Most likely situations for Coaching and Front Office changes

[Bard207]

The following is a quick review of the status of NBA coaches and those in charge of the Front Offices.

In some instances it would be a General Manager and at other times it could be the President of Basketball Operations or someone with a similar title that would be at risk of being ousted.

An inclusive Front Office was used to cover different naming conventions.



New York
Coach: Derek Fisher
Front Office: Phil Jackson

Both finishing are their first season, so there shouldn't be any questions about next season.

Whether their plan - direction is the right one in the current NBA environment could be the topic for another thread.


Minnesota
Coach: Flip Saunders
Front Office: Flip Saunders

First season as the coach and second season as the President of Basketball Operations.

Flip is also a minority owner of the Timberwolves, so it will take something quite drastic to oust him from both of his positions. Perhaps he choses a coach to replace him in the future.

Flip might not be the optimal choice to be the President of Basketball Operations, but he is probably going to be there for a while.


Philadelphia
Coach: Brett Brown
Front Office: Sam Hinkie

They are both finishing their second season with Philadelphia and are executing their plan. Doubtful either leaves the 76ers in the near future.


Orlando
Coach: James Borrego
Front Office: Rob Hennigan

Borrego might be viewed as a standin coach for the remainder of this season since he was promoted after Vaughn was let go.

Hennigan is finishing his third season.

Hennigan has leaned heavily towards drafting athletes noted for defense. If he continues doing that, then the Magic definitely need to hire a good shooting coach and spend much much more for coaches to better staff Player Development.

Hennigan is probably safe for next season while Borrego's situation as the head coach for next season is more murky.


Sacramento
Coach: George Karl
Front Office: Pete D'Alessandro

Karl is a Mid Season replacement and should be there for the next few seasons.

D'Alessandro is finishing his second season with the Kings.

D'Alessandro is likely better than Petrie was in recent years, but the expectations for the Kings are higher than when the Maloof brothers were the owners.

George Karl has probably carved out some power from the Front Office for himself while Chris Mullins is something of an ersatz Jerry West to principal owner Ranadive.

D'Alessandro is probably safe for next season, but might be iffy for seasons after that.


Detroit
Coach: Stan Van Gundy
Front Office: Stan Van Gundy

He is finishing his first season as both coach and President of Basketball Operations.

Perhaps not the optimal choice of being the key man for the Pistons, but he is likely safe for the next several seasons.


Denver
Coach: Melvin Hunt
Front Office: Tim Connelly

Hunt appears to be turning the situation around after he replaced Shaw during the season and Connelly is finishing his second season as the GM for the Nuggets.

Josh Kroenke is the owner's son and is quite involved as the President of the team.

Unless something drastic happens, two seasons is probably too soon to judge Connelly.

Both Hunt and Connelley could be back next season, but the situation in Denver has been in flux for the past several years.


Brooklyn
Coach: Lionel Hollins
Front Office: Billy King

This is the first season for Hollins while King has been in charge since July 2010.

Not a good situation with Prokhorov wishy - washy in regards to selling the team and a poor outlook in regards to future draft picks since they borrowed from the future to assemble an roster that was heavy on highly paid veterans.

King might not be capable of turning things around and probably needs to be replaced. Hollins probably deserves at least another season with a different GM in place.

What will actually happen is quite a mystery with this organization.


Charlotte
Coach: Steve Clifford
Front Office: Rich Cho

Clifford is finishing his second season while Cho has been with Charlotte since June 2011. Some fans consider Clifford's offense outdated and Cho's drafting - roster composition has been less than spectacular. Principal owner Michael Jordan was involved with the recruitment of Lance Stephenson who has been a poor fit with the rest of the roster.

Possibly one or both of Clifford and Cho will be let go at the end of the season.


Indiana
Coach: Frank Vogel
Front Office: Larry Bird and Kevin Pritchard

Vogel was promoted to head coach during the 2010 - 2011 season and Larry Bird
has been President of Basketball Operations since June 2013, but has held positions with the Pacers in past seasons.

GM Pritchard has been with Indiana since July 2011.

The expectation is that all three will be back next season since the severe injury to Paul George last Summer had a huge impact on the current season.


Utah
Coach: Quin Snyder
Front Office: Dennis Lindsey and Kevin O'Connor

Snyder is finishing his first season as head coach while GM Lindsey has been with the Jazz since the Summer of 2012. Vice President of Basketball Operations O'Connor has been with the Jazz for quite some time.

Things appear to be moving forward for the Jazz and the expectation is that all three will return next season.


Phoenix
Coach: Jeff Hornacek
Front Office: Ryan McDonough

Hornacek is finishing his second season coaching the Suns and McDonough is also finishing his second season as the GM of the Suns.

The Suns still have a distant shot at the Playoffs, but some roster composition decisions coupled with the allocation of playing time and related problems probably cost the Suns a few games. Perhaps the Suns would be in a more favorable situation in regards to the Playoff if better decisions had been made.

Hornacek and McDonough will probably both be back, but getting into the Playoffs next season might be the critical benchmark for them keeping their jobs in future seasons.


New Orleans
Coach: Monty Williams
Front Office: Dell Demps

Monty has been the coach since June 2010 and Dell has been the GM since July 2010.

Some of the moves (trades for Holiday and Asik ) by Demps appear to have been win now motivated. Some observers think the Benson family is behind the win now moves.

No idea what to expect with this franchise, so it is possible that either Williams or Demps or possibly both will be replaced this Summer.


Boston
Coach: Brad Stevens
Front Office: Danny Ainge

Stevens has been the coach since July 2013 and Ainge has been Executive Director of Basketball Operations since 2003.

They are in the midst of a Youth Movement and both should be expected back next season.


Miami
Coach: Erik Spoelstra
Front Office: Pat Riley

Spoelstra has been the coach since Spring 2008 and Riley has been with Miami for approximately two decades. They are in a reload situation and both should be expected back next season.


Milwaukee
Coach: Jason Kidd
Front Office: John Hammond

Hammond has been with the Bucks since Spring 2008 and Kidd is finishing his first season coaching the Bucks.

Kidd has a positive history with co owner Marc Lasry, so he should be protected for quite some time.

Hammond is a holdover from the previous owner (Kohl) and might be vulnerable if Kidd pushes for change.


Oklahoma City
Coach: Scott Brooks
Front Office: Sam Presti

Presti has been the GM since Summer 2007 while Brook took over as the coach during the 2008 - 2009 season.

Presti tends to get accolades for his accomplishments while some consider Brooks' coaching to be blah and that he relies too heavily on a talented roster.

Presti should be back while Brooks could be vulnerable this offseason.


Washington
Coach: Randy Wittman
Front Office: Ernie Grunfeld

Wittman took over as the coach during the 2011 - 2012 season while Grunfeld has been with Washington since Summer 2003.

Washington is probably not spectacular with their coaching and FO operations, but probably more middle of the pack in those areas rather than being completely terrible.

As long as they are able to make the Playoffs, both Grunfeld and Wittman appear to be safe. If the ownership was more demanding, then Grunfeld could be considered vulnerable.


Chicago
Coach: Tom Thibodeau
Front Office: Gar Forman

Forman was named GM in 2009 after holding lower positions in the Bulls organization over the years. Thibodeau has been the coach since June 2010.

Thibodeau has butted heads with others in the Bulls organization and may be leaving in the near future.

Forman's future with the Bulls appears to be secure while the future for Thibodeau is much more iffy.


Toronto
Coach: Dwane Casey
Front Office: Masai Ujiri

Casey has been the coach since June 2011 and Ujiri is finishing his second season as the General Manager.

The expectation is that both should return next season.


Dallas
Coach: Rick Carlisle
Front Office: Donnie Nelson

Carlisle has been the coach since May 2008 while Nelson has been in charge since Summer 2005 after holding several other positions with the Mavericks.

Both should be expected to return unless owner Mark Cuban has a Crazy Ivan moment.


San Antonio
Coach: Gregg Popovich
Front Office: RC Buford

Both Buford and Popovich have been with the Spurs for years and it is expected that both will retain their positions for as long as they wish to continue.


Cleveland
Coach: David Blatt
Front Office: David Griffin

Blatt is finishing his first season as the coach while Griffin took charge
during the 2013 - 2014 season.

Both men are probably capable of meeting expectations for their respective jobs, but will continue to have LeBron and owner Dan Gilbert kibitzing and at times overruling their decisions.

Both are probably safe for next season as long as the Cavaliers have a respectable run in the Playoffs.


Clippers
Coach: Doc Rivers
Front Office: Doc Rivers

His efforts as a coach have been good while his work as President of Basketball Operations has been less than impressive.

He is likely safe for next season, but the Clippers would probably be better served if they were able to have someone else making Front Office decisions.


Portland
Coach: Terry Stotts
Front Office: Neil Olshey

Olshey has been with Portland since Summer 2012 and Stotts has been with the Trail Balzers since August 2012.

Sometimes there are behind the scenes power struggles in Portland, but both Stotts and Olshey appear to be safe for now.


Houston
Coach: Kevin McHale
Front Office: Daryl Morey


McHale has been the coach since June 2011 and Morey has been the GM since May 2007.

McHale's coaching is considered by some to be pedestrian, but he appears to get along well with his players.

Dwight has missed a large number of games, so this is probably not a do or die season for both McHale and Morey.

Both are probably back next season


Memphis
Coach: David Joerger
Front Office: Chris Wallace, Ed Stefanski and John Hollinger

Joerger is finishing his second season as the coach and Wallace has been with the Grizzlies since the 2007 - 2008 season. Hollinger has been with Memphis since 2012 while Stefanski is finishing his first season with Memphis.

The expectation is that all will be back next season.


Atlanta
Coach: Mike Budenholzer
Front Office: Danny Ferry

Budenholzer is finishing his second season as the coach and Ferry has been on a leave of absence.

The Hawks are for sale and Budenholzer is likely quite safe while Ferry's future with Atlanta is murky.


Golden State
Coach: Steve Kerr
Front Office: Bob Myers

The first season for Kerr while Myers has been with Golden State since April 2011. Both of them should be back next season.


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Summary of possible changes:

Orlando -- Coach

Denver* -- Coach and General Manager

Brooklyn -- Coach and General Manager

Charlotte -- Coach and General Manager

New Orleans -- Coach and General Manager

Milwaukee -- General Manager

Oklahoma City -- Coach

Chicago -- Coach

Atlanta -- General Manager



A candidate for a coaching position would be Mike Malone who was formerly coach of the
Kings and an assistant with the Warriors before that.

Travis Schlenk (Warriors Front Office) should be a strong candidate for a General Manager position.


It is possible that a bad situation with a coach or General Manager has been well hidden and won't be known until after the season finishes.


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* Listed only because of uncertainty about the direction that the owners are going with the team.