Worrying update on next Suns' head coach has outsider still in running for job

The Phoenix Suns continue to look for their next head coach before getting down to the business of making some roster changes ahead of next season, and we know that progress is being made to find the next leading man in The Valley. The organization seemingly having entered the third stage of interviews, narrowing their search down even further.

It has long been thought that the Suns are going to move away from a veteran head coach who has won it all in the past - like Frank Vogel and Mike Budenholzer - and instead opt for a first-timer who can grow with Devin Booker and the rest of the roster they put around him. As long as Booker is up for taking a step back to then hopefully jump forward into contention, that makes sense.

David Fizdale is somehow still in the running for the top job.

One name that is rumored to still be in the running - to the surprise of many - is David Fizdale, who has been on the Suns' coaching staff for years. Initially it was no surprise to see him get an interview, he was owed that for being a part of the organization during this period. It wasn't even a shock to see him advance a couple of rounds either, he has the experience of being a head coach in the past.

But now that we are getting down to the final round of interviews, the fact Fizdale's name is being brought up at all goes against the supposed direction the Suns are meant to be heading. If another veteran is what they're after, then surely there are bigger names out there who they should be contacting? Mike Malone of the Denver Nuggets being one such example.

Already we've discussed why keeping Fizdale around in the same capacity as before looked to be the move here. That way if a first time head coach wasn't working out, they could be canned midway through the campaign and Fizdale could see them through yet more choppy waters. This would also have been a way to keep Fizdale himself interested in sticking around Phoenix as well.

But as Marc Spears took to social media to point out, Fizdale has the backing of some key Suns players at this stage. Reading between the lines, and you have to imagine that means Booker. It could also include Bradley Beal - as although most fans don't see him as a key piece of the future - he very much is exactly that until further notice.

Having the backing of a franchise's best players is a powerful tool, and it has clearly helped Fizdale get to this point in the process. If he does somehow come up the inside to take this job, there will be plenty of reasons to worry as well. Fizdale's previous stops with the Memphis Grizzlies and New York Knicks were hardly home runs, while he has been a part of some awful coaching staffs in Phoenix too.

The idea was to break from what clearly hasn't worked for the organization across the last two seasons, and hiring Fizdale in that role would go against all of that. It is also fair to wonder - given how owner Mat Ishbia continues to make hiring decisions that not everybody can get on board with - if that is a bad sign as well. The Fizdale train keeps rolling though, and it might just go all the way.