3 ways Mat Ishbia is the NBA’s Todd Boehly

This latest embarrassment saw Ishbia fire his third head coach in three seasons. Now he is faced with a dilemma. Continue with a problematic roster or blow it all up and rebuild. If a fan or analyst have to predict based on his decisions so far, they might be worried if the Suns continue on this path.

These methods are reminiscent of another billionaire who believes throwing money and signing up the best players is enough. In the three seasons Todd Boehly has owned Chelsea FC, the team have not finished higher than 6th in the English Premier League, despite all the players and managers he has signed. Those tendencies are similar to Ishbia.

Blowing up what was already good for the team

Todd Boehly took over Chelsea ahead of the 2022-23 season. In the season that just concluded, manager Thomas Tuchel had just steered them to third place in the standings after previously leading them to fourth. The billionaire then threw out most of the existing senior officials and placed himself as interim sporting director.

He orchestrated a mass turnover of the squad which saw him spend an absurd amount of money on transfer fees. A few games in, he sacked Tuchel and brought in an interim replacement. It did not stop there as Chelsea went through four managers to finish 12th in the 2022-23 season.

The Phoenix Suns had powered to the top of the West in the 2021-22 season. The following season, they had some problems but still were running in the top half. After Mat Ishbia took over, he oversaw the blockbuster trade for Kevin Durant, for whom they gave up a lot of draft picks along with good rotation players. That saw them lose to the Nuggets in the second round.

The horrible decision making continues

Todd Boehly sought out to right the wrongs and hired Mauricio Pochettino. ‘Poch’ again saw Boehly bring in a ton of players and send out those he felt were not good enough. Despite all that, Pochettino led them to 6th in the standings. But apparently that was not good enough for Boehly.

Mat Ishbia followed a similar pattern. After their second-round loss to the Denver Nuggets, Ishbia fired Monty Williams and hired former championship winning coach Frank Vogel. The billionaire then pushed his front office to trade for Bradley Beal, again giving up a lot of players and picks.

The team had their big three, but their bench looked weak. Those roster problems saw them struggle for much of the season but still ended up sixth in the West. A first-round sweep to the Minnesota Timberwolves was too much for Ishbia to digest and Frank Vogel was led out of the door.

Mat Ishbia, Todd Boehly and the future of their teams

Before Mat Ishbia took over, the Phoenix Suns were on the verge of cracking into the top echelons of the NBA. After he took over, the team have become a laughingstock. He has spent absurd amounts of money on players and coaches, but none of it has helped them win.

Todd Boehly has a similar track record and again his Chelsea FC find themselves in 6th place. How he goes about trying to improve the squad is a major question mark, especially given his track record. But for now, Ishbia is one step ahead of him.

Ishbia let go of Mike Budenholzer after failing to reach the playoffs. This means he has fired three head coaches in three seasons. Along with that, he is facing a major dilemma over the squad. On one hand, he has received enough proof that this big three lineup is not working.

Neither do they have draft picks to supplement the roster if they are to keep any of those superstar players. Teams across the NBA know if they receive calls from the Suns, they have the upper hand as they know the Suns will be desperate.

Even though Ishbia has tried to do some good for his players and fans, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the billionaire is on course to be the worst owner in NBA history. That is unless he stops with his bizarre decisions and brings in someone who can steer the franchise into the right direction.