Monday, February 8, 2010

"Next Coach Fired" Rankings - NBA Edition

Each week we take a look at the NBA's head coaches and who is most to least likely to be fired next, from 1 to 30. Mike Dunleavy stepped down from his coaching position with the Clippers this week. Mike was the worst coach-GM in the league and now he's just the worst GM. Which means everyone else jumps up a peg. Sorry Jim!

1. Jim O'brien, Indiana - the worst coach in the NBA is by far the easiest target now that Mike Dunleavy has been fired in LA.
2. Kiki Vandeweghe, New Jersey - This is likely the worst team in the history of the NBA and Kiki is likely to lose his position with the franchise.
3. Flip Saunders, Washington - Wrong place, wrong time, wrong guy for the job.
4. Eddie Jordan, Philadelphia - Same as Saunders.
5. Jay Triano, Toronto - Toronto is on the verge of a complete reset: superstar, GM, and coach.
6. John Kuester, Detroit - Joe Dumars has made two terrible hires in a row.
7. Rick Carlisle, Dallas - The only coach in the top 12 who could easily earn himself safety with a solid win streak.

OFF SEASON TARGETS
8. Jeff Bower, New Orleans - Never should have been a coach in the first place.
9. Vinny Del Negro, Chicago - Del Negro was on the verge of being fired a few weeks ago. If the Bulls go through another rough patch, he's gone.
10. Eric Spolestra, Miami - Not really getting the best out of his players.
11. Scott Skiles, Milwaukee - Injuries have hurt but Skiles seems fairly uninspired these days.
12. Kim Hughes, LA Clippers - There is no chance that this guy comes back next year but the Clippers aren't making two coaching moves in one season.

PROBABLY GETS ANOTHER YEAR
13. Alvin Gentry, Phoenix - I'm honestly not sure how Gentry ever got a head coaching job in the first place but his players seem to like him. It's probably earned him some extra time.
14. Kurt Rambis, Minnesota - I have no faith in Minnesota's GM but I can't imagine he'll fire Rambis after only one year.
15. Don Nelson, Golden State - Nelson is the best con artist in the business and somehow has wrapped the ownership of this team around his finger. This is heading for a bitter divorce sometime next year.
16. Stan Van Gundy, Orlando - This one is going to implode at some point but he's doing well enough to keep his job for a while. But just wait, this one will get ugly eventually.

SAFE
17. Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City - Not sure how great of a coach he is but the players love him and work for him.
18. Mike Woodson, Atlanta - It's a shock that Woodson has gotten the tenure he's attained thusfar and it looks like it has paid off.
19. George Karl, Denver - Eventually the franchise will tire of second or third round playoff exits and players running amok. But it probably doesn't happen for another year or two.
20. Paul Westphal, Sacramento - His team has less talent than just about any in the league and yet he (and Tyreke Evans) keeps them competitive.
21. Mike D'antoni, New York - There were never any expectations for D'antoni until next year anyway.

GETS A PASS DUE TO INJURY
22. Nate McMillan, Portland - At some point in the near future people are going to begin to ask what he's doing with all the young talent Portland has accumulated. But he gets a pass this year.
23. Doc Rivers, Boston - Boston isn't going anywhere this time around but with healthy players, they probably have one more year of realistic title contention.
24. Rick Adelman, Houston - Adelman has done a fantastic job with a bare cabinet and has earned himself another couple of years with the franchise.

UNTOUCHABLE
25. Lionel Hollins, Memphis - Hollins may be in line for some Coach of the Year votes and has done a great job turning this team around.
26. Mike Brown, Cleveland - I seriously question how good of a coach Brown is but the fact is he's not getting fired until Lebron demands a new coach or leaves and the team falls apart.
27. Larry Brown, Charlotte - The Bobcats are looking at their first playoff berth in franchise history.
28. Gregg Popovich, San Antonio - Pops, Sloan, and Jackson are in the same boat: they leave when they decide they want to leave. None of the three will ever be fired, no matter how bad their teams slip.
29. Jerry Sloan, Utah
30. Phil Jackson, LA Lakers

-BG

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