Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver has never intentionally hired an experienced NBA head coach to roam the sidelines for his beloved franchise.
Alvin Gentry was promoted mid-season in the wake of Terry Porter’s firing, and fired as soon as the going got tough. Jay Triano was promoted mid-season in the wake of Earl Watson’s firing, and was fired as soon as the season ended.
In fact, he’s more often hired head coaches who have barely even coached at all at the NBA level. None of Lindsey Hunter, Earl Watson or Jeff Hornacek had even been promoted to ‘front row’ during games coached for other franchises (where the head coach and his top 2-3 assistants sit) before taking the head coaching job for the Suns.