The Jazz‘s list of candidates for their head coaching vacancy continues to grow, with Shams Charania and Tony Jones of The Athletic reporting (via Twitter) that the team will interview Sixers assistant Sam Cassell for the position.
As Charania points out, Jazz CEO Danny Ainge has some history with Cassell, who played for the Celtics team that won a championship in 2008. Ainge, of course, was Boston’s head of basketball operations at the time.
That title season was Cassell’s final one as a player. He joined the Wizards as an assistant coach from 2009-14, was an assistant for the Clippers under Doc Rivers from 2014-20, and is now once again an assistant under Rivers in Philadelphia.
Cassell hasn’t been linked to any other head coaching jobs this offseason, but has drawn interest as a candidate in past years. In 2021, for instance, he reportedly interviewed with the Celtics and Wizards before they hired Ime Udoka and Wes Unseld Jr., respectively.
As our head coaching search tracker shows, Cassell is the 15th candidate linked to the Jazz, who are casting an extremely wide net as they seek a replacement for Quin Snyder.
Did they interview Frank Vogel?
I wish Cassell was interviewing for our head coaching job instead…oh well. He would be a great hire, but I would hate to lose him.
Honest question: how do you determine if an assistant is qualified for a head coaching position? For instance, in the case of Cassell, how do you separate his input from that of Doc, given that the two have been together for eight years now? Just curious
That’s just it, you really can’t. At best you’re gonna rely on player’s perspectives and maybe their area of expertise (defense minded, drawing up plays).
Even if we don’t know how Sam Cassell the head coach would be, I’d like to find out because we already know what Glen is.
If lue and billups can get jobs why can’t Sam!! Dude pay his dues as a assistant give him a shot
I think Zeke is available.
Finally one team that interviews a worthy HC candidate… that really is news!!!
UTA shall be lucky to hire a coach like Sam Cassell!
What do guys like about Sam Cassell?
I remember him being a smart and effective guard in Houston. I know he used to get teased because of his teeth. That tends to make a person thoughtful or vengeful. I doubt he would’ve lasted as a coach if he had a mean streak. Instead, it shows he’s resilient and persistent in his love for the game.
What else do we know about him?
Just to be clear, nothing about Cassell bothers me. The main question I think the Jazz would have is, how well do any of these coaches relate to their current roster?
Ime Udoka and Monty Williams are two great examples of guys with the temperament I think the Jazz should go for. They’re intelligent but calm and confident.
Steve Kerr and Pop are similar but are a bit high strung. That only works with certain players who are naturally more playful, like Curry with the Warriors and Tim Duncan on the Spurs. Ingles had that similar role with the Jazz in the past. However, even he couldn’t keep the team calm after all the turmoil in January onward.
That’s why I like Coach Jensen. He has those same qualities that would calm a jittery young team. Who else is like that within their current list?