Gerald Green’s agent has some harsh words for Phoenix Suns coach Hornacek
Apr 9, 2015, 7:01 PM | Updated: 7:01 pm
It’s no secret that Gerald Green’s season has not gone according to plan.
Last year, he broke out with career-best averages in minutes, points and three-point shooting percentage. This year, his minutes have dropped, and along with them so has his scoring average and shooting percentage.
Multiple times this season, Suns coach Jeff Hornacek has said the reason for Green’s lack of playing time is related to his defense, an area of the game the 29-year-old is not exactly known for excelling in.
Struggles there, along with some inconsistent shooting, gave little reason for the coach to turn to the player.
That narrative is something Green’s agent, Kevin Bradbury, takes offense to, and he voiced his frustration to Sean Deveney of SportingNews.com.
“It’s completely unfair to misrepresent Gerald and his game like this,” he said. “You’re talking about a player that wants to win at any cost and is a tremendous locker guy and teammate. I don’t see the benefit for the coach to go about things this way.”
Bradbury said the numbers show Green is not a terrible defensive player, adding that the team won plenty of games last year with him in the lineup.
“It’s unfortunate because the team isn’t where some people thought it would or should be at this point in the season,” he said. “I’m not sure why that falls on one guy all of a sudden, especially when they have known all along what they have with Gerald. He can score, and can score a lot quickly, when you give him the minutes. He brings it on the defensive end, consistent with what the team brings as a unit. But when you hear the coach saying he is so bad that he can’t be on the floor? That’s nonsense. You have to wonder where that comes from and why.”
Green has seen regular minutes over the last few games, and rewarded the Suns with scoring outputs of 24, 15 and 30 points.
This is not the first time the Suns’ coaching staff or front office has come under a bit of fire over a player’s role, as prior to the trade deadline Goran Dragic said he had lost trust in the team’s management.
He was traded away within days of those comments, and with Green set to become a free agent, it’s possible he will not be back, either.
According to Bradbury, though, the Suns could have already moved on from Green if that was their goal all along.
“There were multiple teams that wanted him and were attempting to structure a deal if that was the direction in which we all wanted to go,” he said. “Teams were willing to give up assets in significant offers. The Suns did not want to trade him. They wanted him last year and they wanted him at the deadline. They didn’t have a problem with his defense, but now that they’re .500, his defense is a problem they can’t stop talking about.”
The Suns have lost two games in a row and seven of their last 10. At 39-40, they have been eliminated from playoff contention with three games left in the season.
