If you’ll grant me license for a clunky analogy — which is my specialty, really — it has felt like Justin Zanik has always been the bridesmaid, but never the bride in recent years. Long considered an exec on the rise in the Association, the Utah Jazz front office’s jack of all trades has been on the cusp landing multiple GM jobs, only to get passed over in the end.
Now, after five-plus years in Jazzland, a weird detour in Milwaukee that many expected would land him his big gig (but ultimately proved fruitless), and a near-miss with Philly in the wake of Bryan Colangelo’s controversial departure last June, Zanik is finally getting his long overdue GM spot.