reflections
June 7th, 2008 Suns Hire Terry Porter As Head Coach

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.

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