2:06 pm: Heat assistant Chris Quinn has also moved onto the second stage of Phoenix’s coaching search, reports Jake Fischer of The Stein Line (Twitter link).
1:17 pm: The Suns appear to be narrowing down their search for their fourth head coach in as many seasons.
According to veteran NBA insider Chris Haynes (YouTube video link), new Phoenix general manager Brian Gregory has selected eight candidates to advance to the second round of the process. Previous reporting indicated that the Suns had initial conversations with over 15 candidates.
As Haynes details, that eight-man group consists of Mavericks assistant Sean Sweeney, Suns assistant David Fizdale, Pelicans assistant James Borrego, Cavaliers assistants Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, Nets assistant Steve Hetzel, Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, and Thunder assistant Dave Bliss.
Among these eight finalists, only Fizdale and Borrego have prior head coaching experience on their resumes.
As Haynes notes, Fizdale previously turned down a head coaching offer from former Suns owner, Robert Sarver, instead accepting an ill-fated gig as the head coach of the Knicks, which lasted just over a year. All told, Fizdale has a cumulative 71-134 regular season record during his stints with the Grizzlies and Knicks. He led Memphis to one playoff berth during his debut season as the team’s head coach.
Borrego was the interim head coach in Orlando for the end of the 2014/15 season, and served as the head coach with Charlotte from 2018-22. He boasts a 148-183 overall regular season record and has yet to lead a team to the playoffs.
Reports earlier this spring indicated that Phoenix would likely be targeting a younger head coach following brief stints with Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer at the helm. As Haynes observes, this group of names is consistent with that aim — 51-year-old Nori and 50-year-old Fizdale are the oldest of the eight candidates, most of whom are in their 30s and early 40s.
The Suns brass is hoping their next coach can “build a program from scratch,” according to Haynes, who says the team is emphasizing discipline, accountability, and a philosophical alignment with majority owner Mat Ishbia and the front office. Phoenix is also prioritizing coaching candidates with defensive backgrounds.
A coach who can effectively work with star players is another important consideration, even if the Suns ultimately move on from Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and/or even Devin Booker in the near future. According to Haynes, the head coaching decision may have an impact on how the team moves forward with its stars, since it’s possible Budenholzer’s replacement will have a preexisting relationship with one or more of those players or will hit it off quickly with them.
The expectation is that the Suns will eventually reduce their coaching candidate pool from eight candidates to three finalists, reports Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).
Will the owner stay out of the GM office and coaching this time is the question?
As a Suns fan it would be infuriating but as a someone who isn’t it’s kind of funny to watch
Suns are one of those teams where the billionaire owner thinks he can buy a championship and meddles in the team.
This is the best job in the NBA. Hopefully you get at least 4 years and you will get fired in less than a year. 3 years sitting on a beach collecting those checks.
What a horrible organization after they got new owners. Pay people to do their jobs and quit trying to make decisions on your own.
Brian Gregory is probably the worst head coach that Georgia Tech has had in the past 75yrs at least. It’s absolutely crazy that he’s a NBA GM.
But hey Steve Kerr is a decent head coach & he was terrible as GM of the Suns so maybe it’ll work in reverse & BG will be a decent GM since he was a terrible head coach.
Worse AD in 75 years too 😂. Gregory never should’ve gone there
Nori coached the TWolves in the playoffs last year after Finch tore his knee ligament.
Borrego coached a terrible roster to the play-in after improving by 10 wins in B2B seasons.
At the end of their exhaustive search, I hope that they hire Fizdale. It will be final and fitting end to the initial Ishiba years.