On Monday, we saw yet another casualty of the economy as Reggie Theus became the sixth NBA coach to get axed this season. That number, for those of you scoring at home, is a record for coaches fired before Christmas.
Still, I'm not that surprised by the "record". What surprises me, almost continually, in sports is how many coaches find themselves the ones taking the blame for their garbage ball clubs.
Does the professional leagues hand out manuals to their owners, where they get advice on how to handle these sorts of situations with their coaches?
...Is your team vastly underperforming? Are you regretting trading for Jermaine O'Neal? Well, why blame the people directly responsible for all that yucky losing? Take it out on the guy that, as recently as a year or so ago, was the best thing for your organization. Fire him. Now! And, replace him with someone that will promise to "simplify" things, getting them back to hard-nosed competition, and will be accompanied by "Let's get to know..." profiles on SportsCenter...
Honestly, when can the players start to take some responsibility? Just once, I'd like to hear a player come out and admit that it was their fault.
"You know, I just want to say," Russell Westbrook began after yet another Thunder loss, "I am not playing well. I couldn't hit the ocean from a rowboat right now, and that just ain't P.J.'s fault. Dude is trying his best, we just can't do anything right. We're awful. Come on, man. Only one team in the whole league scores less per game than we do."
But, that isn't going to happen. These players are pampered, and, quite frankly, as the higher paid of the two groups (players and coaches), it's obviously much easier to get rid of the coaches.
Let's take a look at the six ex-coaches...
Didn't Deserve It...
- P.J. Carlesimo, Oklahoma City Thunder - Granted, the Thunder had gotten off to what some may consider a "bad" start, at 1-12. Considering that they've replicated that record over the next 13 games, who do you think is the problem here?
- Randy Whitman, Minnesota Timberwolves - Anyone that could win games with this "roster" gets my vote to replace David Blaine as the baddest magician there is. This roster of Celtic and Grizzly castaways, combined with Kevin Love, isn't much better than the 4-19 that Whitman left it at.
- Reggie Theus, Sacramento Kings - 6-18 isn't half bad with Kevin Martin injured, and when you keep in mind a small fact that seems to run consistently through this story--THERE AREN'T ANY GOOD PLAYERS ON THIS TEAM!! Don't get me wrong, Spencer Hawes, Jason Thompson and maybe even Donte' Greene may have futures in the league. Outside of that, it's a bunch of guys living off numbers they couldn't get on real NBA teams. Hard to win too often with that.
- Eddie Jordan, Washington Wizards - You lose one of the best players in the NBA (not to mention your 100 million dollar star), you're certainly afforded some leeway. Still, the other 2/3 of your core was still there. Maybe not worth firing so soon, but, 1-10 isn't acceptable.
- Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors - Is it his fault they made the move for Jermaine O'Neal? Is it his fault they don't have a qualified 2-guard? No, it's not. But, the Raptors should be better than they are, and that's all there is to it. Too much talent to only be 8-9 at the time. Still, can we give the man a fair shot, more than a 17 game chance to prove he can handle his new players on his newly ran team?
Did Deserve It...
- Maurice Cheeks, Philadelphia 76ers - I'm a bottom line guy, and, in this case, that line reads as follows: You acquire Elton Brand, you now compete for a top 3 spot in the East. When instead, you're 9-14, staring down the barrel of a potentially wasted season, you've gotta make a change. Ticketed as the next "big thing" out of the East after a dramatic finish to last season, the Sixers' lackluster start is just cause Mo Cheek's pink slip.
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