Pistons assistant Porter interviews for Suns' job

[MapleLeaf]

From espn.com

The Phoenix Suns have begun their coaching search in earnest by interviewing Detroit Pistons assistant coach Terry Porter.

Suns president Steve Kerr told ESPN.com that he flew in and out of Detroit on Thursday to meet with Porter, his former teammate for two seasons in San Antonio.

Porter, who posted a 71-92 record in a two-season stint as Milwaukee's head coach from 2003-05, is believed to the first to formally meet with the Suns.

Other candidates who have been mentioned prominently are Suns assistant general manager Vinny Del Negro, part-time Utah Jazz coach Jeff Hornacek, ESPN analyst Mark Jackson, Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis, three-time NBA head coach Paul Silas, Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau.

Jackson was to interview with the Suns on Friday, ESPN confirmed.

Houston media reported Thursday that the Rockets have given permission to the Suns to interview assistant coach Elston Turner, who was to interview next week, according to the Houston Chronicle.

"I'm excited," Turner said, according to the Chronicle. "I'm looking forward to it, very much looking forward to talking about it and seeing if I'm the kind of guy they're looking for."

Porter had not surfaced in speculation before Thursday, suggesting that -- as Kerr warned recently in an interview with The Arizona Republic -- the early guesses in circulation about the Suns' pecking order are just that.

"I don't think anybody has a clue," Kerr told the newspaper. "I have my list."

Kerr has also made it clear that he plans to be "thorough and methodical" and might need "a month" to settle on a replacement for new Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni.

"There's not a huge rush because we're not one of five or six teams out there looking for someone," Kerr said. "So we don't feel like we're competing with other people."

Yet Kerr has never hidden his fondness for Porter, calling him "one of the best people I've ever met in the league" in a 2003 column Kerr wrote for Yahoo! Sports.

This is Porter's second season as an assistant to Flip Saunders in Detroit. He spent one season as an assistant to Rick Adelman in Sacramento in 2002-03 before landing the Milwaukee job, taking the Bucks to the playoffs in his first season (41-41) before a 30-52 mark in 2004-05 resulted in his dismissal.

In an interview in Thursday's editions of The Chicago Tribune, Kerr said: "What's interesting is that there are no obvious candidates now. It's not like there are really prominent former head coaches out there. Once D'Antoni was off the market, it kind of changed things."

 

[AirForceFlash_3]

IMO, it should be Rambis or Jackson or Porter. One of those 3 that they feel fits best. The best option would be Avery Johnson, but it looks like they don't want him. Jackson seems to have the most upside for this job but the Suns need to win NOW and not in the future so who knows, they'll probably go with Porter or Rambis.

 

[DJT]

They just interviewed him a 2nd time....hmmmmm.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Terry Porter is expected to be interviewed for a second time by the Phoenix Suns later this week.

Porter joined Detroit Pistons coaches and players at their practice facility on Saturday, the day after the Boston Celtics eliminated them in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The Suns have been searching for a head coach since Mike D'Antoni resigned to lead the New York Knicks. Candidates include Porter, Houston Rockets assistant Elston Turner and former NBA player and TV analyst Mark Jackson.

Porter was Flip Saunders' lead assistant in Detroit the past two seasons. He led the Milwaukee Bucks' from 2003-05, helping them win 41 games and earn a spot in the 2004 playoffs. His coaching career started as a Sacramento Kings assistant in 2002.

Suns general manager Steve Kerr was one of Porter's teammates during his 17-year career with Portland, Minnesota, Miami and San Antonio.