Suns Hired GM Ryan McDonough Away from the Celtics

Ryan McDonough, after ten years in the Boston Celtics’ organizations  — the 33-year old McDonough has been Danny Ainge’s assistant GM since the 2010 season — has been hired by the Suns to replace the recently-fired Lance Blanks in Phoenix. Here’s the press release: “Ryan distinguished himself among an impressive group of candidates for our GM position,’ said Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby. ‘His natural leadership and communication skills will serve the Suns well. And, his prodigious work ethic and ability to identify talent will enable us to take full advantage of the 10 draft choices, including six in the first round, that we have over the next three years. We welcome his championship pedigree to our organization.’ The 33-year-old McDonough is considered one of the game’s brightest young minds, who combines a tireless work ethic with an expertise in player evaluation honed over the past 10 years at virtually every level of an NBA franchise’s basketball operations. McDonough joins the Suns after most recently serving the past three seasons as the assistant general manager of the Boston Celtics, where he assisted Celtics President of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge on all basketball-related matters, while being principally responsible for the draft evaluation of college and international players. He combines the experience of nearly a decade of in-person scouting of prospects across the globe with an understanding of advanced metrics and statistical analysis. During his tenure with the Celtics, Boston made two appearances in the NBA Finals, and claimed the 2008 title.”