Suns hire championship-winning head coach

New Suns owner Mat Ishbia has a new head coach, and he's got a ring. Phoenix tapped Frank Vogel, coach of the title-winning 2020 Lakers, as the guy to take Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and an otherwise uncertain roster to the next level.

Vogel is known for his defensive mindset, and that was on full display in the 2019-20 season. The Lakers had the league's No. 3 defense in the regular season, holding opponents to 100 points or less in six games, including three in the Finals.

Before that, Vogel coached the Indiana Pacers from midway through the 2010-11 season to 2016, finishing with the league's No. 1 defense twice. Even in his final season in Indiana, the Pacers finished with the league's No. 3 defense, an amazing feat for a team that was playing Monta Ellis nearly 34 minutes per game.

While Vogel isn't known for building offenses, scoring points with Booker and Durant shouldn't take an offensive wizard. But the hiring also shows the precariousness of NBA coaching jobs. 

Last April, the Lakers fired Vogel just 18 months after he won a championship in the NBA bubble, after a disastrous 2021-22 season. It's hard to blame Vogel for the fiasco and not whatever combination of owner Jeanie Buss, GM Rob Pelinka and LeBron James decided to trade for Russell Westbrook. Or the injuries that led James and Anthony Davis to miss a combined 68 games that year.

Who did Vogel lose to in the 2021 playoffs? The Phoenix Suns, coached by Monty Williams. Phoenix also reportedly wanted Ty Lue, the coach who lost to Williams this year.

Now, Vogel has a fresh start with a playoff team, two of the best players in the world and a hands-on team owner. Literally hands-on.

It's a great opportunity. But all the same. Vogel should probably rent, not buy, in Phoenix.