Reports: Phoenix Suns eying nine candidates for head coach job

• It was the second year in a row in which the Suns fired a head coach after a single season.

Zoom in: NBA insiders Chris Haynes, Marc Stein and Jake Fischer reported the Suns are considering the following candidates, all assistant coaches with their current teams:

• Dave Bliss of the Oklahoma City Thunder
• James Borrego of the New Orleans Pelicans
• Johnnie Bryant and Jordan Ott of the Cleveland Cavaliers
• David Fizdale of the Phoenix Suns
• Steve Hetzel of the Brooklyn Nets
• Micah Nori of the Minnesota Timberwolves
• Chris Quinn of the Miami Heat
• Sean Sweeney of the Dallas Mavericks

The intrigue: The list shows a change in direction for Suns owner Mat Ishbia, who in each of the past two seasons hired a former NBA championship coach to lead the Suns.

• The candidates are all assistants, and most have no head coaching experience.

• Fizdale was head coach of the New York Knicks and Memphis Grizzlies, while Borrego led the Charlotte Hornets and was interim head coach for a partial season with the Orlando Magic.

Zoom in: The Suns are looking for a young, defensive-minded coach who can connect with the stars, is aligned with the front office and can build a program from scratch, Haynes reported.

What's next: John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports reported that the Suns are "probably a week away" from narrowing the list to three finalists.