James Jones Discusses Decision to Part Ways with Frank Vogel

Since 2018, the Phoenix Suns have experienced quite the coaching turnover, having now employed six different head coaches. This trend continued when General Manager James Jones swiftly decided to part ways with Frank Vogel after the team was swept in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Vogel’s tenure lasted just one season.

Shortly after Vogel’s dismissal, the Suns hired Arizona native Mike Budenholzer, who previously led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship victory over Phoenix in the 2021 NBA Finals.

Throughout Budenholzer’s introductory press conference, it was evident that Phoenix is where he wants to be. And it was obvious that Budenholzer was a no-brainer for James Jones.

When asked about the rationale behind firing Vogel and hiring Budenholzer, Jones explained, “We needed to improve in a lot of areas, so there wasn’t one specific area. By and large, we just felt the timing to ship was right. And we moved quickly to Bud just because when we look at our roster and what our roster needs, he hits it. “

Jones then confessed that Budenholzer’s competitiveness is what won him over, stating, “I’m a competitive guy, and throughout that process, Bud must have said compete 95 times in two minutes, but compete in everything. Compete in practice. Compete with each other, against each other. Compete against your opponent, but more importantly, compete with yourself.”

The Suns’ general manager admitted that competitiveness was something that Phoenix lacked under Vogel’s control, noting, “I thought that was an area of our team where we could be better because there were spouts where we didn’t reach our potential. A lot of that was just the inconsistency and our competitive nature.”

Following these remarks, Mike Budenholzer took the mic, hammering down on competitiveness even further, “The type of team we want to be, at the end of the day, we want to be competitors. We want to compete, compete, compete. That is our calling card. We want to be a team that plays unselfish. We want to be a team that stays together. And lastly, we want to be a team and players individuals that are getting better every day.”

Budenholzer also discussed what it would take to bring the Suns their first championship in franchise history. He stressed the importance of daily focus and effort, saying, ” If our focus is on what we’re doing every day, that’s what matters most. Talking about championships, it’s kind of meaningless. At the end of the day, talk is cheap. What you do every day is powerful. As I talked to our players, I talked to our ownership, our front office, and everybody (I asked) ‘What are we doing every day to be our best?’ That’s what’s gonna give us our best chance to win championships in Phoenix, so I could not be more excited.”