Wolves' Micah Nori reportedly not among finalists for Suns head-coaching job

Nori, 51, is well-respected within the Timberwolves organization and the NBA at large, and has been considered for several head-coaching positions in recent years. Last season, Nori interviewed for the open Detroit Pistons coaching job that went to J.B. Bickerstaff, the Los Angeles Lakers job that went to J.J. Redick and he reached the in-person interview phase for the Cavaliers job that went to Kenny Atkinson. Nori appears destined for a head-coaching position eventually.

Whether that's this year or down the line remains to be seen. But Nori has been a large part of Minnesota's success. His focus lies on the defensive end, and the Wolves featured the top-ranked defense in the league last season and the No. 6-ranked defense this year. Nori has also assumed interim coach duties on the rare occasion Finch hasn't been on the sideline, and handled in-game duties last playoffs after Finch tore his patellar tendon in the first round against the Suns.

With Nori as a key piece of the coaching staff, the Wolves have made four straight playoff appearances, including back-to-back runs to the Western Conference finals — a first in franchise history.

While Nori is not among the finalists for the Suns job, there is still a local connection in Sweeney, the Mavericks assistant. The St. Paul native played college basketball at Wis.-Green Bay and St. Thomas, and also coached locally as an assistant at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Sweeney, who's also become an up-and-coming coach around the league, had previous NBA stops with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets under Jason Kidd. He followed Kidd to Dallas in 2021.

It appears Nori is out of the running, but Sweeney could become Phoenix's fourth head coach in as many years. The Suns fired Monty Williams after the 2023 season, did the same to Frank Vogel after the Wolves swept them last year and let go of Mike Budenholzer, who won a title with the Bucks, after this season. Phoenix will look to end an era of coaching turmoil.

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