McDonough Calls Suns Departure "Unexpected" Due To Timing

Former Suns GM Ryan McDonough called his firing shortly before the start of the season "unexpected" and "surprising." Appearing on ESPN's "The Jump" yesterday, McDonough acknowledged coaches and GMs can "get fired at any time," though there are "certain times on the calendar where it may be more expected." He noted Suns Owner Robert Sarver fired him over the phone and said Sarver "viewed the roster as not fully completed." McDonough: "We were working on a few trades to upgrade the team, and I guess I thought we had more time than I ended up having." McDonough joined the Suns as GM in '13 after working the previous decade for the Celtics. He reflected on his time with the Celtics by noting organizational stability "starts at the top, obviously with ownership, and trickles down to the front office and the coaching staff and the players.” He noted the Suns and Celtics organizations are “different," as there has been a "lot of turnover in Phoenix” in recent years ("The Jump," ESPN, 11/5).