If you were hoping for some kind of grand vision proclamation or even a strong statement on where new Suns GM Lance Blanks is going to take the team, then this was not the press conference you were looking for.
Blanks, who was introduced by his boss, Lon Babby, made it clear that after only two days on the job, he has no immediate plans to tinker with the team.
"I think with the background here, and what's happened historically, it's pretty obvious that there is a great infrastructure in place to have success, so part of my job will be staying out of the way and not messing this thing up," Blanks said.
That's good to hear. Last thing we want to see is a guy come charging in here with all his years of experience as a GM watching GMs and trying to change things.
Blanks comes from the Spurs and Cavs organizations where basketball was not played the way it is played in Arizona.
Which isn't to say that the Suns aren't trying to get better defensively.
"It is a different style. I know (coach) Alvin (Gentry) has started to institute defense around here. They're saying that a lot more," Blanks explained.
"I love the way that this team has played, even over the years, getting up and down the floor. It's an exciting brand of basketball, and very entertaining. I know that it's been extremely successful, so this team is a lot closer to winning and being successful than it is to not being successful. I'm not so sure that there is a lot that needs to be tweaked in terms of the style of play and the brand of basketball."
Check two. Blanks says he's not here to pull a Terry Porter and put Nash into a plastic bag or anything.
Blanks was hired by his new boss, Lon Babby, for three reasons. First, he's a "basketball genius," according to Uncle Lon. Second, he's a high-character guy who understands the importance of the Suns culture and will fit in. Third, he comes from places associated with winning.
Gentry, who seemingly knows everyone even remotely associated with the NBA, of course has history with Blanks going back 21 years when Gentry was in San Antonio in the early '90s and Blanks was a player at nearby University of Texas.
"I have a very good relationship with Lance. I think he'll do a great job and I'm looking forward to working with him," Gentry said.
Gentry repeated what he's said before about working with the GM.
"I told him, feel free to give any suggestions and we'll sit down and talk and discuss personnel and we'll discuss playing time and all that right there," Gentry said. "Ultimately, I'm going to play whoever I think's going to win games for us."
As for the busy summer the Suns had prior to his arrival?
"They look like solid moves to me, and as Lon said, if the thing works out, thank God that he and I are here, and if it doesn't, I don't know what these guys were thinking about," Blanks said as everyone laughed.
Gentry made it clear who was really responsible for the moves: "It was all Robert. It wasn't me. He's not here to defend himself. So it was all Robert."
Blanks said he hadn't had time to dive into the specifics of the Suns roster so he avoided any talk of future moves, but Gentry was more forthcoming about the team's situation.
"Obviously, size is going to be a little bit of a factor for us as we move forward, the rebounding part of it, but we have sat down and talked a little bit, Lon, Lance, and I; I think the toughest thing to find, obviously, is the real talented big guys to add to your roster," Gentry said. "So, we will have to do as we did last year a little bit, and rebound by committee and things like that. But we like our roster, we like our team."
And so begins the Lon Babby-Lance Blanks era of Suns basketball.
Press conference audio: Blanks presser 082510
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