Jazz's Quin Snyder rumored as possible replacement for Frank Vogel as Lakers head coach, per report

Frank Vogel has been on the hot seat for months. The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly came close to firing him earlier in the season after a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets, but ultimately held off sensing that an in-season change would do little good. Should the Lakers fail to advance beyond the play-in round or lose early in the postseason, though, Vogel's fate appears to be sealed. It is likely only a matter of time before the Lakers make a change, and according to Marc Stein, one name is already being floated as a possible replacement: Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder.

The Lakers would have their work cut out for them in pursuing Snyder. The Jazz coach is under coach beyond this season, so Utah would not have to let him leave. Even if they did, the Spurs are also a rumored destination for Snyder, who has coached the Jazz to a 58.3 winning percentage since 2014. Snyder has worked for both the Spurs and Lakers in the past.

According to Stein, the Jazz have been unsuccessful in their attempts to extend Snyder's contract. The veteran coach has lost before the conference finals in the past five postseasons, and if the Jazz bow out early yet again, they might be more open to a change. Right now, Utah is slated to earn the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference and face the red-hot Dallas Mavericks in the first round.

Though the Lakers have made a number of financially motivated decisions that have played out poorly on the basketball court this season, they have the resources to make Snyder a very compelling offer if he is available. The chance to coach LeBron James and Anthony Davis would also likely appeal to Snyder.

Of course, none of this matters if the Jazz are unwilling to let Snyder go. Whether or not they are willing to do so remains unclear. The GM who hired Snyder, Dennis Lindsey, left the organization during the offseason in part because of reported issues with their relationship. New team owner Ryan Smith hired former Celtics president Danny Ainge as the team's CEO, and new executives often prefer to hire their own coaches. Snyder is the rare case of a coach who is so desirable that a new GM might make an exception. It will likely depend on how the Jazz perform this offseason. If they finally make the championship push they've spent years building toward, Snyder won't go anywhere. But if more disappointment comes, both sides will likely keep an open mind about a split. If they do, the Lakers should be at the front of the line when Snyder becomes available.

Comments

Klay Thompson to sit out Warriors preseason games in Japan as Kerr says he needs more time to ramp-up

Klay Thompson may have returned healthy to the Golden State Warriors last season, but the scars from his two missed seasons are still quite visible. The Warriors played their first of two preseason games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and will play another on Sunday, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson will not be playing at all during the trip to Japan. "Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up," Kerr said before Friday's victory over Washington. "He's just not quite ready to play at this point just based on where, you know, we're so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games." Typically, so little time to ramp up wouldn't be a problem for a veteran in a preseason context. The games tend to be so low-impact and demand so few minutes out of a team's best players that they can safely jog through them. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played 1...

Shaquille O'Neal says Dennis Rodman was his worst teammate: 'He was a great player, but he made it hard'

Shaquille O'Neal played for six franchises over a 20-year NBA career. That's a lot of teammates. Speaking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champion and Hall of Famer revealed which one of those teammates was the worst. "Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman," O'Neal said. "He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants. So we had to be there an hour before the game. He'd come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds." O'Neal played with some characters in his time. We know about his beef with Kobe Bryant, who we know wasn't always the easiest teammate to get along with, though Shaq has long expressed regret over the way he and Bryant handled their relationship as young superstars, and eventually, he ...

Kevin Durant injury update: Nets rule star out for home-and-home vs. Raptors, hopeful for return later in week

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however. "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get...

Crossover World

Search This Blog