Phoenix Suns proprietor Mat Ishbia and Cleveland Cavaliers proprietor Dan Gilbert have a long-standing rivalry based mostly on their mortgage companies. Now Ishbia has struck a blow by hiring one of many Cavaliers assistant coaches as his new head coach.
Wednesday, the Suns selected Cavaliers assistant Jordan Ott to be their new head coach, seven weeks after they fired Mike Budenholzer. Operating the Suns is perhaps a doomed job, as Ott turns into the fourth head coach in Phoenix since Ishbia took over in December 2022. Nonetheless, Ott is a well-regarded assistant who spent two years as a Los Angeles Lakers assistant earlier than rejoining Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson, who labored with Ott for 4 of his six seasons with the Brooklyn Nets.
Satirically, Ott bought his begin below Budenholzer as a video coordinator with the Atlanta Hawks. He additionally bought a masters diploma from Michigan State and labored as a video coordinator for head coach Tom Izzo, who additionally coached Ishbia when he performed for the Spartans from 1999-2002. New Suns basic supervisor Brian Gregory was an assistant coach for these Ishbia groups.
Past the Michigan State connection, Ishbia appeared centered on taking an assistant away from Gilbert’s Cavaliers. The other finalist was Johnnie Bryant, who Cleveland employed as a part of Atkinson’s workers final summer time, identical to Ott.
Ishbia already eliminated Gilbert’s firm, Rocket Mortgage, as an area sponsor in Phoenix. Gilbert was additionally the one NBA proprietor to abstain from the 29-0 vote approving him because the Suns new proprietor. Ishbia has publicly attacked Gilbert’s firms and three years in the past, demanded that mortgage brokers who labored along with his United Wholesale Mortgage to not do enterprise with Rocket.
Suns star Devin Booker signed off on Ott’s hiring, and bringing in Michigan State alumni could also be irresistible to Ishbia. However so is sticking it to Gilbert, each on and off the basketball court docket.
