Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Former Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel, former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts and New York Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant are reportedly among the candidates to replace Quin Snyder, who stepped down as the Utah Jazz head coach Sunday.
Marc Berman of the New York Post reported Vogel could receive an interview for the opening, though he noted Stotts is viewed as the “early favorite.” Meanwhile, Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic provided a longer list of candidates.
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Two more Jazz head coaching candidates on the initial list: Bucks assistant Charles Lee and Suns assistant Kevin Young, sources tell me and <a href=”https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Tjonesonthenba</a>. <a href=”https://t.co/arICswqY2S”>https://t.co/arICswqY2S</a>
The Jazz are coming off a 49-33 season that ended with a first-round loss to the Dallas Mavericks in the playoffs.
It was a disappointing season for the Jazz, who ended the regular season with a 22-23 mark in their final 45 games. Utah had also finished first in the Western Conference standings the year before but fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the playoffs.
Still, Snyder did a good job in Salt Lake City and left the franchise as the second-winningest coach in team history behind Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan. Snyder ultimately finished 372-264 and led the Jazz to playoff appearances in each of the past six seasons.
The page has turned to a new era, though, with Snyder now leaving Utah. Vogel and Stotts are the biggest names in the search thus far.
Vogel just recently finished a three-year stint with the Lakers, one that saw him help the franchise to an NBA title in 2020. The team did, however, fail to reach the playoffs—or even play-in game, for that matter—this past season after putting together a 33-49 record.
Vogel has a 431-389 record throughout 11-year career as a head coach. He also has stints with the Indiana Pacers (250-181 from 2010-16) and the Orlando Magic (54-110 from 2016-18).
Stotts is two years removed from a successful nine-year tenure as the Portland Trail Blazers coach (2012-2021). During that time, he went 402-318 and led the team to the playoffs in each of his last eight seasons. The Blazers’ playoff peak occurred in 2019, when they made the Western Conference Finals.
Stotts has been named as a candidate for the only other remaining head-coaching opening in the league in the Charlotte Hornets. Per Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic on May 17, the Hornets planned to interview Stotts for the role.
As for Bryant, it’s a matter of if and not when the 36-year-old gets his chance to lead an NBA sideline. He’s already familiar with Utah after serving as an assistant under Snyder from 2014-2020 before leaving for the Knicks and working under head coach Tom Thibodeau.
Bryant, who starred as the University of Utah’s point guard in the mid-2000s, also worked for the Jazz as a player development assistant from 2012-2014.
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
For the latest news and updates, follow us on Google News.
