Phoenix Suns: 5 reasons Igor Kokoskov was a great hire

4. Positive buzz

On a similar note, is there any NBA franchise that needs a league-wide image adjustment as badly as the Phoenix Suns? Finding someone who will create positive buzz isn’t the most important factor in hiring a new head coach; substance is. Otherwise, you wind up hiring Earl Watson simply because his vocabulary sounds like a series of motivational posters.

By hiring the first head coach born and raised outside North America in NBA history, there’s an undeniable amount of positive spin at work here.

The difference is Kokoskov is creating such positive buzz already because there’s substance here, based on his experience and his fit with this young roster. After years of incompetence in the Suns head coaching chair and in the front office overall, selecting a well-respected assistant repairs some of this organization’s damaged reputation.

Finding an intelligent head coach and creating good vibes won’t be enough; the Suns still need to nail their top-four draft pick and bring in more talent via trade or free agency. With that being said, for a culture that’s become associated with losing, these hopeful feelings buck the constant despair and the widespread acceptance of losing that’s almost become habitual.

This historic hire for the NBA matters for the rest of the league’s perception of the Suns, as well as their potential standing with international players….