Ryan McDonough gives new Suns’ assistant GM high praise
Jun 16, 2013, 9:37 PM | Updated: 10:00 pm
Before the Phoenix Suns hired him on May 7, general manager Ryan McDonough served as Danny Ainge’s assistant GM in Boston from 2010-2013. So if anyone’s qualified to talk about the position, it’s certainly him.
Saturday, McDonough was asked about Pat Connelly, who along with Trevor Bukstein will work as an assistant general manager with the Suns, and the 33-year-old gave a glowing review.
“Pat brings a wealth of scouting knowledge at all levels,” McDonough said. “I’ve been around the world with Pat scouting, and all over Europe at different locations. He knows the college guys, he knows the high school guys. He’s been watching players a long time at different levels.”
Connelly previously worked from 2006-2013 with the Washington Wizards, including the past two seasons as the team’s VP of Player Personnel. Before his time with the Wizards, the Suns new assistant GM served as a graduate assistant for Baylor and as an assistant coach for the Brighton Bears out of the British League.
“For me, it was important to bring in somebody as I talked about at my introductory press conference who is a master evaluator and a worldwide scout who knows all the players at different levels and can compare them,” said McDonough. “I think Pat’s one of the better guys in the NBA, if not the world at doing that.”
McDonough noted that while he never worked directly with Connelly in the past, from their limited conversations on the road, he was impressed by the Baltimore native’s knowledge and work ethic.
Connelly’s older brother, Tim, currently holds the same position with the New Orleans Pelicans under Del Demps.
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