The San Antonio Spurs have used the D-League as proficiently as any NBA outfit, and in the coming season, they’ll introduce a new coach to continue the tradition -- or, as much of a tradition as a D-League club can have -- in Austin.
Former Toros head coach Quin Snyder is now on Doug Collins’ staff with the 76ers, and according to Scott Schroeder of NBA FanHouse, Brad Jones, the coach of the D-League’s Utah Flash for the last three seasons, will take his place in Austin. Utah parted ways with Jones over the summer, despite making the D-League playoffs this season with a limited roster.
As head coach of the Flash, Jones ran Jerry Sloan’s system and sets, a line on Jones’ résumé which likely piqued the Spurs’ interest. It’s not Jones’ intimate knowledge with the flex per se, but his ability to create and maintain a D-League culture consistent with the team’s NBA affiliate would be attractive in the Spurs-Toros framework.
One of the reasons the Toros have been so successful is because they act as an extension of the Spurs organization. A limb, perhaps. Jones will be expected to run the team in the same capacity, and his experience in navigating a similar, albeit less explicit, relationship in Utah, will undoubtedly come in handy.