The hot name in NBA coaching circles: Jay Wright, who just led Villanova to the national championship.
Mitch Lawrence of Sporting News:
Fresh off NCAA title, Villanova’s Jay Wright has emerged as the top choice of the Phoenix Suns to become their head coach, per NBA sources.
— Mitch Lawrence (@Mitch_Lawrence) April 7, 2016
I’m a little skeptical, considering the source.
- Lawrence reported Sean Marks was leaning toward not becoming the Nets’ general manager. Marks took the job.
- Lawrence reported the Clippers and Nuggets discussed a Blake Griffin trade. While technically true, that probably mischaracterized the situation.
- Lawrence reported the Nets approached Tom Thibodeau about coaching them. Thibodeau remains a free agent, and Brooklyn since hired Marks, who probably wants to hire his own coach.
- Lawrence reported the Hornets asked the Nets about a Bogdan Bojan Bogdanovic trade. Charlotte traded for Courtney Lee, and Bogdanovic remains with Brooklyn.
- Lawrence reported Josh Harris wants to sell the 76ers and put an NFL team in London. Philadelphia denied it, and Harris still owns the 76ers.
None of these outcomes make Lawrence wrong. Maybe Marks leaned toward rejecting the job before accepting it. Maybe it’s the fault of anyone who read too much into a technically true report on Clippers-Nuggets trade talks. Maybe the Nets talked to Thibodeau before hiring Marks. Maybe the Hornets asked about Bogdanovic but opted for a different trade. Maybe Harris wants to sell the 76ers and just hasn’t yet.
This is a long way of saying Lawrence provides a lot of smoke for never showing a fire.
Could the Suns hire Wright? Maybe. But will Wright remain Phoenix’s top choice once it gets the opportunity to interview others who are still coaching out the NBA season? Would Wright leave college for the NBA?
It’s worth monitoring the Suns’ interest, but this is a long way from something meaningful happening.