The Suns Be-bop for Babby
The Phoenix Suns hired agent Lon Babby to head their team on Tuesday. Babby made a formal introduction as president of basketball operations at a news conference, along with managing partner Robert Sarver and coach Alvin Gentry.
As one of the most widely regarded NBA agents, Babby was already well known to the Phoenix Suns franchise. He represented the interests of newly acquired Suns’ forward Hedo Turkoglu, and formerly those of Josh Childress, another recent addition to the Suns.
Babby emerged recently as a leading candidate to replace former general manager Steve Kerr. Kerr resigned at the end of June to return to his previous position as NBA analyst for TNT.
In the past Babby has worked with the Suns’ Grant Hill, Boston Celtic’s Ray Allen, and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan. He had 11 clients in the NBA last season. From 1974 to 1989 he served as club counsel, and then general counsel for the Baltimore Orioles. He has also represented baseball players and the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
Babby attended Yale law school, and is attorney based out of Washington. He maintains membership on the board of trustees of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
At the conference, he expressed his delight in the decision: “This is truly a dream come true for me, and it’s a wonderful opportunity. It allows my career to come full circle. I’ve been in sports now 35 years – the first half in management and the second in representing players.”
He added: “Now I get to bring everything I’ve seen and learned over those years to this wonderful organization. The Phoenix Suns are not only a premier NBA franchise, but an elite franchise in all of sports. I’m truly humbled to become the new president of Basketball Operations.”
The Phoenix Suns find themselves in a transition period, as All-Star Amare Stoudemire recently turned down a re-signing offer to join the New York Knicks.
In response, the Suns made several infrastructural shifts. They signed free agent Hakim Warrick, worked out a sign-and-trade for Stoudemire, and acquired Childress from Atlanta in a second sign-and-trade. In return the Hawks bank on a 2012 second-round draft pick. Childress, who played for a team in Greece for the last two years, was previously reserved by the Hawks.
The Suns likewise acquired Hedo Turkoglu from the Toronto Raptors for Leandro Barbosa and Dwayne Jones. Turkoglu had seen his numbers drop after a relatively meagre performance with Chris Bosh and the Raptors. He stated publicly that he wished to be traded.
Steve Kerr, Suns’ general manager for three seasons, chose to leave as his contract drew to a close, despite fostering a surprising team with the third-best record in the Western Conference. The Suns’ made it to the conference final but ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Lakers this season.
Kerr’s top consultant, David Griffin, also submitted a letter of resignation to the club asking that Suns’ Managing Partner Robert Sarver not consider him as general manager. At the same time, many expect that if Jerry West emerges as head of operations for Golden State, Griffin would be hired on as general manager. He was also reported interviewed by the Charlotte Hornets.
Many speculated that Kerr left in part because he was unhappy with the terms of a new contract. He insisted his departure was for personal reasons such as spending more time with his family, who live in San Diego.
It is unclear what the terms of Babby’s deal is with Phoenix, but it is fair to say he has prospered from the offer. He has also been able to aid at least one of his former players, in Turkoglu. Both Steve Kerr and David Griffin have proven themselves on the court, but the same cannot be said for Babby, who has everything to gain and nothing to lose in this promotion.
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