The Utah Jazz and Jerry Sloan had become synonymous with one another. After being joined at the hip for 23-years, Sloan, unannounced, decided that parting ways with the franchise would be in his best interest, doing so during the 2010-11 season. Replacing the Hall of Fame head coach was Tyrone Corbin, who would go on compile a losing record in four seasons.
Desperate for a new leader, Utah enlisted the help of Quin Snyder. Through his willingness to push his superstars to their physical limits, Snyder enjoyed eight successful seasons in Utah, putting together a record of 372 wins against only 264 losses, to go along with six postseason appearances. But while Snyder proved that he was one of the better coaches from an Xs and Os standpoint, he recently stepped down from his head coaching position.
All involved, including superstar two-guard Donovan Mitchell, were taken aback by the news. Ultimately, despite his postseason shortcomings, Utah was in no rush to show Snyder the door. However, in spite of the franchise publicly backing him, and regardless of his stellar run, Snyder was unable to shake his mental battles that occurred following Utah’s 2021 flameout against the LA Clippers in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Are the LA Clippers to blame for Quin Snyder’s resignation?
Bestowed with the best record in the entire NBA during the 2020-21 regular season, the
expectations were high for Utah heading into postseason play. After making quick work of the Memphis Grizzlies in the opening round, winning in five games, Utah appeared perfectly positioned to make a trip to the Western Conference Finals. With a 2-0 lead against the Clippers in the following round, Utah was ostensibly in the driver’s seat.
However, trepidation set in as LA fought their way back, winning the next two games to even up the series. Yet, despite picking up the victory in Game 4, Utah gained confidence as Kawhi Leonard, LA’s best player, was forced to miss the remainder of the series due to a torn ACL.
Nevertheless, Paul George and the rest of his Clipper teammates ushered Utah out of the playoffs, winning the next two games without their star. Although Snyder attempted to put on a brave face and put his loss to LA behind him, it was recently revealed that no matter how hard he tried, Snyder was simply unable to move past his gigantic meltdown.
“Snyder went into a deep funk because of that,” said Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune. “A funk that he never completely shook this past season, largely on account of personnel deficiencies that were not solved from the previous playoff loss.”
Although unintentional, LA now stands as one of the primary factors for Snyder’s decision to move on. Be that as it may, they aren’t losing any sleep. With Leonard set to make his return before the start of training camp and with the additions of Norman Powell and Robert Covington refortifying their bench, LA has emerged as one of the title favorites next season.