Head coaches in professional sports will forever be the perfect scapegoat when expectations aren’t met or victories are few and far between. NBA coaches are certainly no exception. It’s easier to get rid of the person on the sidelines than it is to move a key player, or even shuffle the deck in a front office.
No one is ever safe. We saw a number of coaches with storied histories and stacked resumes get the axe just this past season, including former Coaches of the Year in Nick Nurse (Raptors), Doc Rivers (76ers), Monty Williams (Suns), and Mike Budenholzer (Bucks).
Several teams perhaps had delusions of grandeur heading into this year, and are slowly realizing the error of their ways. Whether it’s a slow start, crumbling relationships, or just underwhelming performance across the board, an argument can be made that replacing the coach would somehow right the ship for the time being.
The market isn’t currently available for which coach will be fired next, but the following hypothetical odds should hopefully paint a clearer picture of who you need to be keeping your eyes on once those numbers develop.
Head Coaches to Monitor
| Head Coach | Team | Odds |
| Billy Donovan | Chicago Bulls | +100 |
| Wes Unseld Jr. | Washington Wizards | +450 |
| Taylor Jenkins | Memphis Grizzlies | +1000 |
| Adrian Griffin | Milwaukee Bucks | +1500 |
| Tyronn Lue | Los Angeles Clippers | +1500 |
| Monty Williams | Detroit Pistons | +2000 |
| Steve Kerr | Golden State Warriors | +3000 |
Safe Bet: Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
Chicago is aptly named “The Windy City,” because the winds of change will soon be crashing through this organization, ripping apart everything in sight.
The only teams keeping the Bulls out of being dead last in the Eastern Conference are the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, who were losers of a combined 22 games in a row before the scheduling gods threw the Wizards a bone by having them play Detroit.
Chicago likely maxed out this current iteration of its roster in 2022 when it won 46 games and took a single game from the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening round of the playoffs. The Zach LaVine-Nikola Vucevic-DeMar DeRozan threesome has clearly run its course, as the team currently sits 26th in offense and 21st in defense.
Their record goes well beyond just not having the services of Lonzo Ball at point guard. The Bulls are looking at wholesale changes, and Donovan will likely bite the bullet first to kick off that process.
Avoid For Now: Monty Williams, Detroit Pistons
Logic would dictate that the first coach to be canned is the one working for a team in the midst of a 14-game losing streak with no end in sight. Detroit blew a golden opportunity against the Wizards and have a miserable schedule forthcoming. Although, to be fair, when your record SU is 2-15, no game looks favorable by any stretch.
The saving grace for Williams at the moment is that he’s extremely well liked with a reputation that precedes him and a juicy $78.5-million contract which is the largest ever given to a coach.
Perhaps the Pistons didn’t believe they’d continue to be bad on such an historic scale, but they certainly must have known that their fortunes weren’t going to turn around just yet. Coaches like Williams don’t grow on trees, and barring the players revolting and completely tuning him out, the alarms shouldn’t sound on his tenure just yet nor anytime soon.
Not Out of the Question: Adrian Griffin, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee is exactly where they should be in the standings, fighting with the likes of the Celtics and 76ers for the Eastern Conference crown with a record only bested by a few other teams.
This is Griffin’s first year as a head coach, and there’s undoubtedly been growing pains adjusting to this newfound power with two superstar players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard who are still developing an on-court rapport.
The Bucks have struggled to defeat the easiest of competition as of late, although seven wins in the last eight games should suggest that everything is fine and dandy. Griffin and Antetokounmpo have gotten into spats on the sidelines which never goes unnoticed. Now that could be a sign of deeper issues, or nothing more than two gentlemen passionate about winning butting heads.
“The disrespected Giannis showed here. It’s not a great feel right now with where the Bucks and Adrian Griffin are in the first couple months on the job”
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) November 23, 2023
— @WindhorstESPN pic.twitter.com/GAVqj3hjcu
Just don’t be left out in the cold if things take a hard left. Search “David Blatt” on your favorite search engine and see how safe coaches on top of the world can be.
Injuries Suck: Tayler Jenkins, Memphis Grizzlies
You work with that you’ve got, and Jenkins doesn’t have a lot at his disposal currently.
Superstar Ja Morant is still serving a suspension for brandishing a firearm, Steven Adams is out for the season following surgery on his right knee, Brandon Clarke is still recovering from a torn left Achilles, and the likes of Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Xavier Tillman have all missed time with ailments of their own.
Frankly, a 3-13 record is exactly where the Grizzlies should be with what it has available talent wise. The injury bug has struck this roster hard through no fault of Jenkins, who is trying his best through unfortunate circumstances.
Once players slowly but surely return to action, we should see an uptick in wins and a return to form for a team coming off consecutive seasons of at least 50 wins.
