Kerr has right to feel vindicated for Suns' success

PHOENIX -- Sitting courtside at Arena Monterrey before a preseason exhibition with Philadelphia, Suns general manager Steve Kerr plotted the season ahead. More accurately, he hoped.

The offseason trade of Shaquille O'Neal, the acquisition of Channing Frye, the health of Amar'e Stoudemire, the continued excellence of Steve Nash and the guiding hand of Alvin Gentry were among the balls juggling in the air.

If any fell, it could spell disaster. Or at least another trip to the lottery.

"It's important for us to make sure we have everybody on the same page this year," Kerr said back in October. "That didn't happen last year for whatever reason. This year we feel more comfortable with the vibe, the chemistry of the team and the continuity of the coaching staff. We're in a much better place."

Kerr believed so back then and the Suns are living proof now. Despite being down 2-0 in the Western Conference finals to the Lakers and facing a virtual must-win Sunday night at US Airways Arena, Kerr's squad has exceeded most every reasonable expectation this season.

The Suns missed the playoffs last year. Now they're one round shy of The Finals with a roster that, from a talent standpoint, wasn't significantly upgraded. So almost three years into the job, Kerr has the right to feel vindicated for the franchise's success.

Kerr, after all, took the lion's share of blame for the Mike D'Antoni fallout, the miscalculation with Shaq and the perception that Phoenix had fallen from the ranks of West contenders. Never mind that the O'Neal deal to Cleveland saved the Suns more than $10 million, Kerr committed another $22 million to an aging Nash.

The smart money wasn't on a Suns' revival. Who's the smart guy now?

"It's just the nature of the business," Kerr said. "You can ask [general managers] Danny Ainge or Mitch Kupchak. In fact I heard from those guys last year. They called and said, 'You know, you're only one season away from being really smart.' It's just part of it."

So did he envision a 54-28 regular season, which is an eight-game improvement over last season, the third seed in the brutal West and a playoff run that includes a semifinal sweep of San Antonio?

"It's come together even better than we thought," Kerr said. "I think we felt like we were going to be a playoff team and we felt like we were going to be good, but Western Conference finals?

"That probably seemed a little far-fetched at the time, but we did know that we had a great group of guys and we knew that we had a lot of weapons, and it was a matter of could we rebound and could we defend? It wasn't until probably late February, early March that those components came together."

Kerr isn't looking for credit. Despite being one of the league's more approachable executives, he hardly revels in the attention from the Suns' success. The former University of Arizona sharpshooter was just as accessible last season when Phoenix failed to reach the postseason. Kerr has also freely admitted the job was more difficult than he thought after leaving TNT in 2007.

That's forced him to get better. What he's done is gather input from multiple sources, own up to his mistakes and trust his instincts. Kerr hired and fired former coach Terry Porter after four months last season, realizing the Suns had lost their identity.

That switch to Gentry wasn't without risk. In addition to the financial hit associated in dumping Porter, not many first-time GMs are afforded the opportunity of going through three coaches in less than three years. Suns owner Robert Sarver, though, was willing to live through the growing pains.

"Steve got thrown into it, on-the-job training," Sarver said. "You learn a lot as you go. I have, too, over the last six years. He's grown a lot as a manager. He's always had really good people skills and good communication skills and good analysis of talent, but I think he's learning a lot more about the whole negotiating world and the business side."

Kerr has forged relationships throughout the Suns organization based on trust and respect. His background as a player who played a vital role for two separate championship teams -- Chicago and San Antonio -- resonates in the locker room. His four years as a national television analyst provided a platform to remain close to the game and study the league.

Kerr views veteran players such as Nash and Grant Hill as peers. Kerr considers his relationship with Stoudemire strong despite the trade discussions involving the All-Star earlier this season. Kerr calls Gentry a partner in charting the team's course.

"We all take input from each other," Kerr said. "With Alvin, when I make a suggestion, it's not a threat. It's a welcome suggestion. He also knows that if he says, 'No, I'm not doing that,' I'm not going to be offended. And that's how it should be. It's a partnership, it's communication and we've developed a great relationship and mutual respect. It's been fun to have that relationship grow."

Gentry, as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado, actually tried to recruit Kerr in the 1980s.

"He feels like that he can tell me the things we need to do a little differently, and I'll listen to him," Gentry said. "And I can also go to him and tell him my concerns about different things. It's just a good relationship. I don't know how to explain it. The guy is a good basketball mind, a great basketball mind, and I respect him and I think he respects me."

Kerr's connection to Hill goes back more than a decade. They met during the 1999 lockout through mutual friend Johnny Dawkins. Kerr was working with renowned shooting coach Chip Engelland, and Hill began doing the same.

"I've always been a fan of Steve's as a player, as a human being, as an announcer and now as a general manager," Hill said. "For the last couple years he got a bad rap, but I think he was doing the right thing. I'm glad he's getting the credit as a general manager that he deserves. He's a really smart, honest, genuine person.

"Not many GMs would value the input of players. He doesn't come to us for the final say, but I think there's a respect there where he'll come to us and get our opinion on things. We're comfortable enough to tell him how we feel and he'll take what you're saying and combine that with the information he knows and make the right decision."

Kerr laughs at the suggestion that he's better at his job than a year ago. He said he's just happy for the players, coaches and Suns fans.

"I feel very content with the consistent, calm nature of the franchise," Kerr added. "We've got people who are very level-headed. Alvin exemplifies that and I'd like to think that I do, too. I'm not going to get too high or too low. We've got a very player-friendly environment to offer.

"A lot of that culture has to do with the players, Steve and Grant, especially, being the elder statesmen, the way Amar'e has grown, the way the younger guys have infused us with life. Those guys are really responsible for the culture and the identity of the team, and Alvin and I are responsible are responsible for being the faces of the franchise."

Whether or not the Suns can rally against the Lakers won't define the season. Make no mistake, Kerr wants to bring a championship to the Valley of the Sun. But he also realizes that a step forward has been made.

"It's pretty easy to say that no matter what happens now it's been a success," Kerr said. "But then you run the risk of everyone saying they're just happy to be here. We're not just happy to be here, but we're pleased with our success to this point.

"You only get so many chances at the whole thing, so now we're getting greedy. We've got a shot, so no sense in looking back and no sense in being satisfied. Just keep playing, focus on the goal and go for it."

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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