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👋 GOOD MORNING
Happy Friday! We made it through another week, and I hope you had a good one. No shortage of headlines yesterday, led by the Suns‘ major front office shift, though it’s hard to act surprised. I’ll talk about that more below, though — I’m here to tell you to ENJOY THE WEATHER THIS WEEKEND! Tomorrow looks a little hot, but whatever is in store with this major cooldown that’s moving through, make sure to take it in.
I can’t imagine we’ll see highs in the low 70s again until well after Halloween.
So get out there and enjoy it on Sunday! And if you need a joke to get you through the day and into the weekend, here you go: Why is it easy to carry the Sun? Because it’s light!
One last note: Remember, if this email was forwarded to you, you can sign up for the newsletter right here, and I’ll keep you in the loop with everything going on this summer! Don’t miss a beat!
Let’s run it back next week. On to the show!
What to Know About Brian Gregory, the Suns’ New GM
It didn’t take long to get an answer.
Just days after then-general manager James Jones indicated he would oversee the Suns’ search for a new head coach, the team announced Jones is moving into a senior advisor role, while vice president Brian Gregory was elevated into the GM role. The announcement itself is not a shock considering Phoenix underachieved with a massive payroll this past year, and answered questions swirling around the future of Jones.
Gregory is now tasked with spearheading the effort to land a new coach, which will be the team’s fourth in five seasons.
Not ideal.
The team did make two other corresponding moves yesterday, announcing Oronde Taliaferro has been elevated to assistant general manager and Paul Rivers will add basketball operations responsibilities to his role as Chief Innovation Officer.
Jones enters a new phase with the Suns after serving as general manager since 2019, and he was named the NBA’s 2021 Executive of the Year when the team made it to the NBA Finals before falling in six games to the Bucks. Phoenix has not made it past the semifinals since, though, and failed to qualify for the 2025 playoffs despite entering the season with lofty expectations.
Gregory Brings Wealth of Basketball Experience to Suns
Gregory isn’t a new face around the franchise, having joined the Suns in 2023 as vice president of player programming. He knows a thing or two about developing young talent, as well, considering he spent 19 years as an NCAA head coach, and in his earlier years he was an assistant at Michigan State under coach Tom Izzo. He found his way to the Suns a few years ago, and a release from the team indicated he was “instrumental in selecting Suns rookies Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro.”
Now, he’s tasked with finding a coach that can help a well-compensated yet under-performing roster take the next step.
- His most recent head coaching job was at USF from 2017-23
- Gregory also served as head coach at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and University of Dayton (2003-11)
- He has clearly had a prior relationship with owner Mat Ishbia, as he was an assistant at Michigan State at the same time Ishbia was on the team (1999-2002).
My Take: I think everyone is in agreement that a change was needed, right? It’s tough in sports, which is very much a ‘what-have-you-done-for-me-lately’ mindset, and in some ways the memory of that near-title still feels pretty darn fresh. At the same time, it also feels like it was forever ago, and a number of changes were made to the roster since, including the acquisition of Bradley Beal, which continues to age like a gallon of milk in the hot Phoenix sun. I think you all know by now that I’m an eternal optimist, but this little shakeup could be just the change they need. We’ll find out soon enough.
Take a Deeper Dive: Gerald wrote about everything you need to know about Gregory, Jones’ new role, Oronde Taliaferro and more!
Musings From Around (and Sometimes Beyond) The Valley
Snakes Rising: The Diamondbacks earned a huge win yesterday, taking the rubber match with a 4-3 win over the mighty Mets in New York. The D-backs appear to be getting back on track, having won two straight and three of their last four, and open up a three-game set in Philly today before returning home for seven straight games: three vs. the Mets and four against the Dodgers. No rest for the weary!
Go For the Gold: ASU women’s volleyball junior Noemie Glover, a new transfer opposite hitter for Sun Devil Volleyball, has been named to the USA Volleyball U21 National Team and will be training for the 2025 NORCECA U21 Pan American Cup. She’s one of 18 athletes to be invited to train, and 12 will be selected to compete in the Pan American Cup in Costa Rica. Glover was an alternate for the U19 USA Volleyball team that won the world championship.
Just For Kicks: The Valley is getting a new sports team to cheer for, as Desert Dreams FC officially launches their inaugural season this month! The team’s home opener is May 31 at Peoria Sports Complex — where the Padres’ and Mariners’ shared facility will be converted into a soccer field configuration — and is competing in the Women’s Premier Soccer League’s Desert Conference, along with the Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club, El Paso Surf, FC Tucson, PHX Heat FC, Royals AZ and SC del Sol.
🧢 Tip of the Hat by Branded Bills
Should the Suns have made more changes?
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