Gentry named as Suns coach

PHOENIX: The Phoenix Suns have appointed Alvin Gentry, assistant since 2004, to become interim head coach since the removal of Terry Porter.

Porter was axed four months into his first season, with the club struggling to land a playoff berth in the Western Conference.

"I hired Terry because I believed he would be able to provide the balance our team needed in order to perform at a very high level," general manager Steve Kerr told a news conference at US Airways Center on Monday.