When I hear that Phoenix Suns and Phoenix Mercury owner Mat Ishbia is setting aside time to sit down with Espo from PHNX on his Southwest Bias show, I sit up a little straighter. I’m locked in. I’ll listen. I’ll watch live. Not because I’m the type to throw harmless grenades in a YouTube chat. Though I am, and I know I can be an absolute thorn in the side. I’m a troll, sure. But I’m also curious. I want to see if this is going to be the same polished talking points or something that actually shakes the table. Will there be questions that push? Answers that reveal?

I know what it’s like to interview people, though I don’t have even a fraction of Espo’s reps. He earned his chops in the Suns’ marketing department and built his way into this space. Me? I’m a snarky blogger with a podcast, a handful of soundboard drops, and a knack for poking at the edges of the conversation.

Mat Ishbia’s a pro. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it. He can plant his feet, drive a point home, and make it sound bulletproof. And while I enjoyed the interview — Espo’s candid style always delivers — nothing Ishbia said really hit hard enough to shift my opinion. We already know the beats: he’s aiming for consistency, he wants us proud of the team, he’s committed to building it the “right way.”

But there was one thing that made me lean in a little closer. Because it fortifies an approach that has legs.

“This year, you’re starting to see it come together,” Ishbia said. “But we’re going to get better over the next two or three years. And hopefully you’ll see that with the Suns as we’re building it the right way and doing it every day…And the whole city of Phoenix will understand that and trust me and our organization by our actions, but we’re going to continue to do it, not just say we’re going to do it.”

Essentially? Well done is better than well said. Ishbia knows he can talk…and talk…and talk about the identity shift he’s bringing to this organization. And he will. The structure has changed. The mentality has changed. But until it shows up on the court with consistency, it’s still just that: talk.

It’s a sentiment that takes me back to the Monty Williams era, the first head coach Ishbia let go after arriving in Phoenix. Monty had his faults, sure, but one thing he excelled at was motivation. His “don’t be happy on the farm” mindset, his reminders that well done is better than well said. Those weren’t just about basketball. They were about life. I still find myself quoting him when I’m talking with colleagues about how to raise our day-to-day game.

And Ishbia recognizes that.

As Mat Ishbia talks about the team we love, the one he’s pouring himself into, you have to ask: are you buying what he’s selling? Truthfully, I am. I’ve said before, these are the learning curves of a new owner. He came in with his checkbook wide open, chasing elite talent. That gamble failed. Now comes the pivot, which involves building a structure that can sustain success over the long haul.

“You’re never going to question do we care,” Ishbia stated. “Everything around winning and around what the fans want because I’m a fan too, and we’re going to do exactly what fans want. Doesn’t mean we’re gonna win every year, and sometimes we’re going to make trades or draft picks or free agents that aren’t going to work out, but you know what? We’re going to try to win, and we’re going to try to compete every day.”

Is it counterintuitive to be a developmental team without draft capital? Absolutely. And that’s a problem Ishbia and the organization will have to solve over the next few years as they continue to shape their identity. But what he’s doing shouldn’t surprise anyone. He’s transplanting the mindset that made him successful in the private sector and embedding it into the franchise he owns. More defined roles. A sharper identity. Clearer structure.

There will be bumps. There will be mistakes. He admits as much. But I buy the vision. I believe this is the right direction for the Suns. I want an owner who will spend when the moment calls for it, yes, but more than that, I want one who is cerebral, tactical, and intentional. Someone who puts the right people in the right roles, then trusts them to do the work.

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