Curt Miller was attempting to lead the Connecticut Sun over the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA Finals of 2022 only 33 days ago. After serving as the head of the Los Angeles Sparks for seven years, he is now moving to the opposite coast.
Although Miller’s departure seems sudden given that the Sun just advanced to the championship game, Connecticut still have the personnel to win a championship. Alyssa Thomas, Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner, and Jasmine Thomas make up their core, which has enough strength to compete in 2023. To make the most of its veteran-heavy roster, the front management must make the proper decisions when hiring the next head coach and general manager.
According to a recent Next Hoops article, the search has already started.
“While the organization would prefer to hire a general manager first, given the concurrent searches by both the Dallas Wings and the Indiana Fever, it is expected that the Sun will waste no time in creating a list of finalists as soon as this weekend.”
There is already one apparent candidate within the company to take Miller’s job as upper management starts to explore the coaching market. Miller worked with Brandi Poole for 17 years at both the college and professional levels as his senior assistant. She already knows some of the people on the roster and is familiar with how the business runs.
However, there are several possibilities inside the league from which to choose. Latricia Trammell, the assistant coach for the Sparks, may very likely end up at Mohegan in 2023 with Miller on his way to Los Angeles. Trammell has been a part of the Los Angeles Lakers organisation since 2017, and he also served as an assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs for three years. Pokey Chatman, an assistant coach for the Seattle Storm who guided the Chicago Sky to a championship appearance in 2014, could be a different contender. She might be the seasoned coach the Sun are looking for. Emre Vatansever, the current top assistant coach for Chicago, has coached both domestically and overseas. He would undoubtedly be qualified to serve as the head coach of a team like the Sun.
Since Miller served as both the head coach and general manager while with the Sun, Connecticut is also looking for a new general manager. Amber Stocks is one individual who has disappeared during her stint with the Chicago Sky. Stocks was able to complete one of the biggest deals in WNBA history, despite the fact that her team’s performance on the court didn’t improve during her time as head coach. The Sky had little influence because Elena Delle Donne had asked to be traded to the Washington Mystics. But Stocks was able to transform a disgruntled Delle Donne into a 2017 all-star Stef Dolson, the No. 2 overall choice in the 2018 draught (who became a 2019 all-star Diamond DeShields), and Kahleah Copper, who is currently one of the top two-way players in the WNBA. For any team searching for assistance in the front office, stocks should be taken into account.
The new head coach and general manager will need to agree on the kind of basketball the team will play before taking over. The organization’s perception of Brionna Jones, the current Sixth Woman of the Year and a 2022 all-star, will have a significant impact on that. Bri Jones, Jonquel Jones, Thomas, and Bonner overlapped quite a bit in the front court, and the squad is lacking in backcourt depth behind Thomas, who is coming off a season in which she only played five games after tearing her ACL. They could deploy an all-big team and physically punish their opponents, or they could let Bri Jones leave in free agency and use their salary cap to improve their guard play.
Several teams are fighting for the services of some of the top WNBA coaches in free agency, which begins in just a few months. Along with competing in the near term, there is a sense of urgency to replace two positions. If Connecticut has what it takes to win its first championship ever will depend on the decisions made by the organisation on the field and in the front office.
Curt Miller’s abrupt departure shouldn’t end the Sun’s chance of winning the championship, according to ClutchPoints.
