Latest News Surrounding Utah Jazz Coaching Search
Matters continue to get worse for the Utah Jazz following yet another disappointing exit in the NBA Playoffs, as Quin Snyder, who has been with the organization since the start of the 2014-15 season, resigned from his position as head coach of the franchise on June 5.
After spending eight seasons with the team, taking them to the playoffs six different times and posting an overall 372-264 record during his tenure in Utah, Snyder decided that he needed some time to think about his future in this league, even though he still had some time left on his contract with the Jazz.
At 55-years-old, Quin Snyder will be receiving a ton of interest from other teams looking to fill their head coaching void, but it seems like he is prepared to sit out the 2022-23 season entirely.
It is also important to note that because he had a guaranteed year left on his contract with Utah, the Jazz have the right to block Snyder from coaching next season, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon.
Now, with Snyder gone, the Utah Jazz are left scrambling for answers about what the future of their organization looks like with the NBA Draft and free agency rapidly approaching this offseason.
As to who the Jazz will look to replace their long-time head coach with, there are some mixed feelings around the league as to who Utah actually wants to succeed him.
The list of potential candidates reported by several outlets include the follow:
- Alex Jensen (Utah Jazz assistant)
- Lamar Skeeter (Utah Jazz assistant)
- Johnnie Bryant (New York Knicks assistant)
- Will Hardy (Boston Celtics assistant)
- Joe Mazzulla (Boston Celtics assistant)
- Adrian Griffin (Toronto Raptors assistant)
- Charles Lee (Milwaukee Bucks assistant)
- Kevin Young (Phoenix Suns assistant)
- Terry Stotts (former Portland Trail Blazers head coach)
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported two new names to be added to the long list above in former Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and most previously Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and long-time Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn.
Starting with Vogel, he was relieved of his duties by the Lakers in April after the team failed to make the postseason. While injuries played a huge role in their downfall, Los Angeles posted just a 33-49 record, their least amount of wins since the 2016-17 season.
Coaching them to a championship during the 2019-20 season in the NBA Bubble did not seem to matter in this decision, as Vogel’s job security had been in jeopardy all season long after a disappointing playoff exit in 2021, leading him to being a potential replacement for Quin Snyder now in Utah.
As for Heat assistant Chris Quinn, he has been in the Miami Heat organization as a coach since 2014 after spending three seasons there as a player from 2006-2009. At 38-years-old, Quinn is one of the more well-respected assistants around the NBA after spending the last eight seasons being a part of head coach Erik Spoelstra’s staff.
Being a very “hands-on” coach that has developed terrific relationships with his players throughout the years, Quinn has been at the forefront of the Miami Heat’s coaching staff and has been one of the main factors in their ability to develop overlooked and undrafted talents such as Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Duncan Robinson and others throughout the years.
The Utah Jazz posted the best record in the NBA during the 2020-21 season and while they did advance to the Western Conference Finals, taking an early 2-0 lead on the Los Angeles Clippers, they eventually fell in six games to the Clippers, causing a lot of unrest within the organization.
This past season, the Jazz once again posted an impressive record at 49-33, just three fewer wins than the previous year, yet they claimed the 5-seed in the West and failed to make it out of the first-round against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
With changes going on within this front-office over the last few seasons and now Quin Snyder stepping down, this is a pivotal time for the Utah Jazz to prove that they are in fact a contending team in this league. He may be under contract through the 2025-26 season, but if the Jazz do not hit the nail on the head with this current coaching search, All-Star Donovan Mitchell’s future in Utah will suddenly become very much in doubt.
Out of all of the head coaching candidates noted above, only Stotts and Vogel have prior coaching experience, which could give them an edge over others for this position should Utah be looking for a more well-established coach that knows what it takes to win in the postseason right now.
Both Alex Jensen and Lamar Skeeter could also have an edge given that they have spent time as assistants on Quin Snyder’s staff through the years and already have a level of trust built with Utah’s current roster and front-office.
As for the other candidates, Johnny Bryant was with the Jazz as an assistant and player development coach from 2014-2020, Will Hardy and Joe Mazzulla have been instrumental in the success of the Boston Celtics, who currently find themselves in the NBA Finals representing the Eastern Conference, and Bucks assistant Charles Lee has been mentioned as a candidate that has interviewed for other head coaching jobs around the NBA over the last couple of seasons.
Having a long list of potential candidates, the Utah Jazz are prepared to move forward with interviews and it is widely expected throughout the league that they will be selecting one of the eleven names outlined above.
Replacing Quin Snyder will not be an easy thing for the Jazz to do and with uncertainties surrounding this organization heading into the offseason, Utah’s future as a playoff contender in the Western Conference is in doubt.
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