Quin Snyder

Northwest Notes: Saunders, Waiters, Gobert, Atkins

Flip Saunders was in a coma for nearly six weeks before his death at age 60, writes Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. He had one more treatment left for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when he came down with pneumonia, went into the hospital, and failed to recover, sources told Hartman. Saunders was optimistic in the months leading up to his death, about his own prognosis — saying that he thought he’d return to the team shortly after the New Year — and about the Timberwolves, as Hartman details. The coach/executive predicted a title for the team within three years, though close friends speculated that by that time, he hoped that he could turn over head coaching duties to son Ryan, a Wolves assistant coach, according to Hartman. Saunders was by far the winningest coach in Timberwolves history, going 427-392 over his two tenures in the job, and was the only coach ever to take the team to the playoffs, the Star Tribune’s Jerry Zgoda writes in an obituary. As the NBA mourns, see more from the Northwest Division:

Atlantic Notes: Saric, Kaun, Jason Smith, Carroll

The Sixers apparently wanted to bring Dario Saric over for 2015/16, and Saric shared that desire, reports David Pick, writing for Basketball Insiders. However, the No. 12 pick in the 2014 draft doesn’t have a way to escape his contract with Turkey’s Anadolu Efes until next year. Saric was circumspect when Pick asked him about the idea of coming stateside and the situation with his overseas team.

“It’s really hard for me to answer that,” Saric said. “I can’t comment. I think I’m ready to compete in the NBA, against the best players, but we built a great team in Efes and I want to help the club win a championship.”

In any case, it would seem that Saric is anxious to sign with the Sixers as soon as he can, rather than wait until 2017, when he wouldn’t be bound by the rookie scale, though that’s just my observation. Here’s more from around the Atlantic Division:

  • The most recent talks the Nets have had with the Cavaliers were about Cleveland draft-and-stash center Sasha Kaun, not Joe Johnson, as Chris Mannix of SI.com reports as part of a larger piece. The Nets and Kaun, a 6’11” 30-year-old, have had mutual interest for some time, tweets Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com. The Spurs have also reportedly talked to the Cavs about him. The Johnson discussion is reportedly dormant.
  • The Knicks offered their $2.814MM room exception to Jason Smith, but he turned it down for more money from the Magic, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. New York could have offered as much as $3,933,600 via Non-Bird rights, but agent Mark Bartelstein made it clear there are no hard feelings, as Berman relays. “The Knicks made a great attempt to try to keep him,’’ Bartelstein said.
  • Soon-to-be Raptors signee DeMarre Carroll authored an homage to the Hawks, his former team, in The Players’ Tribune, giving credit to a handful of figures, especially former Hawks assistant Quin Snyder, who’s now head coach of the Jazz.
  • New Raptors D-League one-to-one affiliate Raptors 905 has named Dan Tolzman as its GM and Jesse Mermuys its head coach and assistant GM, the team announced. Both were already employed within the Raptors organization.

Northwest Notes: Snyder, Nuggets, Fisher

In his introductory press conference, new Jazz coach Quin Snyder didn’t oversell the team’s goals, writes Brad Rock of the Deseret News. In regards to his team’s chances to contend, Snyder said, “You know, it’s hard to give specifics. I think (it’s) what I mentioned before about building an identity and not skipping stops in the process, and trying to do something that will last, where you can become a playoff team and become a playoff team for a long time.” When asked about the franchise’s ability to attract free agents, Snyder responded, “I mean, in a manner of speaking, I was a free agent.” He also applauded the Jazz ownership’s commitment, the practice facilities, and the tradition of loyalty, saying Utah is “an attractive place,” notes Rock.

More from the Northwest Division:

  • One major similarity that the two teams in the NBA Finals share is continuity, writes Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post. Neither the Spurs nor the Heat favor rash decisions or overreacting to adversity and making changes just for the sake of change, notes Dempsey. This is something the Nuggets need to emulate if they want to establish a winning culture, Dempsey opines.
  • Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman looks at Derek Fisher‘s career options for the future which include coaching or moving into a front office role with a franchise.
  • In a separate article, Mayberry grades Fisher’s final season as a player with the Thunder.

Jazz Hire Quin Snyder As Coach

6:53pm: The team has officially announced the deal. CEO Greg Miller expressed optimism regarding Snyder’s potential at the helm of the Jazz.

“On behalf of the Miller family, I welcome Quin Snyder as the new head coach of the Utah Jazz,” said Miller.  “He has an impressive basketball pedigree, including more than a decade of head coaching experience that positions him well to succeed in the Jazz organization.  We look forward to Quin’s contributions both on the court and in the community.”

5:42pm: The team will hold a press conference to introduce Snyder as coach tomorrow, a source tells Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

4:41pm: Quin Snyder will be the next head coach of the Jazz, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (Twitter link). This report has also been confirmed by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The deal will include three guaranteed years, plus a team option for a fourth, tweets Wojnarowski. Financial terms have not been disclosed. This will be Snyder’s first time as an NBA head coach. He previously served as head coach for Missouri from 1999 to 2006, and complied a career record of 128-96 for the Tigers.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey has worked previously with Snyder when Lindsey was assistant GM for the Spurs and Snyder was the coach of San Antonio’s D-League affiliate from 2007 to 2010. Snyder was one of four rumored finalists for the position along with Adrian Griffin, Alvin Gentry, and Jazz assistant coach Brad Jones. Jones is expected to be retained and promoted to assistant head coach, reports Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link). Former University of Utah player Alex Jensen will also be promoted from his position as player development coach to become a full-time assistant on Snyder’s staff, writes Genessy in a separate article.

Snyder was a candidate for the Sixers, Bobcats and Suns last summer, and was also a candidate for the Bobcats job back in 2012, when he was also among those in the running for the Magic’s vacancy.

Jazz Notes: Jones, Vonleh, Favors, Kanter

Jazz assistant Brad Jones is indeed a candidate for the head coaching position, but he could also be in line for an assistant job on the team’s new staff if they go with Alvin Gentry, Quin Snyder, or Adrian Griffin as the hire, tweets Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune.  After having spent the 2012-13 season in charge of player development, Utah promoted Jones to a full fledged assistant in July of last year.  Being appointed as head coach would mark a very rapid climb up the organizational ladder for Jones.  The latest out of Utah..

  • A source tells Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link) that the Jazz saw Indiana big man Noah Vonleh workout privately last week in New York.
  • After attending Utah’s pre-draft workout yesterday, Jones learned (link) that the organization sees Derrick Favors as a center, not as a power forward.  Because of that, the Utah front office is confident that Vonleh can come in and play alongside Favors without any trouble (link).  Meanwhile, if the Jazz see Favors as a five, that raises some questions about how they view Enes Kanter (link).
  •  Utah State big man Jarred Shaw and Weber State guard/forward Davion Berry are among the 12 players working out for the Jazz this morning, tweets Aaron Falk of the Salt Lake Tribune.  Neither player is featured on DraftExpress’ Top 100.

Four Favorites Emerge For Jazz Coaching Job

3:00pm: Snyder appears to be the front-runner, but the team likes Gentry, Griffin and Snyder, too, Genessy tweets.

THURSDAY, 2:48pm: Jazz assistant Brad Jones is also on the team’s “short list” for its head coaching job, along with Gentry, Griffin and Snyder, Genessy hears (Twitter link). Presumably, Jones is the unknown candidate whom Genessy referred to on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY, 4:20pm: Gentry, Griffin and Snyder remain the top candidates for the job in the wake of their second interviews, while Boylen is no longer a candidate, reports Jody Genessy of the Salt Lake Tribune. There is an unknown fourth candidate in the mix, too, Genessy says (All Twitter links).

MONDAY, 10:43pm: Clippers associate head coach Alvin Gentry will have a second interview with the Jazz on Tuesday, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

SATURDAY, 5:18pm: Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin and Hawks assistant Quin Snyder will both interview a second time for the Jazz head coaching vacancy, sources tell Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune. Snyder was already believed to be a front-runner for the job, and Griffin now joins him at the front of the pack. A third, unnamed candidate could also still be in the running, sources tell Jones.

Griffin, also linked with the Cavs opening, is gaining steam toward landing his first head coaching gig. Jones adds that the Knicks are now apparently interested in the defensive specialist’s services for their head coaching position. Snyder hasn’t been reported as a candidate for any other NBA teams.

This presumably leaves one or both of Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry and Spurs assistant Jim Boylen out of the running for Utah’s vacancy, depending on whether either represent the unnamed candidate still under consideration. Both Grififin and Snyder are young, up-and-coming coaches, and if the Jazz are narrowing their search to meet that profile, Gentry wouldn’t fit the bill. Boylen is working within the highly successful and respected coaching corps of Gregg Popovich, but there is some antipathy for him in Utah due to his unsuccessful run as head coach at the University of Utah. Other names that have been linked as potential candidates include Jazz assistant Brad Jones and European coach Ettore Messina.

Quin Snyder Among Front-Runners For Jazz Job

Quin Snyder is a leading candidate for the Jazz’s head coaching vacancy, multiple sources tell Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first identified the Hawks assistant as among many in contention for the vacancy last month, but apparently he’s surged close to the head of a shrinking field. The team had planned on interviewing more than 20 candidates, but Snyder is “very high on a short list,” a source tells Genessy, and team president Randy Rigby said on 1280 The Zone that the club is “well into the project” of selecting a coach, Genessy notes.

Adrian Griffin and Alvin Gentry remain in the running for the job, and Jim Boylen, who earlier appeared to be the favorite, is still a possibility, according to Genessy. Utah has interviewed Griffin and Gentry, but it’s unclear if the team’s done so with Snyder and Boylen, or if the club has interviews scheduled with either of them.

Snyder was a candidate for the Sixers, Bobcats and Suns last summer, and was also a candidate for the Bobcats job in 2012, the same summer he was among those in the running for the Magic’s vacancy. The Jazz opening is the only one he appears to be in contention for this time around, but Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant share respect for Snyder, who served as a Lakers assistant coach in 2011/12.

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey also has ties with Snyder, having worked with him when Lindsey was assistant GM for the Spurs and Snyder was the coach of San Antonio’s D-League affiliate from 2007 to 2010, as Genessy notes. The 47-year-old Snyder also served a season as an assistant for the Sixers and coached under Ettore Messina for CSKA Moscow in Russia. Messina was at one point this spring seemingly a co-favorite with Boylen for the Jazz opening, but Genessy doesn’t mention him among the shrunken field of candidates.

Lakers Rumors: Calipari, Scott, Snyder

There’s no immediate favorite for the Lakers head coaching job, vacant following Mike D’Antoni‘s resignation Wednesday evening. The team hasn’t reached out to many potential candidates yet, tweets Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, and Bill Oram of the Orange County Register paints it as a wide open race (Twitter link). The Lakers aren’t in a hurry to choose D’Antoni’s replacement, unless they feel like they’re about to miss out on someone they really like, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, who says the draft and free agency are greater priorities for the team. Still, there’s news about a few intriguing candidates, as we detail:

  • Kevin Ollie, Alvin Gentry, Mike Dunleavy Sr., George Karl, Kurt Rambis, Calipari, Scott, Fisher, and Jeff Van Gundy are on the Lakers’ initial list, Shelburne tweets.

Earlier updates:

  • Kentucky coach John Calipari took himself out of the running via his own Twitter account (hat tip to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv). “Before it starts, I’m totally committed to helping this group of young men reach their dreams,” Calipari wrote. “I wouldn’t and couldn’t leave this group!”
  • Byron Scott, in an interview with Time Warner Cable Sports Net, confirmed a report that he’s interested in the job (video link). He’s a favorite of the Buss family, Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding notes.
  • GM Mitch Kupchak and Kobe Bryant share respect for Hawks assistant Quin Snyder, Ding writes in the same piece.
  • The Lakers have been fond of Jeff Van Gundy, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com points out (video link).
  • The job holds “tremendous appeal” to Derek Fisher, a source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Thunder guard is likely to retire after the season.
  • Bryant likes Scott, Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Ettore Messina, but the Lakers star won’t drive the team’s search, Wojnarowski writes in the same piece.
  • Messina, the elite European coach who spent 2011/12 as a Lakers assistant, downplayed the idea that he’ll become coach, and he said the Lakers haven’t contacted him, Pincus reports.
  • Lionel Hollins is among those interested in the job, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Latest On Jazz Coaching Search

APRIL 28TH: Genessy has received further indication that Boylen is the lead candidate for the job (Twitter link). That’s in spite of a comment from Jazz president Randy Rigby last week asserting that the club had yet to identify any potential replacements for Corbin.

APRIL 23RD, 4:21pm: Hawks assistant Quin Snyder is also a candidate, Stein hears (Twitter link). Snyder worked with Lindsey in San Antonio, as Stein points out via Twitter, noting that he also spent time in Russia as an assistant under Messina.

TUESDAY, 1:59pm: Current Jazz assistant Brad Jones has also drawn mention as a potential candidate, Stein writes, though the ESPN scribe casts Boylen and Messina as the favorites. Still, neither Boylen nor Messina is likely to become available until June as their respective teams play on in the postseason. If Lindsey decides Boylen is the right choice, he wouldn’t allow the sentiment of locals turned off by Boylen’s poor performance at the University of Utah to dissuade him, according to Stein.

9:30am: Rumored candidate Jim Boylen is indeed in the running for the Jazz head coaching job, tweets Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune, and the Spurs assistant is at the top of the list, a source tells Mike Monroe of the San Antonio-Express News. The Jazz will also consider longtime European coach and former Lakers assistant Ettore Messina, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Jazz are perhaps more open to hiring a European coach than any other NBA team, a source tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link). The name of Bulls lead assistant coach Adrian Griffin has come up in regard to the Jazz as well as other teams of late, Genessy tweets. Griffin was a candidate for the Sixers and Pistons last year and the Blazers in 2012.

Utah GM Dennis Lindsey and assistant GM Justin Zanik are well-known fans of Messina, who’s apparently itching to come to the NBA, Stein says in a pair of tweets. Messina is the coach of CSKA Moscow, though his roots are in Italy, where he coached for more than a decade and a half and established himself as one of Europe’s top sideline bosses. Critics say he’s too tough on players to succeed as an NBA coach, though proponents point to his year of experience as an assistant in the NBA with the Lakers 2011/12, when the team had plenty of title-winning veterans, to suggest that he can succeed, Stein tweets. Messina was a candidate for the Hawks head coaching job last year.

Boylen’s connection to Lindsey dates back to their time together in the Rockets organization. They share the same agent and have a close relationship, Jones tweets, though Boylen’s time as coach of the University of Utah, a tenure marked by back-to-back losing seasons in his final two years, would be viewed as a negative, according to Jones, as well as Stein (Twitter link).

It’s unlikely that the Jazz’s next coach will be a retread, Jones says via Twitter. Lindsey insisted that the team hadn’t considered any candidates before announcing Monday that Tyrone Corbin wouldn’t be back, as fellow Tribune scribe Aaron Falk observes. Lindsey didn’t rule out the idea of Corbin remaining with the organization in a different capacity, Jones tweets.

Hawks Notes: Snyder, Adonis Thomas, Camp

After entering the offseason with more cap space than virtually any other NBA team, the Hawks didn't end up landing one of the summer's top free agents, but came away with a decent haul that included Paul Millsap, Jeff Teague, and Elton Brand, among others. As he looks back at the offseason and ahead to training camp, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution passes along a few tidbits on the Hawks, so let's round those up….

  • As was previously reported, Atlanta assistants Quin Snyder and Kenny Atkinson both interviewed for the Sixers' head coaching opening before Brett Brown was hired. However, Snyder withdrew his name from consideration before a decision was made, according to Vivlamore.
  • Adonis Thomas will likely be invited to Hawks training camp, though nothing is official yet. The former Memphis Tiger went undrafted in June, but played for Atlanta's Summer League squad in July.
  • The Hawks are a good bet to carry 14 players on their regular-season roster, since GM Danny Ferry likes having some flexibility for that 15th spot, writes Vivlamore. However, the team still figures to add more players to its camp roster. In addition to Eric Dawson and David Lighty, Atlanta will probably bring two to four more players to camp, including a guard and a small forward.