Sources: Jermaine O'Neal has heated confrontation with Suns GM

[king4day]

Phoenix Suns center Jermaine O'Neal and general manager Lance Blanks engaged in a blistering, expletive-laced confrontation in the coach's office on Monday, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

"It was really bad," one Suns source said Tuesday afternoon.

The confrontation happened after interim coach Lindsey Hunter's first practice and unfolded within earshot of several Suns players in the locker room, sources said.

It was immediately unclear what precipitated the disagreement, sources said, but there has been considerable unrest within the organization. At 13-28, the Suns have the worst record in the Western Conference.

The Arizona Republic reported Tuesday that O'Neal missed practice with an "unstated medical issue" and wouldn't make the team's trip to Sacramento.

Blanks didn't immediately respond to a text message.

The Suns fired coach Alvin Gentry and replaced him with Hunter, who worked in player development and has no coaching background.

O'Neal has averaged 6.4 points and four rebounds a game for the Suns in his 16th season in the NBA

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--so...195154075.html

The hits just keep on comin'

[JPHX]

Fire Sale!!

[phoenixsuns101]

trade everybody including the fo.

[rocky4104]

whoa... i wonder how reliable it is

[Phrazbit]

Multiple sources reporting this very very ugly exchange between O'Neal and Blanks. Also O'neal is not traveling with the team for the upcoming road trip.

From Adrian Wojanowski

Phoenix Suns center Jermaine O'Neal and general manager Lance Blanks engaged in a blistering, expletive-laced confrontation in the coach's office on Monday, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
"It was really bad," one Suns source said Tuesday afternoon.

Paul Coro (a very reliable local source) confirms it.

Franchise is unraveling. This combined with Gentry's comments make it sound like Hunter is quite disliked by many on the team and staff.

[mdm692]

Multiple sources reporting this very very ugly exchange between O'Neal and Blanks. Also O'neal is not traveling with the team for the upcoming road trip.

From Adrian Wojanowski

Paul Coro (a very reliable local source) confirms it.

Franchise is unraveling. This combined with Gentry's comments make it sound like Hunter is quite disliked by many on the team and staff.

3 countdowns are about to begin. The 1st countdown is for Sarver to sell the team. The 2nd countdown is for the firing/hiring of our FO. The 3rd and last is for the hiring of Corey Gaines as HC who has just been hired as a FULL TIME Assistant.

[JPHX]

This is all Beasley's fault

[mdm692]

This is all Beasley's fault

To an extent . If he would of been that 20ppg scorer many thought he would be then we probably wouldn't be in this predicament.

[Phrazbit]

Its mostly Lance Blanks fault... and Sarver's fault for entrusting Blanks to do anything.

And I really doubt Corey Gaines will be the head coach. I doubt many people are impressed by WNBA coaching records. And after the fiasco of the last few days I gotta think the next head coach will NOT be promoted from within.

[mdm692]

Its mostly Lance Blanks fault... and Sarver's fault for entrusting Blanks to do anything.

And I really doubt Corey Gaines will be the head coach. I doubt many people are impressed by WNBA coaching records. And after the fiasco of the last few days I gotta think the next head coach will NOT be promoted from within.

The only thing you're right about Gaines is the last part. Other than that a lot of people in the community consider him a worthy candidate.

[mdm692]

By community I mean the local media.

[king4day]

3 countdowns are about to begin. The 1st countdown is for Sarver to sell the team. The 2nd countdown is for the firing/hiring of our FO. The 3rd and last is for the hiring of Corey Gaines as HC who has just been hired as a FULL TIME Assistant.

Is that true? Does that mean he's done with the Mercury?

[Bishnoff]

O'Neal has always been a hothead but I’m sure he had good reason to react the way he did. You don’t rock the boat so soon into a new coach’s tenure unless there’s major issues.

I predict O'Neal getting traded to a contender very soon.

[Bishnoff]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/ke...n-to-new-coach

Another article on the O'Neal/Blanks confrontation. Mentions Gaines as a "likely addition to the bench" and also Dragic being unhappy with Gentry's firing.

Hunter has missed practice for the 3rd straight day. Still an uncertainty.

[Huntey]

Blanks needs to go, he's responsible for this implosion. Keep Babby because any sense you hear fro the front office seems to come from him.

Hopefully Sarver can see all this and recognises who the culprits are and deals with them. I don't want to see any firings to save-face, I want to see firings to fix the franchise.