Valley of the Suns
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Valley of the Suns Live! The Igor Kokoškov Edition!

By Adam Maynes

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Assistant Coach Igor Kokoskov of the Utah Jazz looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - APRIL 21: Assistant Coach Igor Kokoskov of the Utah Jazz looks on during the game against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Three of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 21, 2018 at vivint.SmartHome Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Did you miss Valley of the Suns Live! on Monday April 30? No worries! I’ve got you covered! Watch below as we discussed the Phoenix Suns’ head coaching search!

Now that we know that Mike Budenholzer and Dan Majerle are out of the running as the potential next head coach for the Phoenix Suns, many are wondering who the next head coach is going to be, and if they are going to have to settle for a middle of the road, re-tread candidate, or if they are going to find someone not only with the pedigree, but the intelligence and know how to make the Suns back into a perennial playoff team.

Many Suns fans seem to have their ideal candidate in Igor Kokoškov, former Suns assistant coach, and current assistant for the Utah Jazz. He interviewed with the Suns on Monday, his second, and just might be the leading candidate for the job now that Jay Triano has been told that he will not receive a second interview himself.

Kokoškov seems ideal for two particular reasons: he already has a connection to the Phoenix Suns and specifically knows owner Robert Sarver – obviously being able to work with an owner who is known to be perpetually meddling is a strong quality – and he also has ties to potential Suns first round pick, Luka Doncic.

Now, the Suns would be foolish  to hire Kokoškov with the expectation that they are going to draft Luka simply because they have no guarantee that they will be able to select him anyway. The odds on favorite for the first overall pick is Arizona’s own DeAndre Ayton, and if they slip to third in the lottery, and certainly fourth, then odds makers would say that Luka will already be off the board. Kokoškov must be able to to coach and coach up  whoever is on the roster regardless if Luka is there or not, which must be Phoenix’s deciding factor.

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Plus who knows, Kokoškov might very well tell Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough that he doesn’t believe that Luka’s game would translate to the NBA, or that he is too much of a project, or that he believes that DeAndre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, and any number of other players might be better than Luka both now and/or in the long run. No one else in the NBA has the kind of connection with Luka that Igor does, and if anyone would have the absolute goods on the likely top-3 player, it would be Igor Kokoškov.

Valley of the Suns Live! streams every Monday evening at 6pm AZ on Twitter, Periscope, and YouTube. This is the regular ONLY live Phoenix Suns show in the world, and worth not only catching, but joining in! The conversation is live and the interactions are immediate! Join us!

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