Coming off a rare season in which no coaches were fired, the NBA may be preparing for a shakeup that will affect a third of the league, writes Frank Isola of The New York Daily News.
Isola suggests as many as 10 teams could be looking at coaching changes at the end of the season, if not sooner. The actual number will depend on how things play out, but several more names may join David Fizdale of Memphis and Earl Watson of Phoenix as coaching casualties for 2017/18.
Both Los Angeles teams could be open to changes, with the Lakers far out of the playoff race at 16-29. The front office was slow to defend Luke Walton after recent derogatory comments by LaVar Ball, and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst recently suggested that hiring former Fizdale, a former assistant with the Heat, would give the organization a better shot at LeBron James. However, Walton still has an important ally in majority owner Jeanie Buss.
Across town, Doc Rivers is doing a remarkable job with a depleted roster, but he may not remain with the Clippers if they decide to rebuild by following through with rumored trades involving DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams. Rivers, who has one more year left on the extension he signed in 2014, was removed from his front office duties before the start of the season. Isola says Rivers may return to television if he leaves the Clippers, though he would become a candidate for possible openings in New York and Orlando.
There will be no shortage of prominent candidates if the Knicks decide to move on from Jeff Hornacek. Isola identifies ABC/ESPN analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy as potential replacements, along with former Pelicans coach and Knicks player Monty Williams, reigning G League Coach of the Year Jerry Stackhouse and Villanova coach Jay Wright, although there is speculation that Wright would only leave the college ranks to take the Sixers’ job.
It would be interesting to see Doc coach Giannis and them… Jason Kidd has taken them nowhere and by the looks of it this season, it may continue
rivers is not a good coach.
Agreed
I think people are getting WAY ahead of themselves with the Bucks – they’re about as good as they should be right now. When you’re second best shooter is Tony Snell, you’re going to struggle to win games. I think Giannis will be a multiple MVP during his career, and I love the kid – but right now he’s Deandre Jordan with a handle. He can’t shoot at all. It’ll come, but at the moment their offense is giving it to him and letting him try to Euro Step five defenders packed into the key against him…
And why a Manu move became known as Euro Step, I’ll never know – dude’s Argentinian
Come on Knicks, bring back Balky!
Jay Wright would look good on the 76ers sideline. That makes too much sense though.
Firing Walton would ridiculous- basically organization is saying “You’re gone because you couldn’t win with a roster that includes 2 over-priced free agents – one already gone and one who hasn’t seen the floor this year, a handful of G Leaguers, a “post player” we traded for who’d rather stay beyond the three point line, a couple of our former lottery picks who have proved they should have stayed in college and our current draft picks one who has’t seen a shot he won’t take and our “face of the franchise” a point guard who can run the floor with most until he lets go of the ugliest and least accurate shot. Also Luke, we’re letting you go because you (or any other member of the organization) knows what to do with our rookie’s embarrassment of a father and his entourage.” WTF – Red Auerbach couldn’t handle this mess!
Well said. Couldn’t agree more. I wouldn’t base the franchise on luring Lebron in for he decline years and overpaying for his success elsewhere. Build a better young team! Live with your bad draft pick and daddy big mouth that sold his mediocre talented son to you.
Lakers tank for Zion Williamson 2019
No chance Luke gets fired. Fizdale is nothing special either.
would love to see Stackhouse coaching the Knicks
I could see Stackhouse coaching the Pistons
Sometimes I think what we are hearing most of the time is Magic actually trying to generate results from who we currently have on the roster.
So that no one becomes complacent