Phoenix Suns Fire Head Coach Terry Porter

The Phoenix Suns hosted the NBA All Star Game over the weekend, but it was hardly a celebratory occasion for head coach Terry Porter.  Porter was fired on Sunday night after only four months on the job.  General Manager Steve Kerr broke the news to him in a hastily arranged meeting, and Porter confirmed his dismissal to the AP on Monday morning.  He also said that he’s going to digest everything before he makes any further comment:

"I'm going to wait a few days to gather my thoughts before I say anything.”

Suns Assistant Coach Alvin Gentry will take over the team on an interim basis.

To some extent, Porter is simply a scapegoat for the Suns’ inability to transform into a solid defensive team.  Kerr was hired with the mandate to improve the team’s defense, and this led to the departure of Mike D'Antoni.  D'Antoni—known as a coach who favors a ‘run and shoot’ attack with a secondary emphasis on defense—quickly landed on his feet as coach of the New York Knicks.  Porter, meanwhile, was hired as his replacement and envisioned rebuilding the team in the image of the “Bad Boys” era Detroit Pistons.

Only one problem—the personnel in Phoenix chafed at Porter’s efforts to change the team’s style of play.  In particular, Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire—both exceptional offensive players with questionable defensive intensity—have suffered through subpar seasons.  Though Stoudamire is rumored to be heading out of town in a cost cutting move, he and the other ‘up-tempo’ players may have won out in a power struggle.

Also likely is that Kerr was more interested in protecting his own gig and it was easier to axe the man charged with getting the players to implement his defensive minded style of play rather than stand up to the on-court superstars.  Further complicating the process is the team’s struggles this season—they’re barely over .500 and will be life and death for the Western Conference playoffs.  The “up-tempo” Suns won 54 or more games over the previous four seasons, and there’s considerable grumbling in the local media calling for a return to that style of play.

Gentry, ironically, is the lone holdover from D’Antoni’s staff.  Stoudamire praised the team’s interim coach when asked about the change:

"I think Alvin is a great players' coach/ He gets along with his players well. Of course, he'll have a great game plan from a basketball standpoint. I think it will be somewhat up-tempo. I think Terry Porter definitely put a lot of hard work in here to try to get us on the right track and I'm pretty sure Alvin's going to do the same."

Gentry will at least enjoy a cooperative schedule for his debut as the Suns’ floor general—Phoenix will play the LA Clippers in a home and home series starting on Tuesday and then host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night.