The Utah Jazz finished last in the NBA’s Western Conference this season with a dismal 25-57 record.
What better way to revitalize a once-dominant franchise than to hire one of its all-time greats as head coach?
That seems to be the mindset of Utah’s ownership, which plans to reach out to Jazz legend John Stockton to gauge his interest in becoming the team’s next head coach, sources told ESPN.com on Tuesday.
On April 21, the Jazz informed head coach Tyrone Corbin that they would not be offering him a new contract. After taking over for head coach Jerry Sloan near the end of the 2010-2011 season, Corbin compiled a 112-146 record and guided the Jazz to one postseason appearance in 2012, when they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round.
According to ESPN, Utah’s coaching search is expected to include at least 20 candidates, the most popular being Spurs assistant Jim Boylen, who coached at the University of Utah for four seasons.
Along with fellow Hall of Famer Karl Malone, Stockton led the Jazz to the playoffs in every season during his 20-year NBA career before retiring in 2003. He has no prior NBA coaching experience.
Photo via Twitter/ESPNNBA
