Phoenix – A Mat Ishbia press conference will immediately tell you why he succeeds.
There is only one speed for the owner of Phoenix Suns, including when it is addressed to the media, and this speed has spread to the decisions of the Front Office during its first two years and more in the position. He has embarrassed serious criticism and skepticism, the latter of which he and the organization will have to learn to wash in the coming years to put the confidence of the fans base.
The central account that has been fueled by reports and speculation on the equal parties is that Ishbia is the main decision-maker of the basketball operations department. Given the quantity of evil for Phoenix during consecutive seasons, this complicates it when assessing the front office and which is to be blamed.
This is why there is an inherent desire to clarify this. An attempt at this was made Thursday at the availability of the end of the season media, helped by an improvement in the tone corresponding to the results of the season.
Ishbia was questioned about its level of involvement at the front office. As he will do, Ishbia has disclosed through a handful of examples to try to clarify false ideas, including an often returned point that he is not the guy who breaks down the film of prospects, trusting his scouts and others in this department.
“My role is to allow. … Put the right people in the right position to make decisions and empower them,” said Ishbia.
He credited the Front Office for having decided to write Ryan Dunn and said that he was almost “disrespectful” to give him credit or blame for certain list decisions.
However, he did not respond if he is the best dog that opens the way. He was asked for strictly follow -up only before to fold and fold again and to weave these examples without giving a direct response.
“Let me say it like that – we have a collaborative group,” said Ishbia. “I do not think there is an owner in the NBA according to which there is a business which continues that this owner does not say” go ahead “or” do not go with “. I am in the same way.
Although this can be true, it is not clear to what extent it is involved in these discussions when ideas are presented and how much it dictates the management of these conversations. Again, the notion of directing things to him. This does not make him favors that, according to all the accounts, Phoenix hesitated to trade for Kevin during before he did quickly once Ishbia was officially in place.
To recall the February 2023 reports via Adrian Wojnarowski from ESPN:
On the direction of its new owner, Mat Ishbia, the director general James Jones sent a text to GM Marks, the director general of the nets, some time after 11 p.m. HE – and it would not take long before Ishbia and the owner of the Nets, Joe Tsai, paved the final elements of the superproduction trade, according to sources.
The story of Wojnarowski continues to quote the Sun’s reflection process throughout the commercial negotiations by referring to Ishbia and not to Jones, as “the initial hope of Ishbia was to keep Mikal Bridges away from trade”.
When Ishbia was asked about the accusations of “new owner syndrome” and interference, he denied this type of participation.
The fate of the president and chief executive officer Josh Bartelstein and Jones was raised, on both in similar roles next season. Ishbia did not say if they would or would not be, before saying that “changes arrive”. Bartelstein and Jones were then invited to have had conversations with Ishbia on their roles. The two then described some of their current roles without responding if these discussions occurred.
For what it is worth, Bartelstein has closed the idea that Hishbia will make decisions, calling it one of the “biggest false ideas”.
“Mat’s involvement is pushing us, asking the right questions,” said Bartelstein. “Mat did not do a job, he did not tell James and I a free agent to sign or a choice of draft.”
These global contradictions are more relevant at the moment because the Suns do not have a head coach. They must hire this type, then make crucial decisions and movements with the list. But who is “they?”
Ishbia spoke with Tim Macmahon of ESPN in March for a rare interview in season on the basketball side of things. This included a lot of Ishbia basketball philosophies that apply both at the same time and in the future, as well as a teaser of what Phoenix plans are for upcoming off-season.
The Phoenix Front Office will again explore all kinds of potential staff scenarios while Suns are looking for solutions while operating under the “all-in” mandate of Ishbia. According to Ishbia, a “pivot and recharging” around Devin Booker could be the direction that the franchise chooses this summer.
Ishbia continued to talk about the idea of ”exploding” and rebuilding, with Macmahon going so far as to say that it is insulting to suggest such a proposal to Ishbia.
“It is surprising for me that other people, other fans, they love the reconstruction process,” said Ishbia, disdaining in his voice when the last word of this sentence comes out of his mouth. “As,” Oh, rebuild it. Are you crazy?! Do you think I’m going to go for seven years and try to get there?
“Although let’s say it doesn’t work, guess what? Maybe next year, we will not be so good, but we will try again.
Again, it is not the president of the team or the managing director of the team orchestrating these beliefs. He is the owner.
All this is to say that he requires a lot to absorb all this information and believe that he is not the main decision-maker of the organization for large-scale basketball decisions. Yes, the owner will often be in a situation to offer the last yes or not on important decisions, as Ishbia said himself. It seems to be more than that.
As indicated above in this space since the arrival of Ishbia, history does not speak with goodness to the owners with this degree of involvement. Could Ishbia be good in this area? Of course!
But if this coming season is about to share similarities with the previous two, all this operation is actually.
You can tell yourself that even if this next year is another failure, Phoenix can simply explode it in trading booker. No harm, no fault. I tried one more stroke and it no longer worked. Great. But who is in charge of this reconstruction, with these assets and the development of this team?
There is a confidence that must be developed now. When this new regime arrived in the valley, it was evaluated with a virgin slate and in good faith. They did not gain the law so that it is extended more.
Regarding how they can do so, Ishbia showed growth on Thursday.
He called the “embarrassing” season and admitted that it was simply not a fun product to watch. It was far from a calendar year before when Ishbia was rather deaf with its optimism after a terrible end of the 2023-24 season, some fans going so far as to describe it as a feeling of Ishbia lit them.
The current tone was more on money.
“You can use the word you want, but not satisfied with the season,” he said. “That said, I’m here to talk to you and we are going to make changes. As a owner, my work is to do these changes and do things differently. Because what we have just tried and does in the past two and a half years has not been as successful as we were hoping for. … Many people thought it worked, we thought it wouldn’t work.”
The basic message beyond this above-mentioned change line is that the upper will establish an identity.
“I think there is a disconnection between what we think we should play and what we really saw on the ground,” said Ishbia. “And that is why we have made a change so far and we will make other modifications to make sure that Phoenix fans know what to expect and are proud of what we have there.”
When he was asked what Ishbia wanted in a new head coach, he referenced the characteristics of the heart, the milling and tenacity as desirable, more than real talent. This extends to the list, namely that you will absolutely notice a new Suns look, according to the man himself.
“It will be undeniable,” said Ishbia. “You will know the difference next year.”
Ishbia’s largest error so far, by him, does not nail this part of the process as soon as the doors are released.
“Do not run and set the tone, an identity and allow it to do it like that,” said Ishbia.
“I would have done a better job of Hey what the basketball of Phoenix Suns looks like,” added Ishbia, before correctly highlighting the other areas of the franchise outside on the basketball side which improved on its watch.
Ishbia corrects this error for next season is necessary for stability, in more ways than one.
“Patience will not be my strongest costume. … I am very patient if I think we are on the right track and the right plan,” said Ishbia.
