The Suns changed coaches for the third time in three seasons. Fired Frank Vogel just one season later, only to be swept out of the playoffs by the Timberwolves this season.
A year ago, Vogel replaced Monty Williams, who was fired after losing to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals series. Under the leadership of new owner Matt Ishbia, both have high expectations, especially after the Suns get Beal, form a "big three" with Booker and Durant, and the championship is their goal.
The Suns also face competition from the Lakers, who are looking for a coach to replace Davin Ham. Who are the potential coaches for the Suns?
Mike Budenholzer
Budenholzer is a championship coach who has had success as head coach of both the Hawks and the Bucks, leading the Bucks to a championship in 2021. He also served as an assistant coach with the Spurs for a long time. A two-time NBA Coach of the Year, Budenholzer has a regular season record of 484 wins and 317 wins and a 56-48 playoff record in 10 seasons.
Whether coaching the Hawks or the Bucks, Budenholzer has assembled a team that excels both offensively and defensively. The Bucks parted ways with him after a first-round exit last season, and for a team trying to succeed in a short period of time (the Suns), Budenholzer could quickly move the team in the right direction.
Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts has served as the head coach of three teams – the Hawks, Bucks and Trail Blazers. His longest tenure was nine seasons with the Trail Blazers. He led the Trail Blazers to a 402-318 record and helped the Trail Blazers reach the playoffs eight times in a row. One time in the Division Finals (2019) and the other two in the Division Semifinals.
Stotts, who is a very offensive coach and is very good at directing the game late in the fourth quarter of a close game. Stotts did not return to the Trail Blazers after the 2020-21 season, taking a job on Griffin's Bucks staff last season. Stotts resigned as assistant coach after the Bucks traded for Damian Lillard, and he was also a good option for the Suns.
Taryn Lue
It's no surprise that Tyronn Lue's name is on the Suns' list of potential coaches. The same is true for the Lakers, whose contract expires for the 2024-25 season, and both seem to want a contract extension. It seems that the Suns and Lakers will have to pay a lot of price if they want to get him, after all, he is also a head coach with championship experience.
As a coach, I have to admit that he still has two brushes and is respected by today's players, and knows how to handle relationships with various stars such as James and Irving, he may not be capable enough, but his emotional intelligence is definitely a big cut above others.
Scott Brooks
Brooks was the head coach of the Thunder and Wizards. In 2010, he led the Thunder to their first playoff appearance and was named Coach of the Year. During his tenure with the Thunder, Brooks led the team to the playoffs for five consecutive seasons, including reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2012 and losing to the Heat. After the 2016 season, the Thunder failed to make the playoffs, and he was fired.
With the Wizards, Brooks led the team to the playoffs for three seasons but never won the second round. Fired after losing to the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2021 play-offs. For the past three seasons, he has been an assistant to Billups with the Portland Trail Blazers.
David Adelman
Adelman began his career with the Minnesota Timberwolves until 2016, when he became an assistant head coach for the Magic, under Vogel. After just one season in Orlando, Adelman left the Magic to join the Nuggets. Adelman is currently with the Nuggets and is the lead assistant coach under Michael Malone. Excellent championship experience also makes him very competitive
J.J. Reddick
Redick is a highly sought-after coaching option, and given his lack of coaching experience, he is probably the riskiest of all the coaches available. After all, no one wants to hire someone who doesn't have any coaching experience, he worked as an assistant coach for a short time after retiring, but it was not for a long time, and the accumulated experience was really limited, which was an important reason why he was not competitive.
What's more, now he is a basketball blogger, and the work of a coach and commentator is different, which puts a big question mark on the coaching level of the people's team, not to mention that any team has not hired him as an assistant coach, and the owner of any team will not put the future of the team on such a person, even if he has a good shooting percentage in his career.