Porter named Suns coach

Jun 7, 2008 - 11:28 PM PHOENIX (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Suns named Terry Porter their new coach and will introduce him at a news conference either Monday or Tuesday, the team announced on Saturday.

Following a stormy relationship with former Suns coach Mike D'Antoni, general manager Steve Kerr hired an old teammate in Porter, who had worked as the top assistant to Flip Saunders with the Detroit Pistons the past two seasons.

Saunders was fired Tuesday, days after Detroit lost in the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight season. But instead of succeeding Saunders, Porter will replace D'Antoni, who resigned in May to become coach of the New York Knicks.

"We had an impressive list of candidates, but Terry stood out based on his leadership, his communication skills and his coaching experience as the head guy in Milwaukee for two seasons and the last couple years in Detroit," Kerr said.

The finalists for the job in Phoenix were Porter and assistants Mike Budenholzer of the San Antonio Spurs, Elston Tuner of the Houston Rockets and Tyrone Corbin of the Utah Jazz.

Porter, 45, who coached the Milwaukee Bucks from 2003-05, inherits a talented team which has underachieved in the playoffs. Phoenix, which averaged 58 wins under D'Antoni the last four seasons, lost in the first round of the playoffs this season to San Antonio.

Despite his 71-93 record with the Bucks, Porter looks to be a good fit in the desert.

Porter's first team in Milwaukee in 2003 finished fourth in the NBA in scoring. Phoenix is perennially one of the league's highest-scoring teams, although its identity did change a bit after the club acquired center Shaquille O'Neal in February.

And while the Suns' commitment to defense constantly is questioned, Porter was known as a solid defender during his playing days. He also worked for one of the league's top defensive teams in Detroit.

As such, Porter's commitment to both ends of the floor put him in good favor with Kerr, who clashed with the offensive-minded D'Antoni.

"He's a guy who is committed to up-tempo basketball, which was important to us," Kerr said of Porter. "But he's also very experienced when it comes to defense, both from his time with the Pistons and as a player. He was a tenacious defensive player and he's very tough-minded.

"I'm really excited just to get him in place. I think he'll do a great job with our team. Of course, part of being a good coach is having good players, and we have that. So, I'm excited about the opportunity for Terry."