Job security for NBA coaches is a curious notion in the modern win-now, attention-disorder landscape of professional basketball.
Outside the likes of Gregg Popovich and Erik Spoelstra, it’s really oxymoronic at best and nonexistent at worst for the general coaching masses.
Case in point: Detroit fired Maurice Cheeks after just 50 games into his first year on the job and with the Pistons only one-half game out of a playoff spot. Now with assistant coach John Loyer assuming the reigns, his very interim title will in all likelihood send him packing upon season’s end.
And for a quick fun fact, the players discovered the news of Cheeks’ firing on Twitter.
Thanks social media.
In any case, a legitimate argument exists that double-digit vacancies could materialize when the 2013-2014 campaign officially concludes.
Even though we’ll reduce that number to those on the hottest of hot seats, a few surprises will no doubt emerge.
Here now are the eight NBA coaches whose jobs are on the line.
Playoff-Contingent
Frank Vogel, Indiana Pacers
Could the head coach of the Eastern Conference’s best team possibly see his employment terminated prematurely?
Well, after collapsing to the point of 13-13 mediocrity after starting 41-12, things can get a little dicey for even the most ostensibly successful.
President Larry Bird began expressing his disappointment in early March during an interview with the Indianapolis Star’s Bob Kravitz.
He noted the Pacers’ lack of drive and mental toughness, saying that coach Vogel must “start going after guys when they’re not doing what they’re supposed to do.”
The most remote of chances notwithstanding, Kravitz hinted at a possibility of Bird replacing Vogel before the playoffs.
Bird might not exactly desire a spot back on the bench, but he’s also “all in” on a team that absolutely must advance to the finals, according to Kravitz.
Vogel’s resolute—if not desperate—benching of the entire starting-five and Indiana’s recent ascension back into first place should temporarily boost the head coach’s stock.
Yet, if the Pacers don’t make it past the Heat to the ultimate stage, “Vogel’s job will be in serious doubt,” according to Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron.
Annual improvements in win totals be damned—what have you done for me lately never rang more true.
Mark Jackson, Golden State Warriors
The insatiable need for deep postseason runs and disregard of past accomplishments rears its ugly head yet again.
Except with an added wrinkle in this latest selection.
Jackson doubled the Warriors’ winning aggregate and guided them to a courageous semifinals series with the San Antonio Spurs during just his second year on the job. He helped push the vastly superior conference power to six games in a true David-versus-Goliath fashion.
Jackson has since led Golden State toward the 50-win mark and a viable shot at the No. 5 seed in the West.
He has done so despite devastating injuries at various points to the team’s elite wing defender (Andre Iguodala), high-scoring power forward (David Lee) and dominant center Andrew Bogut.
He also has the overwhelming support of the players and the fans love him for it.
Unfortunately, the Warriors have severely underperformed at home.
Losing five winnable games against inferior squads hasn’t sat well with a Joe Lacob-led ownership group that harbors much higher expectations.
Golden State’s fourth-ranked defense has never been better (102.4 PPG per 100 possessions), but that hasn’t consistently been the case for the overall squad.
General dysfunction among the staff has also ensured with the demotion of Brian Scalabrine and firing of Darren Erman.
Such drastic coaching moves happening so soon before the playoffs doesn’t place Jackson in a favorable light.
Ultimately, Jackson “must avoid a possible offseason firing by getting the Warriors back into the playoffs and doing some damage,” according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
Call it unrealistic, but if Lacob didn’t extend him after last year’s postseason success, he certainly won’t do it if Jackson bows out before the conference finals once again.
A contract that officially expires in 2015 could indeed end much sooner than that if the above development transpires in a month’s time.
Terry Stotts, Portland Trail Blazers
Second-half collapses in back-to-back seasons aren’t a good look for NBA head coaches.
The Blazers charged out of the gates to a 33-11 record and first-place standing in the West with Stotts at the helm.
That tremendous mark surely exceeded expectations for this fringe playoff team in preseason predictions.
But what it has accomplished since has ranked far below those earlier standards.
Stotts has seen the Blazers go 18-17 and fall into a tenuous occupation of the fifth seed under his watch. They have produced losing streaks of two, three (twice) and four games.
It hasn’t exactly been losing-13-in-a-row-bad a la 2012-2013, but it hasn’t amounted to a performance by a genuine contender either.
Portland has three games remaining to solidify their position and hold off Golden State, including hosting the Warriors on April 13.
If not, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News believes a first-round exit could very well lead to “a coaching change at season’s end.”
With a 2014 expiration date attached to his contract, Stotts had better uplift his high-flying Blazers to their early-season form.
The Jeans Just Don’t Fit
Mike Brown, Cleveland Cavaliers
Let’s make it clear at the outset that Brown’s contract doesn’t expire until 2018.
He would also receive a “severance check in the neighborhood of $12 million” if Cleveland fires him after just year one of a five-year deal, according to Bob Finnan of The Morning Journal.
That being said, the Cavaliers should let him go after year one of his five-year deal.
And, per Hoops Rumors’ Charlie Adams, “Brown is on the hot seat and might find himself out of a job in Cleveland” anyway.
Indeed, the Cavaliers have drastically underperformed this season.
Personality conflicts between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters have ruined an otherwise loaded backcourt. The signing of backup floor general Jarrett Jack and high-profile free-agent additions of Luol Deng and Spencer Hawes haven’t panned out either.
And the head coach—a supposed defensive wizard—hasn’t benefited the NBA’s 19th-rated unit per 100 possessions (107.6). The same goes for his managing of the overall roster.
The Cavs will officially miss the playoffs come next week. They and their 32-47 record didn’t quite make the cut despite playing in a miserable Eastern Conference.
It’s clear that Brown hasn’t proven capable of leading a contender without LeBron James serving as the de facto coach on the floor.
A no doubt pleasant and respectable figure, Brown just isn’t one with all the requisite tools of a champion leader in the NBA.
Positive Inevitability
Rick Adelman, Minnesota Timberwolves
Perhaps two-plus decades are satisfying enough for an NBA coaching career.
After stints with the Blazers, Warriors, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets dating back to 1989, Adelman has spent the past three seasons in Minnesota.
He has guided the Timberwolves from 26 to 31 to 39 wins since taking over in 2011.
While a steady rise in annual victories is worth noting, .500 winning percentages with a playoff-caliber roster qualifies as total underachievement.
Double-double machine Kevin Love, elite distributor Ricky Rubio, three-point marksmen Kevin Martin and the rebounding-proficient Nikola Pekovic have stagnated to a 39-39 mark this season.
Adelman simply hasn’t maximized the talent of this formidable group. Minnesota will miss the postseason for the third-straight year.
The organization also holds Love as the future of the franchise and doesn’t believe Adelman is the right man to keep him in Minnesota going forward.
Managing editor of Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler states that the Timberwolves are “at a crossroads of sorts with [their] head coach, who is likely out at season’s end.” They must “convince Love that his brightest future remains in Minnesota,” and Adelman’s presence just won’t foster that belief.
So, again, is moving on from the Timberwolves such a bad idea for the celebrated head coach?
With over 1,000 wins and another 79 in the playoffs to his name, we think not.
Time’s Up
Tyrone Corbin, Utah Jazz
Per Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports:
“Tyrone Corbin and his coaching staff have contracts ending June 30.”
And what else, Mr. Stein?
“They expect to learn their fate by the end of April.”
Based off the 2013-2014 NBA year alone, Utah’s conference-worst, 24-54 record would merit a firing of the head coach.
The same goes for the Jazz being 23 games removed from a playoff berth and 36 games behind first place.
But Corbin had previously guided the Jazz to plus-.500 marks in each of the last two seasons. He also led them into the postseason in 2012, albeit an overmatched first-round sweep to the second-seeded Spurs.
Yet, this team ultimately needs a cultural transformation and a fresh voice. And as a Jerry Sloan disciple and 10-year member of Utah’s staff, Corbin belongs to an antiquated regime.
An amicable parting between both sides seems in order.
Lame Ducks Personified
Mike D’Antoni, Los Angeles Lakers
This relationship was doomed from the very beginning.
It became apparent the instant that co-owner Jim Buss wanted to put his stamp on his late father’s franchise by hiring D’Antoni instead of Phil Jackson.
Jackson returning to the Lakers bench was the obvious choice after the disastrous Mike Brown experiment five games into the 2012-2013 campaign.
He had won five NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and would extract all championship prowess from the superstar during his last days on the hardwood.
Alas, Buss made an organizational decision based off pride instead of sound basketball philosophy.
Notwithstanding the high-scoring offenses that only succeed in the regular season, D’Antoni was never the right fit with the existing personnel. Throw in an injured Dwight Howard last year and Steve Nash throughout 2013-2014, and the former Phoenix Suns mastermind never had a chance.
Even with seemingly equal amounts of reports endorsing him versus those projecting his impending termination, D’Antoni’s time with the Lakers has run its course.
They’re just one game removed from the Western Conference cellar at 25-53 and their coach’s defensive neglect has reached new lows.
Fans of the Purple and Gold can now only wonder which direction their illogical co-owner will pursue in the coming future.
Mike Woodson, New York Knicks
Just FYI—this isn’t a recent development.
Woodson has indeed made himself quite comfortable on the chopping block for the majority of this season.
New York has been dreadful all year and Woodson has been the recipient of any and all blame. Injuries and total personnel incompatibility or not, the once reputable head coach has served as the scapegoat since Day One.
The Knicks have fortunately improved as of late and are just two games behind the Atlanta Hawks for the final playoff seed.
But qualifying for hardwood action beyond the regular season simply isn’t in the cards for this wholly dysfunctional squad.
And per an Eastern Conference scout via SheridanHoops: “Without question he’s fired (if they miss the playoffs).”
Either way, it’s a near certainty that new team president Phil Jackson will bring in his own guy come the 2014-2015 campaign.
The writing’s on the wall for one Michael Dean Woodson.
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