(Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
After plenty of speculation following their first-round sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Phoenix Suns fired head coach Frank Vogel on Thursday.
Some feel the firing was hasty, especially since the Suns had a talented but flawed roster that simply wasn’t capable of getting things done at the most important time of year.
Bill Simmons defended Vogel in a sarcastic tweet that pointed out several of Phoenix’s roster flaws.
“It was all Frank Vogel’s fault! No point guard, no rim protection, and a 50m new piece who missed 1/3 of the season like he always does and then CRATERED in the playoffs. Oh and no bench cuz they traded everything for 2 guys. And ran against the best D in 20 years. #blamevogel” the tweet read.
It was all Frank Vogel’s fault! No point guard, no rim protection, and a 50m new piece who missed 1/3 of the season like he always does and then CRATERED in the playoffs. Oh and no bench cuz they traded everything for 2 guys. And ran against the best D in 20 years. #blamevogel
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) May 9, 2024
The Suns have perhaps the most talented trio of stars in the NBA with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal.
However, they don’t have a true point guard or floor general, their bench is suspect, and they don’t have any real standouts on defense.
Vogel, who won an NBA championship in 2020 and has coached three other teams in the past, was hired by the Suns a year ago and brought a reputation as a defensive mastermind.
But they ended up being merely a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, and their offense wasn’t much better either.
One problem the Suns have is an utter lack of draft picks for the next several years after giving up almost all of them to trade for Durant and Beal, which will make it very difficult for them to address their roster deficiencies.
While Durant is still playing at a very high level, he is 35 years of age and no one knows how much longer he can play at a high level.
There was already a lot of pressure on Phoenix to win the NBA championship coming into this season, and that pressure has only intensified since their playoff loss to Minnesota.
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