Suns part ways with head coach Monty Williams; Ty Lue, Nick Nurse among potential replacements, per report

[ad_1]

The Phoenix Suns are partin ways with head coach Monty Williams, Bill Reiter of CBS Sports confirmed. The Suns had championship expectations this season after trading for star forward Kevin Durant. However, after a second-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the Suns have elected to move on from their head coach and seek a new voice moving forward.

Upon dismissal, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Devin Booker and Durant were involved during the process, but that the decision to fire Williams came from team owner Mat Ishbia. After assuming ownership just three months ago, Ishbia has not been shy in making big moves since taking over control from disgraced owner Robert Sarver. Shortly after stepping in as new owner, Ishbia pulled the trigger on trading for Durant, a move that significantly heightened Phoenix’s championship odds. While the short-term results of that trade haven’t been successful, that move was made with next season and future ones after that in mind. 

Despite all of Phoenix’s regular season success since Williams became the head coach, Ishbia felt it was time to move on after another second-round postseason exit. Charania reports that the Suns want to bring in someone who “commands accountability” and can be creative on offense, the latter of which Williams struggled with in each of the past two playoffs. 

Among the candidates on Phoenix’s list are current Clippers head coach Ty Lue and recently fired Raptors head coach Nick Nurse. Lue is still under contract with the Clippers, but if he becomes available, Charania reports that he would be the Suns’ “ideal No. 1 target.”

Although Williams coached the Suns for only four seasons, he was still among the most successful coaches in franchise history. In 2019, he took over a team that had been out of the playoffs for nearly a decade. While he didn’t get them back into it immediately, he did lead them to an undefeated 8-0 record in the Orlando bubble, ultimately coming just short of the 2020 playoffs.

The Suns traded for Chris Paul in the offseason of…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/suns-part-ways-with-head-coach-monty-williams-ty-lue-nick-nurse-among-potential-replacements-per-report/

Author : Sam Quinn

Publish date : 2023-05-15 22:09:59

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.