In this Feb. 2011 file photo, Scott Layden, left, sits next to Utah Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin in Salt Lake City, UT. The San Antonio Spurs have hired Layden as their assistant general manager, according to a new report.
Jeffrey D. Allred, File, Deseret News
SALT LAKE CITY —The Utah Jazz suddenly have a job opening.
And they no longer have a Layden on the payroll.
Assistant coach Scott Layden is headed to San Antonio to take a gig as the Spurs' assistant general manager, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports.
Layden will replace the Jazz's new general manager, Dennis Lindsey, in San Antonio. The longtime Jazz employee's departure leaves a vacancy on third-year coach Tyrone Corbin's staff.
Corbin and Lindsey could not be reached for comments on the report.
Layden, a former GM with the Jazz and the Knicks, has been an assistant coach under Corbin and Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan in Utah since 2005. Prior to that, he spent four-plus seasons in New York as general manager and as president (two years) from 1999-2003.
Before his stint in New York, Layden was with the Jazz from 1981 through '99, starting as a scout and assistant coach under his father, Frank Layden. The younger Layden was credited for helping convince Jazz management to draft future Hall-of-Famers John Stockton and Karl Malone in the mid-1980s and for putting together a two-time NBA Finals squad in the late 1990s.
Layden was not interviewed for the Jazz's recent GM opening, which was filled by Lindsey a month ago after Kevin O'Connor relinquished his general manager duties.
Spurs' brass, including coach/president Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford, brought Layden to San Antonio for an interview this past Monday. Rockets' vice president of player personnel Gersson Rosas was also a candidate, Yahoo! reported.
The Yahoo! report also reiterated how "golden" of an opportunity being on the Spurs' staff is considered in the NBA. Lindsey (Jazz), Danny Ferry (Hawks), Sam Presti (Thunder) and Dell Demps (Hornets) have all become GMs after working with Popovich and Buford as assistant GMs in San Antonio.
Layden's exit leaves Corbin with one month to find another assistant coach to fill out his staff, which also includes Jeff Hornacek and Sidney Lowe.
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Jody is a sports writer who covers the Utah Jazz for the Deseret News (yeah, rough life). He also writes about his fitness/health journey and triathlon exploits in his "Losing It!" column. He has been with the paper since more ..
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I hate to see Scott leave the Jazz, but wish him well. I, too, would really like to see Stockton fill the vacancy. However, if Stockton wanted to coach in the NBA, he certainly would be by now. I can't imagine that he hasn't been More..
Hire Stockton!
Scotty is a very engaging person and I wish him well. I think everyone will come out a winner here. Scott will be back in management where he wants to be, and the Jazz can bring in another assistant coach with better actual NBA playing experience.