The NBA coaching carousel has certainly begun to spin. In New York, fans who chanted “Fire Isiah” all season got their wish. Well, partly.
In Miami, legend Pat Riley stepped down after watching his experiment blow up — this coming after the Heat won the crown two seasons ago. Westward in Dallas, Avery Johnson was fired Monday and Chicago is still looking for a new clipboard holder.
Several other coaches are reported to be on the hot seat, which make the playoffs a great time in basketball. Beat reporters whose teams are lottery picks speculate on identifying candidates for vacancies. And the lottery teams themselves are thirsty for change. This all coming, and taking away from the spectacular action of the postseason.
These particular playoffs have the carousel in full gear. It’s enough to give you a Max Headroom-style head tick and it will be interesting to watch it pan out. Perhaps the most intriguing change was Johnson being ousted from Dallas.
Falling to the Heat in the Finals two seasons ago, the Mavs endured a colossal downward spiral. They were ousted by G-State in 2007 and this year Dallas struggled to make the playoffs, taking only the seven-seed and New Orleans exploited Dallas‘ shortcomings (defense). So, the question arises, without Johnson, who is going to step in? Will owner and circus clown Mark Cuban take the reins? Why not? He was practically the coach during the good years.
Johnson’s departure also raises questions concerning other teams. Will he end up in New York? The Knicks are perhaps the most identifiable job of the vacant positions. Johnson loves New York, especially beating the Knicks in the Finals in 1999 as a player. However, blogs and speculation coming from New York’s Finest Sports Reporters have current Phoenix coach Mark D’Antoni possibly heading for the Apple. Key word: possibly.
D’Antoni still has two years left on his contract (with a hefty salary). He seems more suited for Dallas, considering personnel. But it would take some work to get D’Antoni out of Phoenix. Whatever happens, the reports of D’Antoni leaving the Suns will wreak havoc if he stays.
There are several coaches dying to get back into the game. Mike Dunleavy, Mark Jackson, Patrick Ewing, Jeff Van Gundy, Johnson, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo (who has always been lured by the NBA challenge) and Riley (yeah, don’t count him out either) are on the block. These choices will overwhelm teams since the NBA coaching vacancies are a roulette game. You can bet on black or red, though you might land on green. Ching ching.
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