Coaching career
Turner later moved to the NBA, with the Sacramento Kings (six years) and the Portland Trail Blazers (four). In 2007, he rejoined Rick Adelman's staff at the Houston Rockets. [1]
In 2008, Turner was interviewed twice [2] for the Phoenix Suns' head coach position that became vacant when Mike D'Antoni left, [1] but was not hired. [3]
In 2009, Turner was interviewed for the vacant Minnesota Timberwolves head coach position. [4] Turner, Mark Jackson, and Los Angeles Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis were the three finalists for the job, [5] and Rambis was the Wolves' ultimate choice. [6] [7]
In 2010, Turner was interviewed for both the Philadelphia 76ers' [8] and the Chicago Bulls' vacant head coaching positions. [7] They were eventually taken by Doug Collins and Tom Thibodeau, respectively. [9] Also in 2010, the Rockets allowed Turner to talk to the L.A. Clippers about its vacant head coaching job. [9]
In 2011, Turner was interviewed for a defensive coordinator position for the Phoenix Suns along with the Milwaukee Bucks' coordinator Jim Boylan, the San Antonio Spurs' coordinator Don Newman, and the Golden State Warriors' coordinator Pete Myers. [10] Turner signed a two-year contract, becoming the Suns' fifth assistant head coach, with Bill Cartwright, Dan Majerle, Igor Kokoškov, and Noel Gillespie.
In 2012, Turner was interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers' head coach position. [11] He, Terry Stotts, Steve Clifford, and then-interim coach Kaleb Canales were the four finalists for the job. [12] Ultimately, Turner was not hired. [13] In January 2013, he resigned from his position with Phoenix. In September 2013, the Memphis Grizzlies hired him as an assistant coach. [14]
In 2016, Turner rejoined the Sacramento Kings as an assistant coach. [15] In 2019, he returned to the Rockets as the lead assistant coach who was added to focus on running defense—former assistant Jeff Bzdelik’s role. [16]
On August 31, 2021, Turner joined the Minnesota Timberwolves as an assistant coach. [17]
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team was founded in 1989. Its majority owner is Glen Taylor, who also owns the WNBA's Minnesota Lynx. The Timberwolves play their home games at Target Center, their home since 1990.
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