Two first-year assistant coaches with Phoenix Suns, Steve Blake and Larry Greer, were let go by the team and did not make the trip to Orlando for the NBA restart.
No reason for the reduction in staff — financial due to the coronavirus shutdown or otherwise — was made public, and coach Monty Williams wouldn’t discuss it when asked. Via Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic (who first caught the changes in the coaching staff for Orlando).“What they brought (to the team), especially the first 65 games and laying the foundation for our team and our program was invaluable,” Williams said after Saturday’s practice for the NBA restart at Walt Disney World Resort...
“The details of it all, I don’t want to get into,” Williams said. “Organizations go through change and there are times where guys have to make decisions that are best for them and their families. It’s a tough loss to not have those guys, but those decisions have to be made and as a leader, I have to respect what’s best for the organization and what’s best for the individuals.”
The rest of the coaching staff — Darko Rajakovic, Mark Bryant and Billy Donovan Jr. — remain in place.
This should not dramatically impact a Suns team heading into the restart saying all the right things about pushing for the postseason, while in reality this is a chance for Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Kelly Oubre to lay the groundwork for big steps forward next season.