Is Mike D’Antoni the best Suns coach ever following Hall of Fame induction?

D’Antoni coaching stats ranking in Suns history:

• Five years coached (T-3rd)
• 253 Wins (3rd)
• .650 Winning Percentage (2nd)
• 26 Playoff Wins (3rd)
• 2 Conference title appearances

There have been 23 head coaches in franchise history, dating back to Red Kerr in 1969. The Mount Rushmore of Phoenix head coaches are simple: D’Antoni, John MacLeod, Paul Westphal and Monti Williams. That foursome have inarguably the most success at the position for the organization. They are top four in playoff wins, and three of them had helped bring the Suns to all of their Finals appearance.

MacLeod easily coached the longest, nearly doubling second place Cotton Fitzsimmons for the most time at the position. Eight of his 14 years in the Valley was winning record and help bring the team to their first NBA Finals appearance in 1976 at 42-40. His tenure did end sour, having three straight losing seasons.

Besides MacLeod, Westphal was a massive part of that 76′ Finals team as a player, being the leading scorer. His success as a player continued as a head coach in 1992. Westphal inherited the team from Fitzsimmons, who had just led the franchise to four straight 50+ win seasons and continued that trend with three more in his first three seasons.

In his first year, the Hall of Famer led the Suns to their second Finals appearance, being a part of both in a major way. The organization is one Michael Jordan and Steve Kerr Game 6 shot away from potentially hanging its first banner. After a 14-19 start in Westphal’s fourth year, Bryan Colangelo surprisingly fired him and rehired Fitzsimmons.

Despite the abrupt exit, Westphal has the best winning percentage of any head coach in franchise history with .685, just ahead of D’Antoni.

The final obstacle ahead of the new Hall of Famer is Williams. When hired in 2019, Williams joined Phoenix that had five straight losing seasons, including four straight 25 or less win years. In two years, he turned the Suns into a Finals team and a season later set the franchise record with 64 wins in 2022. The organization being as relevant as it is today is off the backs of Williams and got it out of the darkest period in its history.

Similar to the other three names, his exit was surprising. Williams was fired after a second-round exit in 2023, following the team trading for superstar Kevin Durant.

D’Antoni’s case is that his team comprised of Steve Nash and Stoudemire changed the game of basketball with the seven seconds or less offense. A more fast-pace approach to the sport that hadn’t been seen up to that point. The system turned a 29-win team to a then-franchise record 62-20, and its first Western Conference Finals appearance since 1993.

The team made it back to the WCF the following season, but once again fell short of a Finals appearance. D’Antoni had early playoff exits in his final threes years with the Suns, leading to the two sides parting ways, and him joining the New York Knicks in 2008.

While not having the most success, D’Antoni was a massive part of the franchise’s culture in the early 2000’s that has helped changed the game and establish it as a crucial part in NBA history.

There’s is plenty of correct answers from the foursome mentioned, but Westphal impact as a player leading to his short, successful coaching career might be the most compelling case.