“It’s a blessing.” This is how DeAndre Ayton defined the maximum salary achieved in the Suns after they matched Indiana’s offer. His words, which expressed satisfaction and even a desire to get to work to see what they could achieve sportingly in Phoenix, seemed to leave behind personal confrontations – we could almost say disenchantment – with the one who is still his coach: Monty Williams. Well, the time has come media day to make it clear that all that glitters is not gold.
Before the microphones of various media, the center from the Arizona organization spoke about his relationship with the head coach to detail that there is no news, since they have not spoken since Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals against Dallas. He doesn’t seem happy at all…
“I haven’t spoken to him at all since that game. It is easier to show it to him with deeds than with words. This is life. Nobody cares about the awkward nature of this. It’s about how you perform on court and what you bring to the table. What has been said is already said », he sentences.
After listening to him, Monty Williams’s opinion was certainly needed on the matter. The coach was diplomatic and basically expressed his belief in being able to solve any problem with Ayton, as well as with the rest of the squad members.
“I think you always need to have private meetings with the guys you’ve been with for a long time. Some guys need it and some don’t. I will identify him as the season progresses. I will talk to everyone as I always do during the camp and it will not be a problem at all », he analyzes.
The truth is that at this point it seems to be abundantly clear that the fact that the Suns retained Ayton simply responds to the fact that they had no other way out. Losing a No. 1 draft pick who is a starter on the team was infinitely worse than keeping him on the roster and seeing what happens next. They are not certain that he will turn out well, but they know that if the situation were unsustainable they could always transfer him from next January 15.
(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
