3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach

3 candidates to replace Quin Snyder as Utah Jazz head coach: 1. Terry Stotts

Terry Stotts seems to be a candidate for every open coaching job this summer. He’s running out of opportunities, but the Utah job might actually be the best fit for him.

Stotts was a great head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers, but when the messaging became stale, he and the team parted ways. It was a successful run, but he never got the franchise over the hump. This would be a good chance to redeem himself by helping another franchise do so instead.

The veteran coach is familiar with the terrain. While he doesn’t boast the same Utah connections as others, he did coach in one of the more anonymous NBA markets, one in the same division as the Jazz. He’ll be familiar with the opponents facing the Jazz, as they haven’t changed drastically in the year Stotts has been sidelined.

And while his connections aren’t as strong as those of Bryant and Jensen, they aren’t nonexistent. In fact, Stotts spent some time observing the team during his time away from the coach’s chair this season.

Of the reported list of initial candidates, Stotts is the only one who has been a head coach in the NBA before. His experience easily trumps other possibilities, as Utah would be his fourth stop, even though Portland was the only other successful one.

Stotts appeared to be a finalist for the Lakers gig, which ultimately went to Darvin Ham. The fact that he was close suggests Stotts interviewed well and has the look of someone who can be a head coach once more.

Terry Stotts would bring experience and respectability to the role. While his background is similar to Quin Snyder’s, he could be the perfect blend of continuity and difference to carry the Utah Jazz forward.