When Sweeping Change Goes Awry

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When Mat Ishbia addressed reporters for the first time last year after purchasing the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, he passionately talked about his goals for the franchises.

“I want to think big,” he said. “I want us to be the best.”

“You can’t win without happy people,” he added.

Nearly 14 months later, few seem happy in Phoenix after the Suns were swept in the first round of the NBA Playoffs on Sunday by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Among the lasting images of the season is guard Bradley Beal, whom the team traded for last summer, brushing off a high-five from coach Frank Vogel, whom the team hired last summer after surprisingly firing its previous coach.

“It’s like Looney Tunes around here,” a Suns source told Hoopswire.com.

Regardless of where the exact blame lies, the disappointing year has a few key lessons for anyone taking over a new team or department.

1. We must have full understanding of any past issues before taking action

2. We must deeply weigh short- and long-term repercussions of any personnel moves

3. We don’t have to make sweeping changes just because we now have the authority to do so

In the three seasons prior to this, the Suns had won a total of 27 playoff games — reaching the 2021 NBA Finals. The franchise also had the 2021 Executive of the Year in president James Jones and the 2022 Coach of the Year in Monty Williams.

Now, it seems to have several lingering questions over its larger direction and future.

Perhaps these will be sorted out this summer, and the franchise can get back to near the top of the sport.

But for us as leaders, the disappointment of Phoenix’s season is a critical reminder that the immediate next level isn’t always a step up.

Sometimes, it’s below where we just were.

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