For the first time since 1984 — the last time the Olympics were in Los Angeles, that long ago — the head coach of the Utah Jazz will coach the West All-Stars.
With Utah’s win Monday against Philadelphia, Utah locked up having the best record in the league two weeks out from the All-Star Game, which means Quin Snyder will coach the West. This is not official, but it will soon be reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN.While the league has not officially announced that the game is taking place March 7, if it holds to its typical timeline of selecting the coach of the team with the best record as of two weeks before the game -- which sources say the league intends to do -- then Snyder officially locked up the honor with Utah’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night...
76ers coach Doc Rivers is in line to coach the Eastern Conference in the All-Star Game for what would be the third time in his career, having done so in both 2008 and 2011 when he was coaching the Boston Celtics.
While the Lakers could still pass Utah for the best record in the West before the cut-off date, Frank Vogel coached the team last year, so is ineligible (coaches cannot do back-to-back years).
Snyder deserves the honor, having developed and crafted a Jazz roster with the best record in the NBA, won 18-of-19, and is in the top five in the league in offensive and defensive rating.
The All-Star Game is set for March 7 in Atlanta. It would be a one-day event, not open to the public, with the skills competition and three-point shooting contest before the game and the dunk contest at halftime. Players are not thrilled about going, but it’s an “eat your vegetables” moment because Turner Broadcasting makes more than $30 million on the event — not to mention the sponsor tie-ins and overseas market keeping the television people happy pays the bills. So everyone will be there.
Including Quin Snyder, coaching the West All-Stars.