Deandre Ayton reveals he has not spoken to Suns head coach for months / News - Basketnews.com

Deandre Ayton says he has not spoken with the Suns head coach Monty Williams since Game 7 elimination against the Mavericks in May.

Credit: AP – Scanpix Credit AP – Scanpix

The Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton says he hasn't spoken with head coach Monty Williams since the Suns were eliminated in a Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks in May.

Deandre Ayton

Position:C, PFAge:24Height:211 cmWeight:113 kgBirth place:Nassau, BahamasProfileNewsStatistics

The Suns were stunned 123-90 in that Game 7 loss, while Ayton was benched for most of the second half and played only 17 minutes.

Ayton was okay with the idea of leaving the Suns during the summer as he had signed a four-year, $133 million offer sheet with the Indiana Pacers before but the Suns matched using his restricted free agent rights.

The Suns' center spoke to the media in the first team practice on Tuesday, revealing he has not spoken with head coach Monty Williams for several months.

"I haven't spoken to him at all, ever since the game," said Ayton

"I can show him better than I can tell him. It's life. Nobody cares about the uncomfortable nature of it, it's how you perform and what you bring to the table. What's said is already said," added the center.

Ayton is in a strange situation, as he agreed to a contract with another team but will stay in Phoenix, but the player says he will take a business approach.

"When I'm in between those lines, man, I work. I know I'm not playing for myself. I have an organization across my chest and a name on my back I have to represent, I'm just here to work," Ayton explained his attitude.

There was plenty of opportunity for Ayton and Williams to talk to each other as Ayton worked out at the Suns' facility for weeks leading up to training camp, but Williams decided to give players some personal space.

"I think 1-on-1s are always needed between guys I've been around for a while. Some guys need it and some guys don't," said Williams.

"I'll identify that as the season progresses. I'll talk to everybody as I always do during camp and it won't be an issue at all," Williams added.

Williams revealed that he addressed the Game 7 loss with the team on Monday.

"So much has been made of Game 7 but we addressed that last night as a team. I put it to bed last night," said Williams.

Despite the benching in a crucial Game 7, Williams says he still believes in Ayton and that the benching was blown out of proportion.

"He's just too good of a player, and he's a good dude. There's times where you bump heads on certain issues, but that doesn't define a person in totality," said Williams.

"And I think sometimes that stuff just gets blown out of proportion and rightfully so, when you don't know all the facts," Williams concluded.

Last season Ayton averaged 17.2 points and 10.2 rebounds per game in 58 showings.

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