PHOENIX SUNS

Phoenix Suns do not have replacement for Alvin Gentry lined up

Jan 18, 2013, 11:28 PM | Updated: 11:53 pm

That the Phoenix Suns and Alvin Gentry decided to part ways Friday is not exactly a surprise.

The Suns, with a record of 13-28, had the worst record in the NBA’s Western Conference. They’ve lost 13 of 15 games, and have shown little sign of being ready to turn the corner.

Yet, when asked who the team would hand the reins over to, Suns president of basketball operations Lon Babby did not have an answer.

“We will definitely have an interim coach, just as sort of proof positive that none of this was planned, it just kind of came about in the last 24 hours, we’re going to spend a little bit of time talking to some of our internal candidates,” Babby said when discussing the team’s decision with the media Friday. “It will be an internal candidate who will be our interim coach, and I hope that we’ll have that resolved in the next 24, 36, 48 hours.”

The Suns do not play again until they take the court Wednesday in Sacramento, so it is not as if the team needs to have a new boss in place immediately.

Earlier Friday, Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted that assistant coach Elston Turner and assistant head coach for player development Lindsey Hunter were candidates.

But apparently that decision will not be made for a little while, as for now the Suns are focused on finding the right guy to lead them for the next 41 games.

And only the next 41 games.

“It will be an interim coach,” Babby reiterated.

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