Mat Ishbia broke 2 rules hiring new Suns GM

Mat Ishbia promised something new and exciting. He’s delivering something self-serving and stale. He’s pulling a page from the Jerry Jones/Robert Sarver playbook. It’s a movie we’ve seen far too often in Phoenix, and it doesn’t end well.

Ishbia has promoted Brian Gregory as the team’s new GM. If you haven’t heard of him, you’re not alone. Gregory is a college basketball lifer who never had much success as a head coach. He only recently made it to the NBA, where last season he served as the Suns’ VP of player programming, whatever that title requires. What he possesses is a deep connection to the owner, as he was a former assistant coach at Michigan State under Tom Izzo when Ishbia was a walk-on bench player.

It’s exactly what you feared, and rest assured, eyes are rolling again all across the NBA.

Ishbia promised the next iteration of his Suns would operate in complete alignment, and that’s certainly the case with him and Gregory. They both revere Izzo and swear fealty to the basketball culture at Michigan State, mostly defined as gritty and grimy.

So disappointing on so many levels.

Rule No. 1: When your organization is in a state of steep decline, you do not promote from within. You do not reward anyone in the front office associated with an NBA franchise that went from Western Conference contenders to an ill-fitting team that lost 46 games and missed the playoffs. You bring in fresh eyes, new ideas and a different perspective.

Even worse, former Warriors executive Bob Myers was reportedly interested in the job, a decorated name that would bring instant respect and credibility back to the Suns.

Maybe Ishbia pushed hard for Myers. Maybe there were too many hurdles to overcome. NBA insider Marc Stein reported the pursuit of Myers might’ve consumed too much time when the Suns are still dealing with a head coaching vacancy. All of that sounds like excuses.

Rule No. 2: Accountability cannot be a one-way street. Ishbia has fired three coaches in 23 months while espousing to be like the Steelers, who have had three coaches in 56 years. Yet there is no accountability for a front office that has stacked failure upon failure, with enough hubris to act like Bradley Beal’s no-trade contract is no big deal. You make many enemies when you’re a newbie owner and act like you’re smarter than everyone else in the league. Go ask Ray Anderson, who thought he could reinvent college football with Herm Edwards and a pro-style operation at Arizona State.

I will extend grace to Gregory and the space to prove me wrong. But Suns fans know better than anyone how this works: an underqualified candidate accepts a really big promotion with extreme gratitude and loyalty to the man who made it happen. The new hire does not care or dare to ask for autonomy. He does not object when the owner is ultimately in charge of the really big decisions.

The Cardinals finally turned a significant corner when Michael Bidwill looked outside the organization for a new general manager. Which means the Suns haven’t hit rock bottom just yet.

Reach Bickley at dbickley@arizonasports.com. Listen to Bickley & Marotta weekdays from 6 a.m. – 10 a.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7.

Follow @danbickley

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