Sam Mitchell Fired

[jemagee]

3rd coach already this season - and a few others are on hot seats

I'll say at least 3 more get canned before the end of the season - which would mean 20% of the teams fired their coaches during the season

Anyone else?

[westkoast]

I wish Mike Dunleavy would get canned.  They are under achieving big time. 

Do you think Mo Cheeks is going to be on the hot seat come all-star break if the team doesn't turn around?  And no this is not the case of Laker smugness ala the other thread since the Lakers just beat them.  Sometimes I browse the other Philly board and see your comments about Mo Cheeks here.  The Sixers were kind of in the same boat as the Clippers having landed an all-star player.  Both teams have not started like most people expected and that is usually when coaches get canned.

Who else do you think is on the hot seat?

[jemagee]

Don't talk to me about Mo Cheeks - i never wanted him hired and was hoping he'd lose to the bulls last night and go on a nice long 9 game streak to be fired - i hate 'nostalgia' hires - and feel if mo wasn't on the team in 83 he'd never have been hired.

Guys like Dunleavy and Nelson should be on the hotseat - but I would think that being GM (in name or just in practice) makes it difficult for them to get fired and Sterling doesn't want to pay people extra

I know they are first year coaches, but guys in 'high expectation' situations like Del Negro, or Porter, or Curry, if those teams just under perform the (unrealistic) expectations they could take losses...Iavaroni in Memphis if guys don't develop, if the bulls don't play any better for del negro i don't see the bulls being too dedicated to him...I think Lawrence Frank is stable, i'd still love to see Lebron get D'antoni fired, cause I think it would be hysterical.

I'd say Mo for sure is on the hot seat (though should have been fired long ago in my opinion)
Iavaroni in Memphis if they want to look like they're really doing something
Kevin McHale might fire his coach to cover his off season mistakes - yet again
I think Theus could be in trouble too if guys don't develop either

[jn]

I suppose this was bound to happen.  I think Sam fell into the same category as Hubie Brown in Memphis and Skiles in Chicago.  His no nonsense approach was great for raising the level of professionalism and led to increased wins but ultimately too many players either hit their peak as players or started to tune him out.   

I wish Sam the best.  He's probably number 2 on my list of favorite Wolves. 

[jemagee]

JA Adande claims that Theus only has a short period of time left to get it together before he gets fired.

[westkoast]

JA Adande claims that Theus only has a short period of time left to get it together before he gets fired.

I wonder what JoMal feels about this rumor.  I don't get to watch the team enough to judge if Reggie is doing a good job.  The Maloofs seem to be antsy to return to the elite status they had earlier this decade but haven't really added players the caliber of Chris Webber, Doug Christie, Vlade Divac, Mike Bibby, and Peja. 

[jemagee]

Well Adande said something like this as well

THe Maloofs will leave it to Petrie whether to keep or fire Theus and Theus wasn't the guy petrie wanted, he's the guy the maloofs wanted, so if the maloofs wanted him but now aren't protecting him - then maybe he's not long for this nba head coaching world - when's that saved by the bell hangtime cross over movie coming?

Adande also felt that he's shocked dunleavy hasn't been fired yet, feels whitmann (and mchale) are lucky to work for an owner who seems disinterested, and that mo is on a pretty hot seat too - second ESPN guy in two days to call the sixers their most disappointing team so far - i wonder if a mandate came down

[westkoast]

Well Adande said something like this as well

THe Maloofs will leave it to Petrie whether to keep or fire Theus and Theus wasn't the guy petrie wanted, he's the guy the maloofs wanted, so if the maloofs wanted him but now aren't protecting him - then maybe he's not long for this nba head coaching world - when's that saved by the bell hangtime cross over movie coming?

Adande also felt that he's shocked dunleavy hasn't been fired yet, feels whitmann (and mchale) are lucky to work for an owner who seems disinterested, and that mo is on a pretty hot seat too - second ESPN guy in two days to call the sixers their most disappointing team so far - i wonder if a mandate came down

Dunleavy is the westcoast Isiah Thomas.  He's made some questionable moves and his team is under achieving. 

[jemagee]

Dunleavy is the westcoast Isiah Thomas.  He's made some questionable moves and his team is under achieving.

They go back a couple years - i guess adnade is a clippers fan - see Korolev instead of Granger?

Dunleavy is benefitting from a 'patient' owner who has never really cared so much about on the court achievements compared to the bottom line - as long as the clips are one of the 3 or 4 most profitable teams in the NBA sterling won't give a crap - the dolans suck for different reasons, but for me, a guy like sterling is the worst kind of sports owner - guys who have the money but just won't spend to win - It makes no point to me to own a sports franchise if you aren't going to try and win - i mean they are just 'toys for rich folks' in my opinion - the more money you have the more expensive your toys

[jn]

jem I don't know if you saw the Bill Simmons article about Elgin Baylor that I linked to recently but it had an very interesting part about Dunleavy.  In addition to being a terrible coach he's a backstabbing a-hole.

[jemagee]

I admit, I didn't read it, I try to avoid anything written by Bill Simmons, i have so few brain cells left i have to risk them as infrequently as possible.

Though listening to Dunleavy on the local radios in LA after the Brand thing went down this summer I got the sense that he was a bit of a d-bag

[jn]

Well, to summarize, Dunleavy cheated against Simmons in a shooting contest then walked away without paying the $100.00 bet.  Baylor went up to Simmons afterward and asked Simmons if he noticed Dunleavy cheating and then said "he didn't pay you, did he?"   Apparently Dunleavy had pulled enough shit that Elgin knew full well how that contest would turn out.

By the way even if you don't like Simmons you must read that article.  One of the best sports articles I've read.  Really helps you appreciate what a basketball god Elgin Baylor was.

[jemagee]

By the way even if you don't like Simmons you must read that article.  One of the best sports articles I've read.  Really helps you appreciate what a basketball god Elgin Baylor was.

I always appreciated elgin baylor - while he was running the show the clippers were going to be my team of choice if I ever gave up on the sixers (never could get myself to do it even though it would have saved me the league pass money every year) - and I always felt he was better than he was given credit for as a GM (and a player of course) due to being hamstrung by his crap of an owner (the reason i could never fully commit to the clippers was sterling)...i think the NBA could do worse than take on Elgin Baylor into the head offices - i mean they hired stu jackson at one point for goodness sakes

[jemagee]

[westkoast]

Looks like the Wolves coach is going to be canned. 

I want to give him major props for calling out Kevin McHale.  He said he wants the guy who built the team to coach it.  McHale has said he "Doesn't want to coach".

What do you guys think?  Should he get the Isiah Thomas treatment?  Jn?