Last spring, Sean Sweeney was a coach in demand. A San Antonio assistant, who was coming off a successful stint on Jason Kidd’s staff in Dallas, had just helped steer the Spurs to its first Finals appearance since the Tim Duncan Era. Suddenly, teams were interested in moving him over one seat on the bench.
Sweeney, though, was determined to be selective. “I was fortunate with how good things were going in San Antonio,” Sweeney said on the Open Floor podcast. He made a short list of jobs he would jump at if one opened up. Orlando was on it. The Magic had John Hammond, who Sweeney worked with in Milwaukee, in the front office. They had Arnie Kander, who Sweeney worked alongside in Chicago, running its medical staff. And they had a roster that, from afar, Sweeney admired.
