<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Steve Kerr will be announced as the new president of basketball operations and general manager of the Suns within the week, an NBA source with knowledge of the situation said. Mike D?Antoni will keep his title as executive vice president of basketball operations in addition to his coaching duties. The source said current vice president of basketball operations David Griffin will decide tonight whether to stay with the Suns or take a similar position with the Grizzlies. The Suns want Griffin to stay and would probably give him a raise and another title. Griffin would also keep a lot of the duties for which he is currently responsible. Kerr?s move into the front office would take a lot of the strain off D?Antoni who is not only the Suns coach but an assistant for Team USA. Kerr is currently a minority owner in the team and a close friend of Suns owner Robert Sarver A five-time NBA champion and 15-year veteran as a player, Steve Kerr, returns to the organization where he began his professional career. Kerr was the Suns? second selection in the 1988 NBA Draft (50th overall) after a four-year career at the University of Arizona. He is the league?s all-time leader in career 3-point field goal percentage, with a .454 mark (726-1599). He played his rookie season in the NBA with Phoenix in 1988-89. </div> http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/907...&dest=STY-90730 Source: East Valley Tribune
Wow, the Suns went from the league's best in Bryan Colangelo to a rookie to fulfill the most important role in team management. Were there seriously no better options than Kerr?
<div class="quote_poster">Silva Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Wow, the Suns went from the league's best in Bryan Colangelo to a rookie to fulfill the most important role in team management. Were there seriously no better options than Kerr?</div> Colangelo has already been gone for a season. This year's GM was one of Sarvers buddy's. For Kerr is there not a better situation? He does not have to do much to keep this team atop the West. And your guess is as good as mine, can you think of any other "better options" for GM? No name comes to mind, so why not take a chance with a guy that comes from a winning tradition and has been close to the sidelines broadcasting, which means he at least knows who the current players are. lol
<div class="quote_poster">*Scotch Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Colangelo has already been gone for a season. This year's GM was one of Sarvers buddy's. For Kerr is there not a better situation? He does not have to do much to keep this team atop the West. And your guess is as good as mine, can you think of any other "better options" for GM? No name comes to mind, so why not take a chance with a guy that comes from a winning tradition and has been close to the sidelines broadcasting, which means he at least knows who the current players are. lol</div> I thought he was replacing Mike D'Antoni? That's what the ESPN ticker flashed when they broke the news. The only issue I would have is lack of experience. Kerr is very knowledgable about the game, has won titles, and has a lot of connections, but he's never been in this position before. He's going to need the right team around him to do his job. The intricacies of the salary cap, what you can and cannot say, etc. Working for the media, Kerr, will have a lot of friends in the industry, but it's a double edged sword. His friends might expect him to give them the details and access to the team, and if Kerr doesn't oblige, there could be a backlash from his media friends. How is Kerr going to handle being under the microscope in Phoenix? This is a crucial year for the team, because of their cap issues and their coming off a disappointing season. Does this new direction with Steve Kerr just the beginning of change in Phoenix? Will Steve Kerr be overzealous to make his mark on this roster?
Am I right in looking at Danny Ferry as a potential comparison? I'm skeptical about Kerr, just because of his lack of experience with both evaluating talent and managing the cap (will be important with Sarver as the owner). I thought the front office was shaky this year and they haven't made a solid move since Colangelo left. Why wouldn't they promote that Griffin dude that's getting so much attention from other teams?
I wonder how Mike D'Antoni took this, did he have a say in the matter? Is he happy he can focus on coaching, or is he upset because he lost control of his roster? Is Sarver sending a message to D'Antoni? John Paxson has done a good job with Chicago, Danny Ferry's Cavs team is in the Finals, Joe Dumars is always praised for his job with the Pistons. Of course on the flip side Danny Ainge, Chris Mullin, and Kevin McHale have had problems (Mullin at least seems to be going towards the right direction). We'll just have to give Kerr a few years. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">I thought the front office was shaky this year and they haven't made a solid move since Colangelo left</div> I thought the re-signing of Barbosa for so cheap was a great move. Also not messing with the core was probably the best thing the Suns could've done. The Banks signing is a bad move, but a lot of teams were after him and when the deal was done a lot of people thought it was a steal. Colangelo wasn't without his awful moves (trading tons for McDyess for only 1 season, signing Penny Hardaway & Googs, trading Kidd for Marbury), he just made up for it with some great draft picks.
I`m gonna miss Kerr in the commentating booth, I really enjoyed his time on TNT. He actually knew what he was talking about. I was suprised when I heard this too. Kerr a GM? I can only hope him the best in Phoenix.
<div class="quote_poster">shapecity Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">I thought he was replacing Mike D'Antoni? That's what the ESPN ticker flashed when they broke the news. The only issue I would have is lack of experience. Kerr is very knowledgable about the game, has won titles, and has a lot of connections, but he's never been in this position before. He's going to need the right team around him to do his job. The intricacies of the salary cap, what you can and cannot say, etc. Working for the media, Kerr, will have a lot of friends in the industry, but it's a double edged sword. His friends might expect him to give them the details and access to the team, and if Kerr doesn't oblige, there could be a backlash from his media friends. How is Kerr going to handle being under the microscope in Phoenix? This is a crucial year for the team, because of their cap issues and their coming off a disappointing season. Does this new direction with Steve Kerr just the beginning of change in Phoenix? Will Steve Kerr be overzealous to make his mark on this roster?</div> Steve Kerr has had a say in team decisions since 2004 when Sarver bought the team. Kerr has served as a consultant and has worked with the Suns in personnel decisions. He is very well liked and there will be no changes to the staff. One of the reasons David Griffin stayed in Phoenix was because of his admiration for Steve Kerr, even when he could have accepted a seven figure salary as the Grizzlies' GM. D'Antoni, Griffin, and Sarver were all very pleased with the move. D'Antoni will still have a say in team decisions but did not want to devout his all of his time to GM duties (remember he is a Team USA assistant coach as well). Overall I think this is a great move and Kerr should not have trouble adjusting to his new role because of his close ties to the organization and the staff he has around him.
