Owner Mat Ishbia: Suns' House 'Isn't on Fire'
PHOENIX -- Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia spoke to local media at Footprint Center for roughly 20 minutes today to answer questions on the previous season and what potentially rests ahead.
Before fielding questions, Ishbia began his press conference with a lengthy opening statement discussing the team's performance, which included the following:
"We are very disappointed that we don't win a championship. And we'll say that again next year or the year after when we don't - and that's how we're always going to be here in Phoenix. So hopefully you enjoy that and are proud of that because I think in the last 15 years - I think the Phoenix Suns won 49 games, this is the third time, right? So like in 15 years? So putting perspective in place, but it sounds like, it feels like we won 12 games the way people are acting," Ishbia said.
"Which is fine, because the reality is we're trying to win a championship, and I set those expectations. We want to be the best franchise in all of sports ... I'm accountable. Good and bad. And once again when we're doing great, give the credit to other people. Want to blame me? I'm perfectly fine with it. But I feel like the narrative around the 'house is burning' - It's incorrect. The Phoenix Suns are doing great, excellent.
"Not as good as we want to be and not as good as we're gonna do next year and that's we're gonna figure out: what do we got to tweak, modify, adjust to win the championship next year?"
The Suns look to rebound after being swept in the first-round of the Western Conference playoffs.
"What would be a house on fire? [If] we didn't have any players signed. We have our starting five signed for multiple years together. Do we have to make some adjustments because that starting five didn't win the championship? Of course we did. Of course we do. And we will. And you'll see it and we're gonna try to get some more other free agents signed, and kind of build this back and then figure out how do we tweak/modify to win an NBA championship," Ishbia said.
The Suns have a long offseason ahead with plenty of decisions that will help forge the foundation of the 2024-25 season - but Ishbia says the house is doing just fine.