Can this Suns roster be saved? | Good Word with Goodwill
Yahoo Sports senior NBA reporter Vincent Goodwill and senior NBA reporter Jake Fischer discuss whether new Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer can turn around a star-studded roster. Hear the full conversation on “Good Word with Goodwill” - part of the “Ball Don’t Lie” podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
Frank Vogel out coach, but in, in Phoenix, is that just rearranging the deck chairs of the Titanic?
Like, I'm not sure how much better if Mike Booten Hoser is a better coach than Frank Vogel.
Both of them are championship coaches maybe, but it's a better offensive mind.
Like, ho how do you see that considering that came together really, really quickly in Phoenix on a like Xs and Os schematic championship pedigree standpoint is Mike Budenholzer a much better answer for this situation than Frank Vogel.
No, the one big difference is that but has had at least he's been given credit for a little bit more offensive creativity, which is, I think largely what the biggest detractors of Frank Vogel's year in Phoenix were harping on including players in that locker room.
But that last piece is the biggest part of this.
If you spoke to anyone around the people who are going to be still on that roster, a trainer, a college coach of theirs, an agent, like just anyone in that periphery to a man, no one thought that Frank Vogel could come back and command the respect of this locker room.
I just think even though he had $21 million left on his deal, there just seemed to be like a little bit much, a little bit of a too far gone this to that interpersonal dynamic.
And I think that is the real reason why I don't think it's the fact that he didn't have the, the chops on a white board or to come up with some scheme or whatnot.
I think it's, it's really about do Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal.
I don't think those guys really wanted Frank Vogel back.
Look, when the players decide that they're done with you, then the organization is done with you and whatever reasons that may be, you look at KD, this is going to be since Steve Kerr, I feel like I can name the coaches like off the top of my head, right.
You, you feel you can name Kenny Atkinson, then Steve Nash, then Jack Vaughan, then Monty Williams now, uh Frank Vogel and Mike Wooten holder, that's like six coaches in what, five years or four years or whatever it is, including the year where he didn't even play basketball because he was out with an achilles.
I don't know if that's bad luck for him or no situation has been optimal for him.
I just think he's a fascinating ballplayer to look at, especially as he's coming down the back end of his thirties.
I don't know if he knows what he wants because I'm sure if Kevin Durant still want, you know, Frank Vogel to be there, Frank Vogel would have been there.
That's not to say that everything is on Kevin Durant, but that's on Kevin Durant.
It's on Devin Booker.
It's on Bradley Beal, like all three of those guys.
I just don't know if any coach can be there and maximize what those guys have and things.
I just think it's a, a poorly built roster.
I think ultimately, the biggest hurdle for Phoenix to overcome is, is really not the guy on the sideline.
They need to figure out ways to flush out the rest of this roster behind that quote, unquote big three.
There's people around the team who are optimistic that Bradley Beal after this being his first healthy off season in four years will come back stronger and blah, blah, blah.
But I think that's a bigger point of like this team has way more to resolve than just the white guy holding the clipboard on the sidelines.