Phoenix Suns start the new year with a lot of changes to organization

PHOENIX - It's been one heck of a month for the Suns.

The team starts off the new year with a win over the Philadelphia 76ers, and follows that up with a five-game losing streak.

They come back to break that streak with an impressive 97-81 win over the Chicago Bulls, but follow that up with two-straight losses to the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Milwaukee Bucks.

The team then mutually parts ways with head coach Alvin Gentry, and in almost comical fashion promotes first-year player development coordinator (whatever that means), Lindsey Hunter, to interim head coach over assistant coaches Elston Turner and Dan Majerle.

Majerle and Turner excuse themselves from Hunter's first few practices before Majerle reportedly resigns with Turner expected to do the same.

To make matters worse, center Jermaine O'Neal gets into a "heated" argument with general manager Lance Blanks, and won't travel with the team to Sacramento after missing Tuesday's practice with an "unstated medical issue."

Still following? Good.

All this does is sum up everything you need to know about the Suns organization for the last few years.

The team's upper management has absolutely destroyed this team that played in back-to-back conference finals not that long ago.

Player moves aside, Gentry was a great coach. He got the most out of what he was given and the players loved him. Those type of guys don't come around all that often.

This is no knock on Hunter as a coach (I've always thought he would make a good one), but his promotion over fan favorite and ring of honor member Majerle is absurd. You don't disrespect someone who means as much to the franchise as Majerle does, and this situation was certainly a slap in the face.

The franchise has never won a championship, and with the way things are currently going, it's tough to imagine any time in the near future when it will.

And that is probably the saddest part of it all.