Think for a moment about former Phoenix Suns coach Willie Green. The 44-year-old was once a highly regarded assistant in The Valley and was part of their staff as the franchise grew, culminating in their appearance in the 2021 NBA Finals. Green was given the top job of the New Orleans Pelicans because he was part of it. but he was recently removed from his position.
A 2-10 start in New Orleans, enough for the organization to decide enough, was enough, and the entire experience was nothing short of a disaster for Green. They fell well short of expectations, although his tenure there may be defined by something he had no role in. one of the worst in the league’s history.
Green won’t be seen in the NBA for a long time after shooting.
Unfortunately for assistants who are highly regarded, they are typically given one job to prove they have what it takes to play a leading role. Jamahl Mosley is one such example, and even if things don’t work out between him and the Orlando Magic, he’s laid the foundation and improved young stars enough that he’ll get another chance elsewhere.
Joe Mazzulla on Willie Green’s firing and why a coach’s firing is more situational than anything else:
“In 10, 15, 20 years you will know whether you are a good coach, based on the relationships you build.”
“Better coaches than me have been fired.” pic.twitter.com/IVReSXf8UM
— Daniel Donabedian (@danield1214) November 15, 2025
Green won’t get the same opportunities, though a combination of Zion Williamson’s inability to improve (or be consistently available) and some puzzling front office moves made his job even more difficult. It’s almost ironic that the best course of action for him would have been to stay with the Suns, even if that too would have ended sooner.
We know in hindsight that owner Mat Ishbia was always going to trade for Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, thus going after veteran coaches to try to win a championship. There is no chance that either Frank Vogel or Mike Budenholzer would have kept him, while there is only a slim chance that Monty Williams would have taken him to the Detroit Pistons for the minute he was there.
The Pistons and Suns are being linked more and more these days, but a trade involving Devin Booker is far from being seriously discussed. Then there is current head coach Jordan Ott, who was himself a top assistant with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He has been one of the franchise’s best signings since they decided to rebuild, and he will be around for a long time.
There’s a world where Green could have been the young assistant who broke through with this version of the Suns, but the timeline would never work. Worse, from his perspective, there’s reason to believe he could have been successful with this version of the roster as well. We’ll never know: Ott is thriving and Green will be out of the league for a long time.
#Suns #coach #chance #coach #fired