I get it if you hate Mat Ishbia’s decision to hire Brian Gregory as the Suns general manager.
Truly.
You probably think Gregory is an inexperienced, unqualified, nepo-hire who wouldn’t even be a candidate for a similar job with any other team. Further, you probably also think that James Jones and Bob Myers were perfectly good candidates who were passed over for an Ishbia yes-man.
I hear all that, but it’s way, way too harsh.
Brian Gregory is the perfect guy to execute job No. 1 when it comes to this franchise: Mat Ishbia wants to establish a culture and an identity that’s so clear and so consistent that the entire basketball world knows exactly what Phoenix Suns basketball is all about.
“The vision,” Ishbia said at the end of the season, “starts with me delivering what the fans want, a competitive team that’s fun to watch … and has a chance of winning a championship.”
Ishbia, who just presided over the most disappointing season in recent memory as a second-year owner, also talked about “determination, work ethic, grind and joy” and guys who cheer for each other from the bench and help each other up when they fall.
“We haven’t had that,” Ishbia said.
Now, just think about that for a second. What does identity mean in sports?
If someone says “New York Yankees” or “LA Dodgers,” you know full well that those franchises are going to spend about a bajillion dollars to attract the absolute best talent the sport has to offer in any given year.
If someone says “Pittsburgh Steelers,” you should expect a physical, punishing team that pounds opponents into submission by making every game against them feel like two or three contests against anybody else.
It used to be that if someone said “Phoenix Suns,” you could expect a team with an exciting, fast-paced offense that tried to outscore everybody. Defense? Did I tell you about the offense?
Now, think about Ishbia.
He played ball and won a championship at Michigan State under the great Tom Izzo, a coach so popular that he could run for governor and fans of the rival Michigan Wolverines would probably vote for him.
Under Izzo, the Spartans win. Full stop.
MSU has been to the NCAA Tournament 27 times with eight Final Fours and an NCAA championship. (Ishbia was the last guy off the bench on that 2000 title team.)
The identity? Have you ever seen Draymond Green play? Because that’s Izzo basketball. Izzo would play three power forwards, a point guard and a linebacker, if he could.
There’s a story about a drill Izzo runs where he puts a lid on the baskets and has a scrimmage where rebounds count as points.
Add to that, Ishbia grew up watching the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons, a group of no-name, all-effort guys who beat the Larry Bird Celtics, Michael Jordan Bulls and Magic Johnson Lakers on the way to a couple of NBA titles.
A generation later, Ishbia saw the Pistons win a championship and go to the Eastern Conference finals every year for almost a decade with the same formula.
Ishbia is looking for a version of that.
Frankly, I’m surprised he didn’t try to move the Michigan State campus to whatever land the Coyotes were supposed to get a new arena on and hire Izzo to run the Spartans and Suns at the same time.
Now, what’s all that got to do with Brian Gregory?
Gregory was an assistant coach on that Izzo and Ishbia championship team and two other Final Four squads. He knows exactly what Ishbia means by “culture.”
“That’s why I’m here,” Gregory said at his introductory news conference, “to execute that vision.”
Gregory, aside from having a great name, has 30 years of experience in basketball.
Yeah, it’s mostly at the college level, but so what? It’s basketball.
“Sometimes you hear, ‘That’s an NBA thing’ or ‘That’s a college thing,’” he said. “Well, there’s also a right thing, a right way to play.”
Under Gregory, the Suns drafted Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro, a pair of pros taken late in the draft. He also developed Collin Gillespie, a G League guy who sure looks like he can stick in the NBA.
In that trio, Gregory and his staff identified intangibles necessary to have good NBA careers.
His next move will be to do that with a coach.
“My main focus, right now, is hiring the next head coach of the Phoenix Suns, and hiring a great one,” Gregory said.
Just listen to what he’s looking for: “When we talk about that identity,” Gregory said, “we talk about toughness … unselfishness … grit … the ability to keep working through things, even when they get tough … because you love it, you actually love it.
“We talk about the grind, a relentless work ethic on a daily basis. And we talk about urgency. We’re a ‘get it done today’ kinda team … that’s what we need to be.”
If this is the goal, sign me up.
I think Ishbia hired a guy he knows and trusts, who shares his passion and drive.
Gregory doesn’t strike me as a yes-man.
He comes across as a guy who knows what he’s looking for.
And if he can find it, my guess is that we’ll all be pretty happy with the results in a few years.
So, if you hate Ishbia’s decision to hire Gregory as the Suns’ general manager, I get it.
Truly.
I just don’t agree.
Brian Gregory is the perfect guy to execute job No. 1 when it comes to this franchise.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.