The internal promotion of Brian Gregory to GM looks more like cronyism than either change or accountability
Who is Brian Gregory? It was an inescapable question for many when news broke on May 1 that Brian Gregory would be the new general manager of the Phoenix Suns.
According to Wikipedia, Gregory played basketball on the same Navy team as David Robinson. He then spent time in the college coaching ranks, including as an assistant coach under Tom Izzo at Michigan State while team owner Mat Ishbia was a walk-on there. Gregory joined the Phoenix Suns as vice president of player programming in June 2024.
“Brian has been a valuable member of our front office, playing an integral role in drafting and developing our young players,” Ishbia said in a press release announcing the move. “I am excited for him to step in to the role of general manager. He is a brilliant basketball mind, and he will transform and elevate our team.”
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His ascension was one of a handful of moves. Oronde Taliaferro, who served as the team’s director of scouting last season, was bumped up to assistant general manager. Chief Innovation Officer Paul Rivers also had basketball operations duties added to his plate.
It’s not clear what specific aspect of Gregory’s performance as VP of player programming — outside of a nebulous role in drafting Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro — most impressed Ishbia to lead to this promotion. (Heck, it’s not clear what a VP of player programming actually does, and that it isn’t just a fancy title you give to a friend you hire.) Certainly, there were bigger names (with more experience) bandied about during this process. Bob Myers. Jon Horst. But Ishbia went internal. It’s his prerogative.
And look, everyone starts somewhere. Gregory may not be a splashy hire, but that doesn’t consign him to failure. Maybe he’ll be an inspired choice.
However, it is perfectly valid to look askance at Ishbia’s hire — especially after he vowed changes were coming during his post-season presser — and ask how significant a change Gregory represents from the current regime. How much of a voice did he have in deliberations and team construction? Was he the Cassandra of the front office, warning the roster was doomed but disbelieved?
Gregory, regardless of his influence, was part of a group that thought the best perimeter defender on a “championship” team should be a rookie. He was part of a group that decided to stock the roster with a paltry number of 3-point shooters despite the head coach implementing a system that leaned heavily on shooting threes. Nothing about this season’s roster construction screamed “brilliant basketball mind.”
When Ishbia sits in front of the cameras and tells reporters how disappointed he was in the season and says everyone will be held accountable and then ushers James Jones into a senior advisor role while picking his replacement (who just so happens to share a Michigan State connection) from the same pool of decision-makers who assembled that disappointing and embarrassing team, it doesn’t suggest accountability. It suggests cronyism.
The fans owe Gregory at least a fair shake to prove he was the right man for the job. The next couple of months should be a good indicator. Meanwhile, Ishbia owes the fans an explanation for why the hiring of Gregory, with his thin gruel of executive experience, doesn’t represent more of the same. Exultant press releases extolling Gregory’s virtues won’t cut it. He needs to explain why he just shuffled a deck of jokers and thinks he pulled an ace.
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