X

Suns HC Rumors: Interim Coach Jay Triano Part of Phoenix's Search

Kyle Newport@@KyleNewportX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistMarch 23, 2018

Phoenix Suns coach Jay Triano watches his team play the Denver Nuggets during the first half of an NBA basketball game Friday, Jan. 19, 2018, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
David Zalubowski/Associated Press

As the Phoenix Suns begin to search for a head coach, interim coach Jay Triano is a candidate to take over permanently.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Phoenix general manager Ryan McDonough revealed that Triano will get an opportunity to interview for the full-time position. 

"This is going to be a competitive marketplace," McDonough said, per Wojnarowski. "There are three of us (Phoenix, Milwaukee and Memphis) with interim coaches in place, and we want to be able to hit the ground running. We don't want to have to wait until the end of the regular season for candidates who aren't with teams now. At the end of the regular season, we'll be able to talk with coaches on non-playoff teams and we'll need to work with playoff teams on what their approach will be on contacting (assistant) coaches still in the postseason."

Per Wojnarowski, Triano's agent requested that the organization wait until the end of the regular season to engage his client, allowing the coach to focus on basketball for the remainder of the season.

Triano took over as interim coach back in October after Earl Watson was fired following a 0-3 start to the season that saw the then-coach clash with Eric Bledsoe, who would later be traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Things have not gotten much better under new leadership as the team is tied for the worst record in the NBA at 19-53.

Of course, a coach can only do so much.

Phoenix has talented pieces on the roster, such as rising star Devin Booker and last year's No. 4 overall pick, Josh Jackson. In fact, it's the 59-year-old Triano's work with Jackson that could help him land the job.

“Those two have spent a lot of time together watching film,” McDonough told Greg Moore of AZCentral Sports in early March. “I think that’s a little bit unique for a head coach to watch the film himself with one of his young, up-and-coming, star players and not delegate that to somebody else. But the fact that Jay was able to take a young, talented player like Josh and show him what he was looking for and what the defense was doing and how he was being guarded, that really helped him.”

Per Wojnarowski, the Suns plan to be aggressive in free agency and on the trade market this summer—not to mention that they could have three first-round picks in June's draft. Adding pieces around their cornerstone players would make any coach's job easier after the franchise has had a rough 2017-18 season.

Even though Triano has not been able to pile up wins as the interim coach, he's clearly made an impression on management as he works to develop young talent through growing pains.