Phoenix Suns Coaching Search Continues: Who Can Live up to the Expectations?

The Phoenix Suns have finally stated that they have narrowed the coaching search down to four top candidates.

“Our interview process is probably completed. There may be a few more phone conversations, but…we’ve whittled down the list and we’re zeroing in on our goal,” stated Steve Kerr.

Those four candidates are Tyrone Corbin, assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, Elston Turner, assistant coach for the Houston Rockets, Mike Budenholzer, assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs, and Terry Porter, assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons.

The first coach on the list is the assistant coach for the Utah Jazz, Tyrone Corbin.

He played in the NBA from 1985 to 2000 for nine different teams. He has been the assistant coach for the Jazz under Jerry Sloan for the past four years. Tyrone currently works on skills development with front-line players like Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur. He has coached the team’s summer league for the last three years.

The second candidate for the position is Elston Turner.

He played eight years in the NBA for three different teams. He also played five seasons in the CBA and three years in Europe after his NBA career. Turner was always noted for his defensive ability. He has been an assistant coach under Rick Adelman for the past 11 years with Portland, Sacramento, and Houston.

The third coach on the list is Mike Budenholzer.

He has never played professionally in the NBA. He has been an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for 12 seasons. He also served as an advance scout for the USA in the 2004 Olympics. He played professionally in Denmark for the Vejle Basketball Klub, averaging a team high 27.5 points per game.

The last candidate (and rumored front runner for the position) is Terry Porter. 

He played in the NBA for 17 seasons for four teams and retired as being one of the few players to have never been traded in his entire career. He is the only candidate with head coaching experience, as he coached the Milwaukee Bucks for two years.

He was an assistant coach for the Sacramento Kings in the 2002–2003. He has been the assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons since the 2006–2007 season and is not expected to take over for the recently fired Flip Saunders.

Steve Kerr stated “Terry was great … I think very highly of Terry going back to when we were teammates together in San Antonio. He got a chance to come in and kind of share some more thoughts and views of our team and a vision for our future, so it was a good meeting.”

Now that the Suns have narrowed down the pack to four contenders it is rumored that their will be a decision made by the end of the weekend.

All four candidates have assistant coaching experience and Terry Porter has been a head coach for two years. Three of the four coaches have had NBA careers. They all come with great qualifications and are looking to make a name for themselves in the league as a head coach.

Whoever does fill the position has a lot of expectations hanging over their head.