Devin Booker, Suns
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Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker will have his fourth coach in four seasons after Mike Budenholzer's firing.
The Phoenix Suns will have a first-time head coach next season.
James Borrego and David Fizdale, two candidates who have previous head coaching experience, were not part of the final five, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
Brooklyn Nets assistant coach Steve Hetzel and Minnesota Timberwolves lead assistant Micah Nori also did not make the cut.
The Suns are moving on to interview Miami Heat assistant coach Chris Quinn, Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coaches Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott, Oklahoma City Thunder assistant coach Dave Bliss and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Sean Sweeney, according to Doug Haller of the Athletic.
Of the five finalists, Ott has the Michigan ties, Haller noted. Ott, who previously worked under Kenny Atkinson, Steve Nash and Darvin Ham, had also worked in support roles under coach Tom Izzo at Michigan, where Suns owner Mat Ishbia was a walk-on varsity.
Ott and Bryant worked under Atkinson who piloted the Cleveland Cavaliers to 64 wins this season but fell short in the second round due, in part, to ill-timed injuries to their key players.
Quinn has worked under Jason Kidd and Erik Spoelstra. The 41-year-old candidate is the most experienced among the group.
Bliss is part of the coaching staff of the Thunder, who became the second-youngest team in the NBA to reach the finals.
The next Suns coach will be their fourth in as many seasons.
5 Guidelines in Phoenix’s Coaching Search
Brian Gregory, Suns
Getty Phoenix Suns newly promoted general manager Brian Gregory has narrowed down the list of their coaching candidates.
At the helm of this extensive coaching search is the Suns’ new general manager Brian Gregory, who has two decades of coaching experience in the NBA but is relatively new as a league executive.
He came up with five guidelines in their extensive coaching search, NBA insider Chris Haynes reported on May 18.
On top of the Suns’ guidelines is that they want the next coach to “build a program from scratch that’s going to consist of holding guys accountable, implementing the structure and making sure there’s discipline within the franchise.”
Their second requirement is that “the coach’s philosophy aligns with ownership and with the front office.”
The third factor they are considering is the defensive background of their next coach.
Haynes clarified that it’s not necessarily that their next coach has worked as a defensive coordinator in his previous stops.
“Even if you’re not somebody who specializes in defense, they want to know your defensive philosophy and also if you were to get the job, who would be your defensive guy,” Haynes explained.
Fourth in the Suns’ check box list is “youthful exuberance.”
“They are looking for somebody with youth and not necessarily age, although age is definitely a factor, but just a youthful exuberance,” Haynes said. “Somebody that can come in and just have a lot of energy and someone who can definitely relate to the players.”
Lastly, the Suns want a coach who can connect with their present and future stars.
Frank Vogel had a disconnect with Kevin Durant. Mike Budenholzer had a “contentious relationship” with Devin Booker.
Suns in Transition
The Suns looking for youth in their coaching search is in line with the team’s new philosophy.
Haynes earlier reported that the Suns are moving on from their failed Big 3 experiment despite bankrolling the most expensive roster led by Durant, Booker and Bradley Beal.
“One thing that I was told is that the Suns want to transition,” Haynes said on “Haynes’ Briefs” on April 18. “They want to move away from the model that they’ve been going after for the previous two years of accumulating star talent, star players and then trying to see if it can mesh on the court. They want to move away from that and they are going to move away from that.
“So, the purpose right now and the goal moving into next season is to accumulate defensive-minded tough players. They want to play a defensive-minded, grind-it-out type of game. They want to have a product on a court that fans can appreciate.”