Sources: Turner on the rise in Suns' eyes

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. – He has a home in Roseville and a job in Houston, and now Elston Turner also has an opportunity somewhere near NBA heaven.

A longtime assistant to Rick Adelman with the Kings and this season with the Rockets, Turner has quietly advanced from early-stages candidate to replace Mike D'Antoni on the Phoenix Suns' sideline to serious contender for one of the premier jobs in the game.

Phoenix officials refused comment, but sources reported the Suns were very impressed with Turner during a May 21 interview and will schedule a second meeting. Steve Kerr, the Suns' general manager and president, and Turner might talk informally during the final days of the annual predraft camp here.

A source declined to be named, citing the confidentiality of the process.

It is not known whether the Suns are planning second interviews with other candidates or if Turner is the leading contender after a season in which his work played a major role in the Rockets finishing second in the league in shooting defense and fourth in scoring defense. A decision is not believed to be imminent, though, and Phoenix has not ruled out considering new entrants, including Kurt Rambis, the former King who was up for the Sacramento job that went to Reggie Theus a year ago.

"I just consider myself in the running," Turner said.

By any description, it has been a whirlwind 11 months. Turner left his Roseville home of nearly seven years to join Adelman, as expected, as the top assistant in Houston. The move also required his son to leave Roseville High School before his senior season as a basketball star. Elston Turner Jr. transferred to a school in Missouri City, Texas, and eventually signed with Washington as a 6-foot-4 swingman.

Now, Turner has the opportunity to take over a team that won 55 regular-season games and has Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Shaquille O'Neal and the 15th overall pick in the June 26 draft.

"I'm excited for the recognition," said Turner, who has no head-coaching experience. "That in itself is a reward for the job I've done."

Turner rarely is mentioned with the likes of Boston's Tom Thibodeau, Utah's Tyrone Corbin, Seattle's Scott Brooks, Brian Shaw of the Lakers and Detroit's Michael Curry as assistants seemingly close to a first promotion to head coach. Adelman is always quick to praise his top assistant as deserving of the consideration, but never has there been momentum like this for any job, let alone one that would begin next season planning to go deep into the playoffs.

Rambis has lived those expectations as a head coach with the Lakers, but he also had a rocky relationship with O'Neal, whose level of play will be an obvious factor in how far the Suns go in his first full season after the trade from Miami.

But the O'Neal camp is believed to have signed off on reuniting with Rambis, and the Suns obviously would have wanted the assurances.

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