Jazz reportedly will ask John Stockton about coaching interest
While the Utah Jazz expect to take time in finding a successor to Ty Corbin, they will at least reach out to the NBA’s all-time assists and steals leader.
The Utah Jazz are only in the beginning stages of their head coaching search and have yet to reach out to potential candidates for the job, but sources of ESPN's Marc Stein expect the team to at least "gauge" the interest of 10-time NBA All-Star John Stockton.
Stockton does not have NBA coaching experience and might not enjoy the pubic-facing duties of being a head coach, but he would bring immediate credibility as the league’s career assists and steals leader.
Coaching Search
Stein reports that Utah will use the NBA Draft Combine this week to also sit down with coaching candidates in the first round of interviews, and that the franchise expects the initial list of candidates to include around 20 names.
General manager Dennis Lindsey, who came to Utah from San Antonio, is expected to have Gregg Popovich assistant Jim Boylen on his list, as the two worked together with the Houston Rockets. Chicago Bulls assistant Adrian Griffin, current Jazz assistant Brad Jones, Atlanta Hawks assistant Quin Snyder and European coach Ettore Messina are also considered candidates, according to Stein. Utah, Stein believes, would be willing to consider tapping into the European market of coaches.
But no candidate, from the states or overseas, would bring the excitement of Stockton, who would help take away the sting of Jeff Hornacek, a former Jazz legend and assistant, joining the Phoenix Suns last season after long being considered a candidate to take over for Corbin.
