The Utah Jazz were dealt a massive blow on Sunday when head coach Quin Snyder unexpectedly stepped down after eight seasons at the helm. Snyder's departure reportedly left Jazz star Donovan Mitchell “surprised and disappointed.” Executive Danny Ainge held a news conference on Monday and got brutally honest on the former head coach's surprising exit, per the Associated Press.
“We have spent the last few weeks talking, Quin and I, a lot about a lot of different things. And I think it’s pretty clear, we desperately wanted him to stay,” team CEO Danny Ainge said during a news conference Monday, a day after Snyder announced he is leaving. “And at the same time, I’ve walked away from coaching and I walked away from being a general manager after 18 years in Boston, and so I trust that Quin knows more what’s best for him and his family, much more than we do.”
Ainge said that the Jazz “desperately wanted Snyder to stay.” However, the former Celtics general manager also said that he understood the family perspective of Snyder's decision, having made such a move in his own career.
It's not hard to see why the Jazz wanted Snyder to stay. In eight seasons, his teams posted a losing record just twice. Under Snyder, the Jazz made the postseason in six consecutive seasons, the first time they accomplished such a feat since the days of John Stockton and Karl Malone.
Anyone would have wanted Snyder to stay. Unfortunately, he didn't. His departure will force the Jazz into a head coaching search they likely never thought they'd have to have this NBA offseason.
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