Jerry Sloan has withdrawn his name from the Bobcats’ coaching search and it appears that the Bobcats have narrowed their decision down to veteran assistant coach Brian Shaw and former Missouri head coach, and Lakers assistant, Quinn Snyder.
The Bobcats’ coaching position could be the first to fall among the three teams with coaching decisions to make this summer. But it also appears that they are last in line with many believing, and Sam Amick of Sports Illustrated reporting, that Shaw prefers potential jobs in Orlando and Portland to be better than Charlotte.
Michael Jordan might have to wait until the Magic make their general manager decision, expected some time early next week, or the Trail Blazers name their new coach before he gets his man.
Snyder’s name as a finalist goes to his meteoric rise in NBA circles.
Snyder fit in well in his first year with the Lakers as an assistant coach under Mike Brown. He quickly took to the NBA’s pick and roll schemes and contributed positively to the team this year. His NBA experience is not deep, but includes a head coaching stint with the Austin Toros of the D-League and a position as director of player development with the 76ers.
He is probably most known for leading the Kareem Rush-era Missouri Tigers to several Sweet Sixteen appearances and one trip to the Elite Eight. His brand of basketball was one of the more fun styles of the early 2000s in college basketball.
With the Toros, he went 128-96 and went to the playoffs in each of his three years at the helm.
It would be a big step up — not to mention a lot of work — if he were called upon to rebuild the Bobcats.
The Lakers might be going through something of a coaching crisis. They lost assistant coach and adviser Ettore Messina this summer already, as he returned to coach CSKA Moscow after a year in the NBA. Brian Shaw already departed the team after the Lakers opted for Mike Brown as head coach. There are also rumors that assistant coach and apparent defensive guru Chuck Person is in line to become a head coach soon.
To say the least, Mike Brown and his lead assistant, John Kuester, have to fill out their assistant coach spots and rebuild a Lakers team that is not going to expect anything short of a championship.
