There’s been widespread speculation that Quin Snyder could be out as the Utah Jazz head coach following a first-round exit in the 2022 NBA Playoffs.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN pretty much put an end to this speculation on Sunday with a report that Snyder has opted to resign after eight seasons.
All of this comes amid suggestions that Jazz general manager Justin Zanik could break up the core two of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert after years of playoff failure.
With Snyder opting to leave the Jazz, a replacement will not immediately be known. It’s all about how Zanik plans to forge ahead with Utah’s roster. If the team plans on retooling rather than rebuilding, a veteran head coach makes sense. If it’s a rebuild, Utah might want to go the youth route.
Below, we look at the top four candidates to replace Quin Snyder as the Utah Jazz head coach after news that he plans on resigning.
Related: 3 ideal Rudy Gobert trade scenarios from the Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz promote Dell Demps to head coach
There’s a chance that Utah goes in-house to find a replacement for Snyder. That could come in the form of this former NBA player turned general manager. Demps, 52, served in that role with the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans fom 2010-19 before taking an assistant gig under Quin Snyder in Salt Lake back in 2020.
Demps has obvious experience in the player development department. And while he has no head coaching experience, that could come in handy if Utah opts for a large-scale rebuild.
The only thing potentially stopping this is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ interest in bringing in Demps to work under new front office head Tim Connelly.
Utah Jazz hire Jerome Allen to replace Quin Snyder
Jazz executive Danny Ainge could tap into his relationships with forme Boston Celtics assistants. There’s a large number of individuals who could very well interest him should Zanik sign off.
Allen, 49, might make the most sense of that group. He served under fomer Celtics head coach and current team president Brad Stevens from 2015-21. Prior to that, the former NBA player spent six seasons as the head coach for the Penn Quakers. Most recently, Allen has served as an assistant for the Detroit Pistons. The only issue here is a bribery scandal that took Allen down with Penn.
Related: Despite rumors of turmoil, Donovan Mitchell wants to stick with Utah Jazz
Utah Jazz go with experience, add Terry Stotts to the mix
Stotts was fired by his former Portland Trail BLazers team after a first-round exit in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. It ended an eight-year tenure that saw him lead Portland to seven consecutive appearances in the postseason.
Stotts was a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers’ job before they opted for Darvin Ham. He remains in on the Charlotte Hornets’ opening. His experience could make sense if Utah opts to go with a veteran roster in 2022-23. Whether Stotts’ failures in the playoffs leads to hesitation on Utah’s part remains to be seen.
Utah Jazz hie Mike D’Antoni
A change of philosophy on the bench would make sense for Utah if the team does indeed trade Rudy Gobert. That would mean going with a more up-tempo offensive attack. If so, D’Antoni would legitimately be the best potential fit.
D’Antoni, 71, led these types of offenses dating back to his days with the Phoenix Suns. Houston’s head coach from 2016-20, that team also ran an up-tempo attack. D’ntoni combines a scheme fit with previous success to meet the potential criteria for Utah.