We knew things were going to change in Phoenix after the conference semi-final elimination against the Nuggets, and new owner Mat Ishbia didn’t wait long to kick off his team’s turbulent offseason. Because coach Monty Williams has indeed taken the door!
“We are filled with gratitude for all that Monty has brought to the Suns and the local community”, thus explained James Jonesthe GM of the Suns, in the press release announcing the dismissal of Monty Williams.
The Game 7 swing against the Mavericks
It must be said that Monty Williams had greatly contributed to relaunching the franchise since his arrival in 2019. Before him, coaches succeeded each other on the Phoenix bench (Jeff Hornacek, Earl Watson, Jay Triano, Igor Kokoskov, etc.) without managing to relaunch the franchise. team to allow Devin Booker to taste the playoffs.
With Monty Williams at their head, then the arrival of Chris Paul, the Suns finally reached the Finals in the coach’s second season, in 2020/21, losing to the Bucks. The following season, in 2021/22, Phoenix had the best regular season in its history (64 wins – 18 losses) but the elimination against the Mavericks, with a big spanking at home in Game 7, may have been a tipping point.
Because after the Sarver affair and the sale of the club, things changed in Phoenix, with the arrival of Kevin Durant during the season, which profoundly changed the workforce. For another elimination in the conference semi-finals.
Yesterday, Monty Williams assured however not to worry about his position, even if he knew very well that everything was very fragile, as illustrated by the dismissal of Mike Budenholzer in Milwaukee.
“It’s not something that worries me, it’s part of the business. When you look at these very good coaches who lost their positions shortly after winning a title, it’s just something particular to our ecosystem. I always told myself that I should do my job and not worry about it, but if you analyze and observe what is happening around you, you know that it can affect anyone. »
Monty Williams soon… in Milwaukee?
Monty Williams was thus still under contract for three years (and more than 20 million dollars) but Mat Ishbia therefore believes that the group needs a new voice.
It remains to be seen what this means for the rest of the offseason, because if, for example, we did not imagine Deandre Ayton staying with Monty Williams still on the bench, the Bahamian pivot now has a real chance of continuing the adventure of the ‘Arizona, depending on which technician takes over.
The team’s room for maneuver is however quite limited, especially with the new collective agreement which is coming, and it is now necessary to find a coach who will do better than Monty Williams (194 wins – 115 losses in four years), while the franchise will compete with the Bucks and the Raptors on the coaching market, the Pistons before them no doubt decide between Kevin Ollie, Charles Lee and Jarron Collins.
Even if Monty Williams could quickly bounce back in Milwaukee, according to some rumours…
