Suns assistants Dan Majerle, Elston Turner might not join Lindsey Hunter’s staff
Jan 20, 2013, 9:00 PM | Updated: 9:17 pm
The Phoenix Suns found their interim head coach in Lindsey Hunter Sunday, but in the process may have ruffled the feathers of two assistant coaches.
When news came down Friday that Alvin Gentry and the organization had agreed to mutually part ways, both Dan Majerle and lead assistant Elston Turner quickly became obvious choices to fill in for the remainder of the 2012-13 season.
Majerle, who played eight of his 14 NBA seasons with the Suns, had his jersey retired by the organization in 2003 and has been an assistant coach since July 2008.
Turner was an NBA assistant for 14 years with the Houston Rockets, Sacramento Kings and Portland Trail Blazers before coming to the Valley in 2011. He also played eight seasons in the league with the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets.
While both have plenty of playing and coaching experience, Lance Blanks and Co. opted to go with an unproven candidate in Hunter, primarily because of his background in player development. The result, however, has created a sense of unknown regarding the state of the team’s coaching staff heading into Wednesday’s game with the Kings.
“Everyone was offered to stay,” Blanks said when asked about the future of Majerle and Turner with the team. “Lindsey will be meeting with the staff this afternoon and organizing things.
“We do expect that he’ll have veteran support either on or behind the bench with him.”
Neither Majerle or Turner were present for the Suns practice Sunday, and when reached for comment Turner told Arizona Sports 620’s Craig Grialou that he was weighing all of his options.
