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With the season edging closer and closer, who do you think will be the first coach to be fired this season?
With 13 coaching changes since this time last year, almost have the league will have a first-year honeymoon that could buy them some time, (don't mention that to Mike Dunlap), and with several interesting guys on the hot-seat (Coach Casey?), here's my short list.
Kidd - Nets
This team is either a juggernaut or a powder-keg. Can Kidd keep this group together? A veteran team with some pretty extreme personalities (KG, Blatche, D-Will), very high expectations, an unpredictable owner and a coach with zero coaching experience? Sounds like a disaster to me. Kidd is suspended for the first 2 games of the year for his DUI, does that impact his credibility if he has to get on a player for their "behaviour"?
Wittman - Wizards
The Wizards are a chic pick to climb out of the lottery and into the playoffs, after last season's strong finish. If the team is healthy, and regressed, then Wittman could easily be shown the door. A good start to build off of the posititives at the end of last season are a must. Owner Ted Leonsis isn't as combustible as Mark Cuban, but he isn't the steady hand either.
Casey - Raptors
Casey is the prototypical lame duck coach; hired by the previous GM? Check. Final year of his deal? Check. After last year's defensive regression, Casey will need to improve this team in short order to prove to MU that he deserves to stay beyond his contract.
D'Antoni - Lakers
The Lakers are a veteran team and they make a huge investment into D'Antoni by choosing him over the Zen Master. But if the losses pile up, will D'Antoni be the scape goat? Possibly. It also wouldn't shock me to see him "walk away" if the atmosphere becomes too much circus.
Drew - Bucks
The Bucks are a team, much like the Raptors, that could easily fall anywhere in the 7th to 11th range of the east. If it is closer to 11 than 7, then Drew might be gone at season's end. I don't like his odds for being back next year, but he should survive the season.
Brett Brown - 76ers
The 76ers will be epically bad. If fans start to get restless and the team doesn't resemble competitiveness in its blowout losses, then the organization might make a move just to appease the masses. This team is played for 2014 and beyond, unless they are committed that Brown is the leader of that group, he could be a scape-goat.
With 13 coaching changes since this time last year, almost have the league will have a first-year honeymoon that could buy them some time, (don't mention that to Mike Dunlap), and with several interesting guys on the hot-seat (Coach Casey?), here's my short list.
Kidd - Nets
This team is either a juggernaut or a powder-keg. Can Kidd keep this group together? A veteran team with some pretty extreme personalities (KG, Blatche, D-Will), very high expectations, an unpredictable owner and a coach with zero coaching experience? Sounds like a disaster to me. Kidd is suspended for the first 2 games of the year for his DUI, does that impact his credibility if he has to get on a player for their "behaviour"?
Wittman - Wizards
The Wizards are a chic pick to climb out of the lottery and into the playoffs, after last season's strong finish. If the team is healthy, and regressed, then Wittman could easily be shown the door. A good start to build off of the posititives at the end of last season are a must. Owner Ted Leonsis isn't as combustible as Mark Cuban, but he isn't the steady hand either.
Casey - Raptors
Casey is the prototypical lame duck coach; hired by the previous GM? Check. Final year of his deal? Check. After last year's defensive regression, Casey will need to improve this team in short order to prove to MU that he deserves to stay beyond his contract.
D'Antoni - Lakers
The Lakers are a veteran team and they make a huge investment into D'Antoni by choosing him over the Zen Master. But if the losses pile up, will D'Antoni be the scape goat? Possibly. It also wouldn't shock me to see him "walk away" if the atmosphere becomes too much circus.
Drew - Bucks
The Bucks are a team, much like the Raptors, that could easily fall anywhere in the 7th to 11th range of the east. If it is closer to 11 than 7, then Drew might be gone at season's end. I don't like his odds for being back next year, but he should survive the season.
Brett Brown - 76ers
The 76ers will be epically bad. If fans start to get restless and the team doesn't resemble competitiveness in its blowout losses, then the organization might make a move just to appease the masses. This team is played for 2014 and beyond, unless they are committed that Brown is the leader of that group, he could be a scape-goat.
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