shookem

Speculation shadows Suns assistant coach

MICHAEL GRANGE

BASKETBALL REPORTER

PHOENIX — The National Basketball Association is a culture of celebrity, driven by star players and, to a lesser extent, star coaches.

If there were such a category as star assistant coaches — and there's not — the Phoenix Suns' Marc Iavaroni might qualify.

He's been the lead assistant to head man Mike D'Antoni during the Suns' magical run the past three seasons, featured prominently in a recent book about the Suns' 2005-06 season and was chosen the league's second best assistant in a preseason poll of NBA general managers.

He's also been linked to the Toronto Raptors as their next head coaching candidate since the day the Raptors hired Bryan Colangelo as president and general manager, even as current boss Sam Mitchell led the Raptors against the Suns Tuesday night.

"[The speculation] is unfortunate for Sam," Iavaroni said. "Sam's trying to do the right thing and win games, and I don't think anyone in their organization is fanning it, but the league has always been that way — it's only gotten more intense with speculation."

The reasons linking Iavaroni to the Raptors' bench job are obvious: It was Colangelo who hired him away from the Miami Heat, where he worked as an assistant to Pat Riley for three seasons, for the 2002-03 season.

As well, Mitchell is in the last year of his contract, with no talk yet of an extension. Given that part of the deal allowing Colangelo to join the Raptors midway through last season included an agreement that he not hire any Suns' staff until the 2007-08 season, the thinking was that he was biding his time until the candidate he wanted became available.

Whether he lands in Toronto or elsewhere, it's almost assumed that Iavaroni will make the step from lead assistant to head coach somewhere next season.

"He's next in line," Miami Heat boss Pat Riley said last week. "It's just a matter of when someone decides to pull him up off the bench as an assistant coach. I think he's ready."
Globe Sports

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TRON

another first time NBA coach isn't really the best idea IMO, but it seems that he is well respected

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trick

Rookie coach/veteran coach/HOF coach doesn't bother me one bit. I just want the best guy possible.

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TRON

^ I feel ya, but I just don't want to go through the whole "learning on the job" type coach again

The Raps are a fairly inexperienced and young team, and I feel that prior NBA coaching experience would be a huge asset for this team.

no old recycled coaches, but I see what Brian Hill has done in Orlando and what George Karl has done in Denver, even Don Nelson in GS, and I'd like to have that wealth of knowledge working for us.

__________________
"and they aware of us though,
but we don't give a flying 747 **** though,
stayin on my hustle" -Nas

"To be honest, sometimes in this game, telling the truth is the best smokescreen of all." - Raptors GM Bryan Collangelo

flushingflash

lets get lenny wilkins or larry brown....talk about recycled.

madman

IMO Sam has been doing a pretty good job this season

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mysteral

Yeah, if you consider his role is limited to substitute players during the game !

Anyone who knows a little bit about basketball and coaching understands that it's definitely not a great coach...

speedythief

That's a pretty unfair thing to say.

mysteral

I'm not telling that he's a bad coach but not a great one for sure. Compare him with Pop, Jax, Sloan, D'Antoni, Kevin O'Neill... IMO, he definitely needs to improve on X's and O's.

Finally, I'm convinced he's a great guy and that he works hard to improve himself and the team. No doubt about that.

rainman

Larry Brown? You ready to watch Andrea Bargnani waste away at the end of the bench?

Mateo

So he's a defensive specialist, and we all know what a defensive juggernaut the Suns have been the last few years....

seifer0406

bring stan van gundy in here