Phoenix Suns GM Brian Gregory RESPONDS To Backlash From His Hire

Phoenix Suns GM Brian Gregory RESPONDS To Backlash From His Hire

How’s everybody doing? Good. All right. Thanks for coming. Uh started off uh very blessed and and honored to be named the new general manager of the Phoenix Suns. Um in this unbelievable community with a great fan base, uh the Phoenix Suns, one of the greatest franchise in the NBA. uh 30 years of basketball has brought me to this position and I’m excited about this opportunity that’s that’s in front of me. Um been very very pleased with the roles that I’ve played in this organization over the last two years. I love Phoenix. I love the community. Um and I I’m very very excited about what’s next and what we’re going to build here. I’d like to thank obviously our owner Matt Ishbia for this tremendous tremendous opportunity. Um I understand that Matt has trusted me with the responsibility of building alignment within this organization and also with the opportunity to shape our identity as we continue to move forward. It’s a responsibility that I take very seriously. Um, but it’s one that also uh really really puts me in a position where I’m excited about the next step. For me, uh, this opportunity allows us to start the alignment, allow allows us to start building that identity that Matt talked about last week. One of the things he talked about was doing things different and making some changes, not not being the same as everybody else. It’s about building that alignment. It’s about creating that identity. And it’s about executing that vision. And for me, that’s why I’m here to do exactly that. to execute that vision and to do it with the alignment and the identity that will make this great community will resonate with this community will resonate with our fan base. And I’m excited to get to work. I know you guys have a lot of questions, so I’ll open it up to that. Gerald, you’re our first question. Hey, Brian. Gerald Borgay, PHNX Sports. Nice to meet you. I’m sure you’ve seen some of the backlash to your hiring. You mentioned the extensive experience you have coaching, especially at the collegiate level, but the experience on the front office front maybe a little bit more limited. So, I’m just curious, what do you feel your areas of expertise are that you bring to the table and why do you think you will be able to succeed in a front office role? Yeah, as I said, 30 years of of basketball experience, 30 plus years of basketball experience, the last two being here in Phoenix. Um, the knowledge and experience I think puts me in a good position to be successful in this role. Um, but I think the thing that’s going to separate me and and give me the opportunity to be very successful and make a positive impact is my focus on building that identity and creating that alignment that Matt talked about a couple weeks ago. Um, that that identity is very very important. You have to create that identity, build that that alignment, and then you have to, as I said, execute that that vision. Um, been put in leadership positions before. Uh, my last two years here, I’ve been able to uh really work with every facet of the organization. Um, and at the same time for me, it’s all about that leadership and that making sure that on a daily basis that vision we’re talking about isn’t something on the wall. It’s not a poster. It’s not talked about. It’s lived and breathed every single day. And it’s my responsibility to execute that. It’s my responsibility to make sure that as we build this, it is exactly aligned with that. And for me, this opportunity is is a great one. And um the experience that I’ve been able to have in the in the different areas, obviously with the evaluation piece, with the coaching piece, um with the relationship piece with not only the players, but with the coaches and so forth, I think puts me in a good position to be successful. Dwayne, hey coach, first congratulations on on this opportunity. Um two-part question in in relates to structure because Ishbia talked about that as structure. Um first just now that that’s in place with the front office, what’s the timetable on hiring a head coach? One, two, then what’s Josh’s role moving forward in that structure? Sure. So first on the head coaching, obviously my main focus right now is hiring the next head coach of the Phoenix Sun and and hiring a great one. Um, we are doing an extensive process in that right now. I’m not going to give a timetable because I want to make sure that we we get this right. This is this is very very critical for us moving forward. Finding that head coach that is aligned, finding that head coach that has the attributes that are important to us. Uh, unbelievable basketball IQ. Uh, tremendous communicator. uh shares our vision and and what we understand needs to be done to be successful in basketball in this new NBA. The toughness, the physicality, all those different things and has the ability to hold the players accountable to doing that. You know, playing and having a a systematic approach offensively and defensively. those attributes in addition to understanding this is what our identity is and this is we’re going to coach to this on a daily basis. So with that, um, we’re going to make sure that we cast a wide net on that and at the same time evaluate and interview coaches from a diverse background with diverse experiences and so forth. And I think that will put us in a good position in in that second part. As the general manager, uh I am responsible and accountable for the daily decisions day in and day out regarding basketball. Josh is our CEO. All right? He’s involved in every aspect of basketball operations. Every single aspect of basketball operations. Josh and I have an unbelievable partnership. when you talk guys working together and getting things done, we’re right there. Okay. Um, he has an unbelievable amount of experience and relationships, not just amongst the player 15 group and the Phoenix Suns and the and the Mercury, but across the league. And that experience and that relationships is critical to us moving forward in terms of building the type of team that we want to build. When I talk about alignment, you don’t have to look any further because I’m a Spartan and he’s a Wolverine. So, if we can work together and get it done, anybody can do it. Great. Doug. Hi, Brian. Doug Hower, uh, the athletic. How are you? Um, could you just you you touched on this, but your roles the last two year, I believe you were consultant the first year. How involved were you during that year and then last year as director of player programming? Can you just talk about what your specific uh duties were as far as that position goes? Sure. So, my first year uh as a consultant I was in, you know, I was in Phoenix probably two to three weeks out of every month, which wasn’t bad to be honest with you. Uh but what I did in that is um spent a lot of time with the players, spent a lot of time with the coaches. I did travel with the team. Um did a lot of different writeups for front office personnel in terms of evaluation the players and different things like that. I was also given the opportunity to work uh with our amateur evaluation group which was a tre tremendous group and I grew immeasurably during that time in terms of the ability to evaluate and and gather intelligence on players and so forth. Um, and then this past year as the vice president of player programming, I also in addition to that was uh put in charge and oversaw our entire amateur uh evaluation group, which will then obviously lead to what we do in this year’s draft. But in that, um, one of my other main duties there this past year was working with our young guys, in particular, our rookies in their transition to the NBA and making sure that they were doing the things they needed to get done. And to be honest with you, with with Ryan and Oso and Colin in particular, um, and Jaylen, our other two-way player, that job wasn’t too difficult because when you talk about high character guys, man, those four are on the top of that list. but helping them do that. Um, I also work with our analytic group and the coaches in terms of developing u uh a robust player development system. Obviously, the coaches led it, but we wanted a front office uh impact in there as well. So, we were aware of what guys were doing that was implemented during the preseason, during the regular season, and now during the postseason. So the best part for me is over those two years as I mentioned a little earlier from the coaches to the players every facet of this organization coaches players front office personnel analytics medical staff strength conditioning uh from equipment that I I touched everybody in that and for me over a two-year span it was like a master’s class in what was going on within an NBA organization. Kell and over here Kellen Olsson, Arizona sports. Nice to meet you. Welcome to the Valley. I was curious uh it’s been well documented for the Suns how they have they do not have their own draft picks coming up. They still do have some draft picks. Matt has been on the record about how he feels about the draft and its importance in terms of both short-term and long-term picture. I was curious how you feel about that and the draft’s importance both short-term and long-term in building a roster. Yeah, I think there’s a a couple key factors in that. Number one, the draft is critical in building your roster. You’re bringing in young talent that’s under team control. So, that’s a great asset to to have. And it and and uh it’s important that we value that and we do. As I said, I was I had oversight over our amateur evaluation group this year and we rebuilt that and uh with the help of Matt Telum who was in charge on the pro side, there is complete alignment in those two groups now and we’ve created the databases that you need to have in order for both groups to work effectively together. Um, a as I’ve been elevated, Arande Telero is now the assistant GM in charge of that and I’ve known him for a very long time and great background. So, he’ll do a great job in that position as well. But with the draft, the key with that is um valuing it. But there’s three other ways in terms of building your roster and building a team that can be competitive and could be competitive in the postseason as well. There’s trades, there’s free agency. And one area when we talk about thinking differently and changing things and creating an identity, one of the key factors in that is an the other key factor to building your roster, and that’s player development. We have to be laser focused on what we’re doing and getting our players to improve, not only during the offseason, but during the season as well. taking those players, having them work and be coached and be directed so they they get out of the box that they came in when they got here. And when you do that, you add all those four together a lot of times starting with the draft because that’s your younger guys, then you you’re in a great place to not only build a competitive roster, but build a roster that can be competitive as the season progresses hopefully into May and June. David. Hey, David Brandt with the Associated Press. Good to meet you. Good to meet you. You know, when Matt was talking, I guess it was a couple weeks ago, you know, and he was talking about he wants a franchise that shows, I think he said, some grit, some grind, some joy, all that. What What does that look like in practice? I mean, is there a particular franchise, college pro, anything that you think has done that particularly well that you’re trying to emulate that this franchise after? Well, I mean, I I would never uh shy away from my particular background at Michigan State and so forth. Um, you know, sometimes you hear, well, that that’s an NBA thing or that’s a college thing. There’s also a right thing and a right way to play. And when we talk about that that identity and we talk about the toughness that you have to play with, um the unselfishness that you have to play with, the grit that you have to play with, the the ability to keep working through things even when they get tough, uh and why do you do it? Because you love it. You actually love it. Um, when we talk about the grind, just uh uh relentless work ethic on a on a daily basis, we talk about urgency. We’re a get it done today kind of kind of team. That’s what we need to be. We’re going to get it done today. We’re not going to wait to be the best version of ourselves. We’re going to do it today. Um, you know, you have to those have to become your daily habits. Those have to be not as I said earlier not just talked about but they those have to come to life when we talk about identity when we talk about culture that’s who you are on a daily basis. So that’s not just in practice, that’s how in your individual skill work, that’s in the weight room, that’s in the training room. All those things come into play. And and to be honest with you, that’s our organization. You know, we want people that work here in the 5G that are tough. And by tough, I mean they’re willing to do things other people aren’t. And that permeates the entire organization. And when you do that, that’s when special things and and great things come. And my job now is to execute on that vision. My job is to uh I will be held accountable by our great fans, by this unbelievable community, and by you guys if we get that done. Barry, hey, how are you doing? Great. How are you? Good. Welcome. I’m Barry Bloom from Sportico. Uh, I’ve been covering the NBA on and off for like 50 years. And since you’re talking about making changes, th this is one of my concerns that I’d like you to address. Okay. Uh, last season we had a coach who came in and addressed the media and spent maybe four minutes in his sessions and didn’t answer all the questions in the room. We had a general manager who I particularly love who was only available to us, I can only remember him once during the entire season. Would you guys pledge in your new approach to be more open to us for you to be available on a more regular basis, whether it’s individually or in a group, and to make sure that your new coach does what just about every other coach who came in here during the season did, and that was answer every question in the room. Well, as we as we approach and work on the hiring of a head coach, I’ll certainly bring that up for you. Uh but obviously that relationship is critical and we need to do a a good job on that. Um and it’s if it’s something that we need to improve in and change and make better and make better not necessarily for you but for your readers and the people that follow you because that to be honest with you they’re the most important. You know what I mean? And so, um, I’m not sure I’m in in the pledging mode right now, but, uh, I’ll definitely take it under consideration for you, Richard. Brian, uh, Richard signs Pakistan. Congratulations. Thank you. Um, kind of a two-parter here on alignment. Uh, you’ve talked about, you know, being aligned. You know, you’re you’re a Spartan, Matt Hispart. Uh, how much does that help in your guys alignment, your relationship with him, the history you have, and when it comes to hiring this new coach? What’s the priority on getting a coach before the draft starts to make sure you’re aligned with that particular person when it comes to getting the the players that you want? I’ll address the the first one. Um, you know, Matt and I are a team. Uh, we are completely aligned. Uh, as the general manager, my job, uh, and my responsibility is to oversee the day-to-day operations of us basketball-wise. I report to Matt Ishbia. Um, Matt is a is an owner that is involved and I like that. Um, but he has also empowered me to build this team and to build the identity and to build the the alignment that is so important. But Matt and I are aligned. And the one thing I will say is this. I’m never going to shy away from the fact that one of the reasons I’m sitting up here is because of my relationship with Matt Ishbia. But that relationship is founded on that alignment, shared values, shared work ethic. Um, we’ve been through a lot together, you know, and he trusts me and I trust him and he has empowered me with this responsibility of executing the vision that we’ve put forth. our we we share the same vision of what our team needs to look like and how we need to play and how how that can lead to successful teams. Um, second question, I just went on so long I can’t even remember it. Yeah. Yeah. Um, again, the time frame isn’t as critical as getting the right coach. Um but there is some merit to making sure that um who we’re bringing in uh because that’s the alignment. Matt Ishbia, myself, head coach, all three of us. Um at the same time, uh bringing in multiple guys with our first and second round picks um is going to be very important for us. bringing in guys that can not only make possibly impact us right away but have a great pathway to development and success down the road. Um I can’t promise anything on that but obviously I think there is some benefits to that. I’m not saying it’s a uh a black and white issue that it’s it has to be done but I I would agree there are some definite benefits to that. Dana Dana Scott Arizona Republic. How you doing? Yeah good to you? Good. All right, congratulations. Thank you. You are sliding over into the GM role and James Jones has been in this role for seven years before you. So now that he is transitioning to senior adviser, has he given you any initial advice taking on this role after being in war rooms with the draft and you know player development and such? You know, over the last two years, James and I have spent a lot of time together, you know, and we have a great relationship. there’s the the respect level from my end is incredible. Um I think we’re fortunate to have James stay in that senior advisory role. Um he’s going to lean in and help uh with the player 15 group with the Suns and with and with the Mercury. Um, you know, so again, I I I think it’s uh our relationship will only continue to to grow in on the on the professional and on the personal level because he’s a he’s a heck of a guy, you know what I mean? And uh I’m looking forward to that. Brendan, hey Brian, Brendan Clean, Locked on Suns podcast. Uh I guess a similar question to Dana’s. Um, in these past couple years, what have what kind of relationship have you been able to develop with Devin Booker? He kind of turned surprised some of us down the stretch of the season, being very vocal about his intention to kind of have more of a voice big picture with the franchise. I I wonder how you expect to implement that and and kind of pull from what he he wants to do. uh an old crappy gym. I think it was in Indiana when he was 15 years old. I went and my assistant told me to go see this kid play from Grand Rapids. I went and saw him play and I told my assistant, “Don’t you don’t have to see him play anymore because there’s no way he’s going to Dayton, Ohio.” Uh so we have a relationship that goes a long way back cuz they we actually recruited him then. Um there’s a an unbelievable amount of respect I have for Devin in terms of how he goes about the professionalism and all those different things. Um but his voice is very very important for us. And uh side note, he was one of the first guys that to hit me up and congratulate me when when I was named the new general manager. Um, so that that relationship, like all my relationships with the players, is always constantly trying to increase and improve and and so forth. Um, but he’s seen a lot. He’s got a high basketball IQ, for example, with the coaches, uh, talking with him in terms of what are the attributes that make a great NBA coach right now. it’s probably changed in the time that he’s been in the league and getting that input from him, but getting that input from other players as well is very, very important. That collaborative effort in within the NBA is becoming more and more crucial for success. You got players that that have played a long time, players that have seen a lot of different things, and if you’re not if you’re not in touch with them and communicating with them, I think it puts you in a in a difficult spot. So from a front office perspective and then obviously back to the coaching perspective, those things are very very important for us because if you don’t do that, there’s no way you can build the alignment. There’s no way you can create that identity because it has to be everybody has to have both feet in on on that. I always say all in all out all the time. That’s got to be done. and and with someone with book with Dev. I mean, it’s great for him to stand up and say, “Listen, I need to do I need to do more of this. This is important for me, but it’s important for the franchise because the one thing he does, everything he does is always what’s in the best interest of our franchise and you know, and his commun.” So, Mark, hey, Brian. Mark McCLoon, Arizona’s family. Welcome. Thank you. Hey, uh, how do you balance what you said, the excitement of taking this job, but also just the perceived challenges, limitations currently with the roster of of of building what you want to build? Well, first off, you know, right now, I think we got a pretty talented roster. I would agree with with Matt what he said last week. It’s not a 30 some win roster. Um, what we have not been able to do is either create the environment or figure out the combinations that give us the best opportunity for that talented roster to perform even better. Um, but but but there’s there’s there’s a baseline and a foundation of talent um that I think can put us in a good position moving forward. Drafting is going to be critical. Um the free agency is always critical as well. But I think the the the biggest impact can be made in some of those things that we’ve talked about time and time again already. You know, um is the team aligned? Does the team know exactly what its identity is? Because when that is added with talent and then the execution part of that and if that’s added with the talent that we have, we’re pretty darn good. How good, you know, that a little bit depends on development during the season and some factors maybe outside of our own control. Uh but it gives you a fighting chance and when you got some of the guys we have on a roster, if you got a fighting chance, you’re going to you’re going to take it. So, um I think that that’s going to be it’s a critical it’s an important question that you ask and for us that’s part of our job to figure that out to be able to implement who we have um add a piece here or there and and see if when all that’s mixed together if you can produce a a a competitive team that has to be able to compete every night. Every night I always say when I talk about the identity, one of the things I I it’s really important like when our fans leave the arena, here’s what I want them saying. Man, that team plays hard. That is the most unselfish team I’ve ever seen. Did you see the second and third effort that that team made on the defensive end? Every loose ball that team was on the floor. That team looks like they enjoy playing with each other. They play with joy. They play with juice. They play with all the things. That’s identity because now it doesn’t just talked about people feel it. And with our roster and with the roster we’re going to build, if they feel it, things are going to be very good. Shane Brian Shane with Forbes. Nice to meet you. Nice meeting you. Um, I’m just curious, you have a lot of coaching background and player development experience, and with that comes developing and maintaining the relationships with players, and you kind of touched on it with Brendan’s question earlier, but how do you see that carrying over and applying to this role as GM? With our current players or players? Yeah. So, you know, I I I think very fortunate uh in my coaching career, not only as a head coach, but as an assistant to work for some great guys and to coach some highle dudes during my during my time. Uh so fortunate. I I I think I have a good eye for talent. Uh I do have because of the amount of years and so forth, great relationships as I said in grassroots and in college. Um, but I think that’s going to be an important factor in not only the drafting of of the players, but also in the free agency and trades. Uh, because intel is so critical on that. The evaluation piece, not as hard as getting the correct intel on guys. Because as Matt said last week, there might be a time where uh someone a player’s available but doesn’t fit what we do. And where it may look great, I got to say, Matt, he does not he’s not a Phoenix son. That’s not how he lives his life. That’s not how he plays. That’s whatever the case might be. And That’s really important. And hopefully my experience, the knowledge that I have, the relationships that I built, um, transitioning over into a general manager role, I think that will come into play and be very effective for us. Cam, Brian, Cameron Cox, 12 News. Congratulations. Thank you. I know it’s just the first few days on the job and a lot to go this summer, but do you envision Bradley Bill and Kevin Durant on this roster next season? You know, I I never talk regarding players, contracts, movement, anything like that. I will tell you this, I I have a very very good relationship with both those guys. Kevin gave me a nice hug in the weight room the other night when he when the thing came across Twitter. Um had a great dinner with Brad Beal is demonstrated and important to you through your coaching either whatever level you’re coaching at, whatever position you’re coaching. So that that’s very critical. The ability to create strong relationships uh with the players is critical because holding players accountable and driving players to continue to push and get better and all the if you don’t have a relationship, you have no chance. No chance. And this is where my coaching experience helps because I I understand that. And probably the the the third most important one um is just that forwardthinking basketball IQ. Where is the game going to? You know, uh three years ago, four years ago, did anybody see how important offensive rebounding was going to be? And when Matt talked last week and we talked about about changing, doing things different, not just doing the status quo within this league, which is a great league, but changing, being different. We need to find somebody that thinks that way cuz now offensive rebounding is critical in games. You have teams advancing in the in the playoffs who cannot shoot at all, but they just chuck that thing up there and go get it. And it’s effective. They force turnovers, teams are pressuring more. Those are all new things in the last three or four years. You’re starting to see in the in in the games all of a sudden now teams are playing two bigs where small ball was the big thing a couple years ago. So finding somebody both offensively and defensively that is forward thinking. What do we got to focus on now? What do we got to get better at now? What can we emphasize now to give us a better chance to win? but also two, three years down the road, what what what does the game look like then? How are we positioning oursel for that? Um, you know, when the new head coach comes in, the one thing he’s going to have is someone who has sat in that seat. Not at this level, but has sat in that seat. And so, me empowering that coach, the support, I’ll understand what he’s going through in various situations. and so forth. And I think that’s going to be a a big assist for them and a big assist for our organization as well because it’s a long season and you got to be able to handle different things and handle adversity. But that guy’s going to be gritty. So, he’s going to be able to fight through adversity to get to where he wants to get to. All right, last two, Dwayne and Kellen. Thank you. Um, coach, just look, I keep calling you coach cuz Sorry. That’s fine. That’s fine. My apologies. Better than other things probably. Right. But um how what’s the level of importance of trying to get under the second tax apron? Right now I’m charged with building a competitive, you know, making sure we have a competitive team next year. We we understand the cap situation and when the time comes that we’ll if we need to make that decision, then we’ll make that decision. And the one thing I can tell you is this. Whenever you see a decision by the Phoenix Suns, when whatever it is, whatever it’s pertaining to, you can mark it down. That’s a a line decision that everybody is on the same page on that decision. And I think that’s critical because I think not there are times when decisions are made and maybe there isn’t that alignment. And if things don’t go well, then I never thought you that ain’t happening here. That is not happening here. So when we make that decision regarding the cap and the second apron and what we do, that will be an aligned decision. Kellen, Brian, you mentioned not hiding away from the fact that part of the reason why you had this job is because of your relationship with Matt. Y I was curious for you what you’re looking to prove out of this scenario because certainly you have an expansive basketball resume, but the lack of NBA experience, the lack of NBA front office experience has been there and you’ve been criticized for that. But what are you looking to prove from this that you’re more than just this relationship that you have with Matt? Well, obviously, like I said, I think the relationship with Matt is a is a key factor, but I I also think my body of work over my 30ome years of basketball has put me in a position where um the leadership aspects of this job, um, as I said, I’m I’m excited about that. Um, and I think that that I don’t I don’t necessarily am driven by to prove people wrong or anything like that, but I will say this. I understand that to the fans and to you guys, I’m going to be held accountable to executing this vision. I’m going to be held accountable to the success of this team. I I completely understand that. Um, I don’t shy away from that either. You know, that actually excites me. One other area that Matt and I are extremely aligned in is our competitiveness. So, you’re gonna throw that challenge out there. All right, let’s go. Let’s go. And no one’s going to outwork me. I think that’s, you know, that’s a skill. That’s a talent. Don’t let anybody fool you. That’s a talent. Um, and we’re going to think differently. Uh, we’re going to be unified in our approach on a daily basis. And when you do that, then the the results are going to speak for themselves. I have all the confidence in the world that under my leadership, with the alignment of Matt, uh with Josh, with our great staff that we have in every area that we have that uh those changes are going to result in some great results. Thank you everybody. Thank you everybody. Appreciate you.

New GM Brian Gregory had a lot to answer at his introductory press conference for the Phoenix Suns. The former college coach addressed his closeness to owner Mat Ishbia, emphasized alignment within the organization, spoke on their ongoing search for a replacement to Mike Budenholzer, and the state of his relationships with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

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