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‘Before Sue Bird happened’: Q&A with Phoenix Mercury GM Jim Pitman

By Brendon Kleen

PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 2: The Phoenix Mercury huddles up after the game against the Seattle Storm during Game Four of the 2018 WNBA Semifinals on September 02, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - SEPTEMBER 2: The Phoenix Mercury huddles up after the game against the Seattle Storm during Game Four of the 2018 WNBA Semifinals on September 02, 2018 at Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, AZ. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Phoenix GM is bullish on 2019.

After a remarkable offseason in which the league semifinalist Phoenix Mercury were able to retain all their own free agents in addition to adding role players who will help now and in the future, general manager Jim Pitman is pleased.

Rarely do stacked teams find a way to add as much talent as Phoenix did re-signing point guard Briann January, stealing sharpshooter Essence Carson from rival Los Angeles Sparks and walking away from the draft with three first-round talents.

“We met the needs that we set out to meet and added an extra body there,” Pitman said of the Mercury’s busy draft night.

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Of course, a championship trophy will return to Phoenix for the first time since 2014 not on the back of rookies or newcomers, but the team’s veteran core.

“Our goal at the beginning of each year is to win a championship and with the core that we have with Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner, we know our window is somewhat limited,” Pitman said.

“We want to do everything we can to win titles while our window is open and one of the things we knew we needed to do is get more depth into our roster and so as we’re looking at the draft and trying to figure out how best to do that … from Sandy and my perspective, we met our goals there.”

As for the future of Taurasi, 36, Pitman said worrying about it is “for another day.”

Phoenix enters the 2019 season, particularly after the meniscus tear suffered by Seattle Storm forward and 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart, as one of the favorites for a championship.

Pitman spoke with High Post Hoops over the phone Monday afternoon about the upcoming season.

How are you thinking about Sophie Cunningham when it comes to her chances of making the roster and where she fits in? Do you expect it to be a competition for her?

“I don’t think anybody’s ever a lock to make a roster. They have to come in and prove themselves and compete and show that they belong as one of the 12. I expect Sophie to do that, I expect her to come in and compete and be in a position to battle for a roster spot, and I’m really looking forward to training camp because I think we’re going to be competitive there.”

Are the Mercury planning to make any additions to the coaching staff for this season to replace Todd Troxel (who was dismissed in January following assault charges stemming from a domestic dispute with fiancee) or supplement what you have in place?

“We are and we’re very close to announcing that, we’re just not quite there yet, we’re just hammering out some final details and there will be an announcement on that in the coming days.”

You and (coach) Sandy (Brondello) in a few different spots throughout the offseason have each said pretty bluntly you feel like you were a few minutes from a title last year. Does that speak to a confidence on your part in what you have and how you see yourselves around the rest of the league?

“We were in first place with the best record in the league when Sancho Lyttle went down with her injury midseason. We were really starting to play well and that was clearly a tough time for us. It took us a few weeks to figure out how we were going to be most successful but once DB was moved to the 4, we really started to roll again. We played without Sancho, we played the last couple of games without Steph Talbot due to a concussion and Leilani Mitchell was really limited with a foot issue most of the season. What we thought of as being a pretty deep team halfway through the season ended up being fairly depleted by the time we got to the playoffs and then moving forward.

“When you play so many games and so many high-level, high-pressure type of games in such a short timeframe, your depth or lack of depth starts to show and we think that had we been a little more healthy or just could have hung on for another four minutes before Sue Bird happened, we thought we had a really legitimate shot to win the title. Having said that, that’s fueled us in the offseason to get better, get deeper and make another run at the title.”

Did the way you looked playing smaller after Sancho went out last season help you feel more comfortable adding players who help you play that way? Did it change your perception of what you had (on the roster) at all?

“We knew what we had, but our style had been geared toward Sancho being part of our makeup, so we had to kind of look at what our style was. The league has really gone to a stretch-4 type of a league, more shooting, up-tempo, not too different than what the NBA has, so the need for the really physical power forward is not as great anymore as you look at roster across the league. We were able to use DeWanna Bonner, who at 6’4 is a tall player for that position and utilize her strengths. She is one of the top 10 or 15 players and we were able to utilize her in a way that made matchups difficult going the other direction.

“I think that we had to reimagine a little bit what our team was and we felt comfortable going into the coming season that that success could continue.”

The Mercury were not at the center of the Suns’ arena negotiations. Is it going to be similar to the arena now where the practice facility that eventually opens up will be including the Mercury?

“Yes the plan is that the Suns and the Mercury will continue to share the practice facility as we do now at Talking Stick Resort Arena.”

How important do you think that is to offer that to prospective players and to players that you already have?

“It’s really important. Having a practice facility home where you don’t have to worry about where to keep your gear overnight and all those amenities that are offered are important to everyone involved and in particular to the players. It gives them some comfort that they are being well tended to and that’s our goal, to be the most player-friendly we can possibly be.”

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