Written by Matt Zemek at Bloguin
It is true that when Pat Riley sacked Stan Van Gundy early in the 2005-2006 season, the Miami Heat went on to win the NBA championship.
The brutally harsh and selfish move, drenched in ego as it was, did possess one fundamental advantage: The man who made the change was convinced that a better replacement could be found and hired.
When that man is the same person who runs the organization, well, it’s a bit easier to be a cutthroat operator… and to lead the way forward on the bench.
One does not get the sense that Daryl Morey is going to coach the Houston Rockets, now that he’s fired Kevin McHale three weeks into a new NBA season. We identified some replacements here, but it has to be said that the recent history of early-season coaching changes in the NBA is not pretty. Riley in Miami 10 years ago is the exception, not the rule.
The Brooklyn Nets, when firing Avery Johnson before New Year’s Day of 2013, did not make the deep playoff run they were hoping for. The Los Angeles Lakers fired Mike Brown early in their ruinous 2012-2013 season, and did not transform themselves — not in a good way, at least — under Mike D’Antoni. The Sacramento Kings pulled the trigger on firing Mike Malone early last season, and George Karl did not turn them around.
Yes, some organizations did move quickly to make coaching changes in recent years. To be precise, these teams acted more quickly than results or tenures (from the preceding coaches) would normally suggest. The Milwaukee Bucks snagged Jason Kidd from the Nets (or, one could say, Kidd made himself coach at the Bucks with the blessing of ownership — take your pick). That has worked out reasonably well. The Golden State Warriors’ decision to jettison Mark Jackson and bring in Steve Kerr proved to be a championship-winning masterstroke.
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