Former Suns GM Kerr thinks team is heading in the right direction
May 31, 2013, 11:00 PM | Updated: 11:22 pm
The last time the Phoenix Suns were in the playoffs, Steve Kerr was their general manager.
That was 2010, and now Kerr is an NBA analyst for TNT.
A guest of Arizona Sports 620’s Doug and Wolf Friday, Kerr said it will take a little while to rebuild the team, but that the hires of Ryan McDonough as GM and Jeff Hornacek as head coach are steps in the right direction for the team.
“I met Ryan before he was considered for the job and he called me when he went through the interview process to ask me about the situation,” Kerr said. “I was really impressed. He’s sharp and he’s hungry. He’s going to work hard and I think he’s going to enjoy what he does.”
McDonough, though, is only half of the offseason overhaul that has restored a bit of hope to Planet Orange.
“I was a teammate of Jeff my rookie year in Phoenix and he was here, and he was kind of a mentor for me,” Kerr said, adding he thinks very highly of the Suns’ new coach. “I think it was a great hire because of his connection to the Suns, not only the fact that he’s smart and a great guy and players will like playing for him, but I think it’s important to keep that connection to the past with the great history of the organization.”
But, as Kerr said, don’t expect the franchise’s fortunes to change overnight. While the McDonough/Hornacek duo may ultimately do well for the team, it’s going to take time for the results to really show on the court. After all, the Suns won 25 games last year for a reason.
“This is how it goes in the NBA,” he said. “Everything goes in cycles and I think this is kind of the ground floor of what’s going to be a good run for Phoenix.”
