Top 5 Options to Fill GM Void For Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns Top 5 GM Candidates
Building a success NBA franchise begins with the front office. Yes, playing for a team in the National Basketball Association sells itself, but there is a reason why certain franchises usually always land the top free agents or draft intelligently to keep them among the top of the league's standings.
After following up many seasons of contention in the Western Conference with a couple on the downtrend, the Phoenix Suns decided to part ways with general manager Lance Blanks and begin the search for a new GM that can take them back to the playoffs.
The Suns will have a few candidates to consider in their GM hunt and will need to make a solid choice after dealing with years of sub par decisions by Steve Kerr -- who was the GM from 2007-2010 -- and Blanks. While Kerr had his share of questionable moves (like trading Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a washed up Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic), his tenure was relatively good compared to that of Blanks.
Blanks made a number of ill-advised moves, including trading Goran Dragic to the Houston Rockets at the deadline in 2011 just to re-sign him as a free agent a couple years later, signing Michael Redd in 2011, and most recently giving Michael Beasley a fully guaranteed three-year, $18 million contract last summer when no one else would have come close to offering Beasley that ridiculous contract. Ouch.
So who are the top five candidates for the Suns GM position? Check out the following slides to find out...
5. Grant Hill
Grant Hill is still a current player and in the playoffs with the Los Angeles Clippers, but that shouldn't totally dismiss him as a candidate for a GM position. Hill is probably playing his last season, and the Suns organization helped him salvage his career.
Hill has no experience, but his intelligence, grace and basketball IQ could be an asset to any team that would be willing to take a chance on him as a GM or assistant general manager. Even if he's a longshot, the Suns would do well to at least bring him in for an interview and gauge his interest.
4. David Morway
David Morway most recently resigned as the GM of the Indiana Pacers last year under what was assumed by many as a dignified way of letting him go, as it was rumored that Morway would be relieved of his duties anyway.
The Pacers were successful under Morway, who's previous general manager experience before Indiana was in MLB with the San Diego Padres and was a finalist for the Portland Trail Blazers GM position last summer. Morway played a role in constructing the Pacers into one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and the Suns should see what ideas he could have for retooling their roster, if he's interested.
3. Charles Barkley
Is Charles Barkley controversial? Yes. Does he have any experience in front office basketball operations? No. So should Barkley be taken seriously as a candidate for the Suns GM position? Absolutely.
Barkley may be entertaining as an in studio analyst, but his basketball knowledge is outstanding, plus he's arguably the most beloved Suns player ever besides Steve Nash. Barkley has expressed interest in the position, and thus should be considered for the job, even if only out of respect for everything he's done for the franchise.
2. Jeff Weltman
Weltman may have an advantage over the other candidates on this list, as he was a finalist for the Suns' GM position in 2010 before the organization decided to go with Lance Blanks.
After working as the Milwaukee Bucks assistant GM since 2008 and helping the team make the playoffs a couple of times, Weltman may be ready to take on the position full-throttle for the Suns. He is as close to a lock for the position as any candidate can get. Unless the Suns can get...
1. Phil Jackson
At this stage in the process, any team with a front office opening should be courting Phil Jackson at a near-desperation level. Jackson has even expressed an interest in a front office position after resigning from the Los Angeles Lakers following the 2011 season to let his health improve.
Jackson is rumored to want full control over basketball decisions in whatever position he is offered and chooses to accept, but as one of the best head coaches and basketball minds in history he is worth relinquishing that much control to.
The Suns are a franchise in need of a major overhaul, and bringing in the Zen Master would be exactly what the team needs. Suns President Lon Babby has already stated that the new GM will have the ability to hire their own head coach, so the possibility of landing Jackson as a GM and potential coach should be tempting enough for Babby to open his wallet to pursuade Jackson to come on board.
Sign Up
for the
