During a coaches’ meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Suns coach Monty Williams viewed the ESPN piece on claims of racism and misogyny directed against his club owner, Robert Sarver, and the company.
Williams took joy in the Suns’ 123-111 victory over the one-win Houston Rockets at Footprint Center a little more than 12 hours later, despite the mayhem that had engulfed his club.
“That’s who we are,” stated Williams. “Every squad faces problems. The degree of distraction may vary, but if you can’t handle diversions, you won’t last long in the NBA. So I was pleased with how we tackled the situation this morning. That’s how we played tonight. It’s difficult to win a game in the league, but with everything going on around the squad, I was happy with the concentration and togetherness that we have in our locker room. Coaches and athletes That’s something I’m proud of.”
The Suns were similarly pleased with how Williams handled inquiries about the charges before the game. “Perfect person,” All-Star Devin Booker remarked of Williams’ value in guiding the club through this difficult moment.
“I heard his quotes before the game. He’s the greatest at handling situations, dominating the room, and keeping people focused on the task at hand. That’s exactly what he’s done to our team. We discussed it as a group, and you can feel everything he says. We’re staying behind him and will continue to play hard for him and win basketball games.”
With the NBA contemplating an investigation into Sarver and the Suns, this scenario will be in the spotlight for the foreseeable future, but Phoenix (4-3) hopes to end its five-game homestand with a win over Atlanta on Saturday (4-5). The Suns have won three consecutive games and have Deandre Ayton back after the starting center missed Tuesday’s win against New Orleans due to a right leg injury.
“He missed a couple of bunnies around the rim,” Williams added, “but he looked like he hadn’t been on the floor in a few days.” “His first workout went well (Wednesday since the injury). The first half was noticeably missing in sharpness. In the second half, I believe he did a much better job of anchoring his body and maintaining his stance. He’ll get better as he plays more. I figured he was simply rusty.”
Cameron Payne, who has missed the past five games due to a right hamstring strain sustained in a win against the Lakers on Oct. 22, might return on Saturday as well. “Cam is still not there,” Williams said ahead of Thursday’s game.
“When we’re not making shots, I believe we bring it to the defensive end of the court,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said after the Jazz game. “Someone needs to be there to bring us all together and talk about obtaining a stop. We’ve been hanging our heads and not guarding when a shot doesn’t fall for us.”
