The Phoenix Suns are continuing their “thorough” interview process for their vacant head coach job opening, sources inform The Arizona Republic over the weekend.
The Suns fired Monty Williams two days after losing Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals by 25 points to Denver. The top-seeded Nuggets swept the Lakers in the conference finals to reach the NBA Finals for the first time.
Williams coached the Suns to the 2021 NBA Finals and the league’s best record the in the 2021-22 season with a franchise-best 64 wins, winning the league’s coach of the year honors, but lost Game 7 to Dallas by 33 points in the West semifinals.
Nick Nurse is one of the finalists for the position. Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported the former Raptors coach interviewed with the 76ers and Suns last week.
The 76ers fired Doc Rivers after a couple of days after they dropped Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals at Boston.
Rivers is also a finalist for the Suns position along with Frank Vogel, Suns associate head coach Kevin Young and Sacrament Kings assistant Jordi Fernandez, The Republic confirmed last week.
Vogel (Lakers, 2020) and Rivers (Celitcs, 2008) won NBA championships as head coaches.
Young joined Phoenix’s coaching staff going into the 2020-21 season. He was elevated to associate head coach when Willie Green became head coach in New Orleans the following season.
The Raptors fired Nurse after going 41-41 this season and losing to Chicago in the play-in tournament. Nurse coached Toronto to its lone NBA championship in 2019.
Pompey also pulled out of the running for the Milwaukee head coaching position. The Bucks are looking to hire Adrian Griffin, ESPN’s Wojnarowski tweeted last week.
Griffin was Nurse’s assistant in Toronto. The remining coaching vacancies are in Philadelphia, Toronto and Detroit.
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Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on Twitter at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Phoenix Suns continue interview process for head coaching position
