The Suns are placing greater emphasis on player development, with former NBA guard Lindsey Hunter heading up the team's efforts after a season as a college scout.

"We're trying to put together a system where we're no longer looking for outside influences to create a better product," Hunter said. "We want to do it right from the interior. A lot of people say, 'You got to go get better players,' which is true. But you have to make what you have better and we're serious about it now."

Lance Blanks intends to hire a young former NBA big man and make the staff available to players at all hours.

"This is really important to me," Blanks said. "It's not something that was needed. What the organization was doing worked. It won at a very high level. Different personnel and situation. This will create a lot of continuity between front office, coaches and training staff."