Cleveland Cavaliers: 5 long-term candidates to replace head coach John Beilein
3. Alex Jensen
Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen has been consistently mentioned as one of the NBA’s top coaching prospects for a few years now, and this wouldn’t be the first time he was considered for a head coaching gig — by the NBA at large and by the Cavaliers. It also wouldn’t be the first time he was considered for a job left vacant by J.B. Bickerstaff:
Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen interviewed today in Memphis for the vacant Grizzlies head coaching job, league sources tell @omarisankofa and myself. Jensen is also expected to interview in Cleveland this week, league sources say
— Tony Jones (@Tjonesonthenba) April 30, 2019
Jensen has history with the Cavs apart from that interview, serving as head coach of the Canton Charge, Cleveland’s G League affiliate, from 2011-13. He won D-League Coach of the Year honors in 2013 before becoming a Jazz assistant that same year. He’s been in Utah ever since, and has also served as an assistant on the German national team since 2015.
Known for his background in player development, especially with bigs like Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, Jensen might be able to work wonders with a guy like Andre Drummond (assuming he sticks around in Cleveland beyond this summer).
If Drummond exercises his player option, or chooses to re-up with Cleveland for the long haul, having the guy who helped turn Gobert from a raw prospect from France into a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star center certainly wouldn’t hurt.