Terry Porter Will (Allegedly) Be Fired

Rumors about Terry Porter's job security in Phoenix have been running rampant since Wednesday, but so far everybody -- from team owner Robert Sarver, GM Steve Kerr and Porter himself -- has denied there's anything to it. Until Saturday night, that is.

Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic reported Saturday that "there are strong indications that the Suns will have a new head coach" come Monday. In response to the report, Kerr gave an extremely telling non-denial to the AP: "We haven't made a decision. There are a lot of things we're working on this weekend."

Kerr hasn't been in the front office for long but has obviously been in and around the NBA for decades -- he has to know that the standard operating procedure for any GM is to offer nothing but reassuring platitudes about his head coach. When you deviate from that simple plan, it's a huge red flag. When you admit you haven't made a decision, it's akin to putting a For Sale sign on your coach's front lawn.

If I were a betting man, I'd venture to guess that Kerr's decision is already made, but he's been ordered strongly urged by David Stern to hold off on making the news public until after league's traveling All-Star circus leaves town. Same goes for any potential Amare Stoudemire trade.

But if Porter leaves, does that mean Stoudemire might stay? I suppose it's possible, but it'd probably be a coincidence more than anything. Stoudemire is being ushered out of town because the Suns want to save a buck, not because he clashes with the coaching staff.

As such, why would Sarver be OK with paying Porter not to coach? Perhaps because firing Porter would be a relatively inexpensive decision -- he signed a three-year, $7 million contract, but only the first two years were guaranteed. Assistant coach Alvin Gentry (who's posted a winning record exactly once in seven years coaching the Heat, Pistons and Clippers) is Porter's rumored successor.