owner.
2 years ago – via ESPN

“There’s a perception of what a GM is and what a GM does, that you have to log the hours and open up the laptop. I’ve never purported to be that guy,” Jones says. “I think it would diminish what Trevor does. He’s a star when it comes to the cap, scenario planning, contracts and negotiations. And he’s been really good the whole time he’s been here. We have different responsibilities. My primary focus has been to manage and improve the performance and relationships within our different units: our coaching, performance team, development. The players — that has been my focus.”
2 years ago – via ESPN

Jones is universally regarded as bright, but there’s a collective sense that he lacks the curiosity or hunger that a relative novice in such a position should display. Former players such as Elton Brand, Malik Rose and Sean Marks throw themselves into every facet of basketball operations, from the G League to cap strategy. In contrast, sources say, Jones seems content to defer to Bukstein. Jones also relies a great deal on another young front-office associate who was initially hired as a liaison between former coach Earl Watson’s staff and the analytics department, but has less than two seasons’ experience in the NBA. Sources say that much of the Suns’ front office finds this confounding.
2 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

Wojnarowski touched on a number of topics about the struggling franchise, but saying “there’s not a lot of scouting going on in Phoenix” was a direct criticism of the team’s current front office leader. “I can’t control when people try to take shots. But I don’t talk to Woj. He doesn’t know what goes on inside the building,” Jones told Burns & Gambo Wednesday on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “That’s his opinion but it’s totally inaccurate.
3 years ago – via The Athletic

Jones was involved with the negotiation of multiple collective bargaining agreements, including during the 2011 lockout. That’s when he realized the NBA was a global “behemoth.” And that experience helped Jones develop a “great” relationship with Sarver, who built his career in banking. “We always had a connection,” Jones said. “He mentioned that there may be an opportunity for me to continue my basketball career, but just in a different vein. It piqued some interest.”
3 years ago – via Arizona Republic

While Phoenix has made eight roster moves not even three full months into the season, Jones values stability and believes the team “for the first time in a long time” has that and is seeing the benefits. “They can just come in and work,” Jones said. “They can just come in and perform. They can come in and compete, knowing that the next day is just another day to get better. Like anything, you put (young players) in a stable environment and give them time to develop the right way, and they trust what they’re being told and they trust what they see and what they’re doing, they will get better.”
3 years ago – via USA Today Sports

“Frankly, I think I would have probably really enjoyed it,” Nash said of the Suns position. “I probably would really enjoy being a coach and really enjoy being a general manager. The reality is that I want to be at home and present in the largest capacity I can while my kids are at a very impressionable age. If that means sacrificing a career in the game, so be it. To be able to do things like Champions League, to own a bit of two soccer teams (Real Mallorca and the Vancouver Whitecaps) and to work with the Warriors, these are all things I can do while my kids are at school. That’s a priority for me.”
3 years ago – via The Athletic

About​ a month​ ago,​ Shaquille​ Harrison received a “very blunt” phone call​ from Suns​ acting​ co-general manager​ James​ Jones. Harrison​​ understood there was no way for Jones to sugarcoat that Phoenix was cutting him right before the start of the regular season. But that move is why Harrison stepped onto the United Center floor Wednesday night wearing a Bulls jersey — and began his game action by guarding Jamal Crawford, the veteran guard the Suns signed after waiving Harrison, Davon Reed and Darrell Arthur. Harrison downplayed feeling any extra motivation facing his former team for the first time, a mentality that checked out when he lingered in the hallway to chat with Suns assistant Joe Prunty and rookie point guard Elie Okobo following the Bulls’ 124-116 victory.
3 years ago – via Bleacher Report

Typically, the NBA buyout market doesn’t heat up until the February trade deadline. In Chandler’s case with the Phoenix Suns, that would’ve been the expected timeline. The ship had long since sailed on the idea that Chandler would be a part of any sort of championship pursuit in Phoenix, but at least he could serve as a role model and mentor to No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. And that was the plan…until LeBron called in a favor. It’s no coincidence that the facilitator was Suns vice president of basketball operations James Jones, a close friend and longtime teammate of James.
3 years ago – via For The Win

On Monday, Ryan McDonough joined ESPN’s The Jump and offered more details about his Phoenix tenure and ousting. He admitted that he was fired over the phone but remained largely diplomatic in discussing owner Robert Sarver. McDonough said: “I viewed the roster as not fully completed, and we were working on a few trades to upgrade the team — I guess we thought I had more time than I ended up having. The timing of it was surprising, but Robert (Sarver) thought it was best. I was there five-plus years. I appreciate the opportunity he gave me.”
3 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

In his first time speaking since being named interim general manager — along with assistant general manager Trevor Bukstein –, vice president of basketball operations James Jones’ quotes on Friday reflected a team still in a rebuild. “Our focus as a team is to develop,” Jones said when asked about the team’s stated goal to be one of the most improved teams in the NBA this season. “It’s not wins and losses. We can’t define our season based on a win-loss total. We do know that our young guys need to improve.”
3 years ago – via ESPN

Sarver has earned a long-standing reputation for aggressively involving himself in basketball decisions, but it’s become harder for coaches and front-office staff to manage in the past two years after the Suns became Sarver’s primary business interest. Suns coaches became accustomed to regular beratings and demands of strategy and lineup changes, league sources said. Rival executives could sometimes hear Sarver yelling in the background on negotiation calls with the Suns’ front office. Agents tell stories of private conversations involving Sarver without the front office’s knowledge.
3 years ago – via The Undefeated

Josh Jackson: Our GM got relieved of his duties. We found out on our way to the gym for shootaround on Monday. I got a glimpse of what the NBA life is like when I first came into it last year because, as y’all know, our first coach Earl Watson got fired after the third game. That showed me that it was a business. At any given time, you can be replaced and someone can just come right in and take your job. It is the same with players. You see it around the league all the time. Guys get traded. You got new guys coming into the league getting drafted. Guys sometimes disappear. You just always have to do your job and control what you can control. Always come to work every day ready to work.
3 years ago – via ESPN

In his initial conversations around the league, Sarver has left little, if any, doubt that Jones will be leading Phoenix’s basketball operations into the future, league sources said. Nevertheless, Sarver has been known to change his mind – often without warning – on personnel matters. The most recent evidence was firing McDonough nine days shy of the Suns’ opening night. Last year, Sarver hired Jones to apprentice under McDonough and prepare him for a larger role in the organization.
3 years ago – via The Athletic

Suns coach Igor Kokoskov acknowledged ahead of his team’s Monday-night preseason contest at Golden State that “our day started very early, with the news we had this morning.” But he aimed to keep business as usual with his team. “It’s something we don’t control,” Kokoskov told reporters during his pregame media availability. “The reason we’re here is to play the game. The whole focus was really on the (team) … we’re basically trying to accomplish why we’re here and focus on the game tonight.”
3 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

“Anybody who does this job — you have to be honest and realistic with yourself about how it’s going and the progress that a player makes, or the lack of progress,” McDonough said in relation to Chriss. “With Marquese, there were ups and downs,” he said. “I thought he had a pretty good rookie year, overall. I think he showed some flashes and played better than we probably expected him to at 19 years old, and then last year I felt like there was a step back for whatever reason.”
3 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

At the same time, McDonough said a large determining factor was a new head coach and system that didn’t have the comfiest fit for either Chriss or Knight. “A big part of it, not only with Marquese but with Brandon as well — with Igor Kokoskov and his staff coming in, they have new philosophies,” he said. “They have a very high-level offensive system that I think our fans will really enjoy watching because it’s pretty impressive and has proven to be effective over time. That being said, the pieces have to fit the system and there has to be a role in the system for certain players, and if there’s not a role, we look externally to see if there are players we can bring in to fit the system and play a role better.”
3 years ago – via Arizona's Sports Page

But, of course, with Knight gone, the Suns now have an opening at point guard. Well, at least from McDonough’s perspective, that opening is a point guard with real experience. Elie Okobo and Melton were both just selected in the second round of the NBA Draft, Shaquille Harrison has 23 games of NBA experience and Isaiah Canaan’s NBA role has mostly been toward the end of a team’s rotation in his five-year career. Despite that, the GM likes his group. “We’re very high on Elie Okobo, he’s looked terrific in the pickup games we’ve had so far,” he said. “[Melton] we thought was one of the better rookies in summer league, and guys like Shaquille Harrison and Isaiah Canaan played very well for us a year ago. We have depth there, I realize we don’t have a lot of experience there.”
3 years ago – via The Ringer

Several league sources told me they anticipate Suns general manager Ryan McDonough to probe a Leonard deal using the no. 1 pick. Phoenix explored Irving trades last summer but was reluctant to deal Josh Jackson, whom they selected with the fourth overall pick. Leonard is better than Irving, so perhaps it’s time for the Suns to strike now, when they’re armed with assets and an opportunity to trade for a transcendent player. There’s also a sense from league sources that the Suns presumed selection of Arizona big man Deandre Ayton at no. 1 isn’t a guarantee because of the outside possibility that they’ll get a good enough deal to trade down or out of the draft entirely. Now that Leonard reportedly wants out, anything is possible.
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July 31, 2021 | 3:05 am EDT Update
Here’s what Wojnarowski reported on ESPN’s morning show ‘Get Up’: “Philadelphia is still asking for a lot. Teams are not willing to be strip-mined to trade for Ben Simmons. They’re going to continue to try and find a way, to see if there’s a deal here as free agency starts. You kind of get another cycle of deal-making here. But he’s four years left on his deal, they’re not going to just give him away in Philly. Whatever they get back for him, they’ve got to believe it continues to make them a championship contender. But they’d like to get a deal done before training camp.”
2 hours ago – via Adam Hermann @ NBC Sports

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That pushed Hield to the forefront. But even as the possibility of a deal built around Kyle Kuzma and Harrell began to form, the Lakers kept the door open to a Westbrook deal. Westbrook asserted his voice into the conversation, and per an NBA source, the Wizards pivoted. Just like that, the pieces the Kings liked for Hield were no longer available.
2 hours ago – via Eric Pincus @ Bleacher Report

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