Can Phoenix Suns scout the scouts?

While attending the Suns press conference explaining the dismissal of GM Lance Blanks, I put a star next to this quote in my old school reporter notebook:

“We’ve got to do things in this offseason that begin to build trust and confidence that we’re headed in the right direction.”

Was that Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby? Yes. Does he recognize that a skeptical Suns fan base needs to see progress or at least tangible evidence of a plan that promises improvement? Yes x 2.

Can the Suns gain that trust and confidence by hiring the GM candidate who finished behind Lance Blanks three years ago?

Uh, no. #Buzzer. Putting our finger to the wind of change, we’ll forecast that there is no way orange-clad fans would buy into hiring a candidate who wasn’t considered dynamic or impressive enough by the same Suns administration to beat out Lance “Flatline” Blanks.

That’s not to say that Milwaukee Bucks assistant general manager Jeff Weltman isn’t a worthy member of an NBA front office (Note: I’d much rather have the player the Bucks drafted from North Carolina 14th overall – 6’11” John Henson – than the Tar Heel the Suns selected 13th overall – Kendall Marshall. #HolyCannoliStat: Henson averaged 15 pts & 15 rebs over the final five games when Larry Sanders was injured.)

But, let’s remember, the Suns state they’re looking for a “first-rate talent evaluator.”

So, are we to believe that a genuine first-rate talent evaluator has been sitting in Milwaukee the past three years? His valuable acumen to assess talent simply undiscovered? Nobody else has realized his skill set?

Hence, it’s time to revisit the most pertinent question of all. As we’ve previously stated here at Calvisi Consulting on-air: it’s not whether the Suns should hire a “first-rate talent evaluator.” Indeed, we all nod accordingly.

The real question at hand is whether the Suns have the ability to hire that guy.

Can they identify the person who can identify NBA talent? #TickTock