By: Dustin Chapman

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• Selected Robin Lopez 15th overall.

• Selected Malik Hairston 48th overall and traded his rights along with a future second round draft pick and cash considerations to San Antonio for the rights to Goran Dragic (45th overall).

Robin Lopez may not be a “home run pick” attempt like Golden State is going for with Anthony Randolph, but this is a solid pick. That’s what the Suns need – solidity and a new identity. They are taking a step in the right direction by adding Lopez, who puts his focus on hustle, defense, rebounding, and altering shots. He is exactly what Shaq and Stoudemire need backing them up off the bench, and they’ve now got their consummate 7-foot role player.

Grade: B

Jerry Brown of The East Valley Tribune reports:

After a long and extensive search, the Phoenix Suns have finally settled on Detroit Pistons assistant Terry Porter as the 13th head coach in team history.

Porter, who spent 17 years in the NBA as a player and two as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, accepted the job from his friend and former teammate, Suns general manager Steve Kerr on Saturday morning. Terms of a three-year contract for approximately $7 million have been agreed upon and Porter is expected to be formerly introduced as the replacement for Mike D’Antoni at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Terry and I have had a great personal relationship for a long time but he’s going to be our coach because he’s the best candidate,” Kerr said Saturday. “His experience as a head coach in the league is one part, his reputation as a player and a person is one part, and his great combination of confidence and humility is another.

“I couldn’t be happier with where we are today.”

There was no immediate word on who might join Porter on his staff, but it is a safe bet that it will be a combination of Kerr and Porter-inspired hires.

Porter, 45, spent two seasons (2003-05) as the head coach in Milwaukee, where the Bucks were one of the top offensive teams in the Eastern Conference during a surprise 41-41 first season, leading the team to the playoffs.

But he also adds the experience of two seasons as an assistant under Flip Saunders with one of the league’s best defensive teams in Detroit.

ESPN reports:

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Terry Porter is expected to be interviewed for a second time by the Phoenix Suns later this week.

Porter joined Detroit Pistons coaches and players at their practice facility on Saturday, the day after the Boston Celtics eliminated them in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Suns have been searching for a head coach since Mike D’Antoni resigned to lead the New York Knicks. Candidates include Porter, Houston Rockets assistant Elston Turner and former NBA player and TV analyst Mark Jackson.

Porter was Flip Saunders’ lead assistant in Detroit the past two seasons. He led the Milwaukee Bucks’ from 2003-05, helping them win 41 games and earn a spot in the 2004 playoffs. His coaching career started as a Sacramento Kings assistant in 2002.

Suns general manager Steve Kerr was one of Porter’s teammates during his 17-year career with Portland, Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio.

Porter holds a 71-93 (.433) overall record as a head coach with the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003-2005, and was a first-round exit in his lonesome postseason appearance.

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman