Mike Woodson, New York Knicks
Mike Woodson's job security has been frequently discussed since the 2013-14 season began, with plenty of fans, NBA writers and experts calling for his head during a lackluster year for the Knicks (15-26).
With Carmelo Anthony, Raymond Felton, Tyson Chandler and Co. returning after a 54-win season, this year the Knicks planned to take another step toward serious championship contention. Instead, coach Woodson has openly feuded with J.R. Smith and has become notorious for his lack of in-game adjustments.
Knicks players like Tyson Chandler have stated publicly the team has been out-schemed during games.
While he may he make it through the rest of this season, if things don’t turn around for NY in the second half, the Knicks organization may show Mike Woodson the door.
Tyrone Corbin, Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz are in the midst of a rebuilding effort, and with young studs like Gordon Hayward, Enes Kanter and Trey Burke to build around, the Jazz have a bright future. Tyrone Corbin was appointed head coach after Jerry Sloan resigned in 2011, but with a sub-.500 record and his contract expiring after this season (with no talk of a possible extension), it’s highly likely the Jazz will court a new team leader to coach this young group.
Randy Wittman, Washington Wizards
The Wizards are playing much better this season than they have in recent memory. With a solid record of 2o-20 (good for 5th in the East), you’d think Randy Wittman would be safe to return to the nation’s capital next season; however, considering the talent on the Wizards roster (Bradley Beal, John Wall, Trevor Ariza, Nene, Marcin Gortat to name a few) you'd think they'd have a better record than 21-20 in the weak Eastern conference.
The Wizards offense is essentially John Wall or bust. Wittman's offensive schemes have little complexity, and teams able to contain Wall have had an easy time beating the Wiz.
Considering Coach Wittman is in the final year of his contract, the Wizards organization is likely to explore their options - with more successful coaches like George Karl or Lionel Hollins available.
Dwayne Casey, Toronto Raptors
In his first two seasons as head coach of the Toronto Raptors, Dwayne Casey’s record was 110-170. Since trading away Rudy Gay, the Raptors look like a solid team with a 20-20 record that's good for 4th in the East. While Toronto is playing better of late, newly installed GM Masai Ujiri may want to hand-pick a coach who's better aligned with his vision for the organization.
Coaches That Should Be Fired, But Won’t Be
Larry Drew, Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks' front office built the current roster with the playoffs in mind, but instead they're by far the NBA's worst team at 7-33. The Bucks have the NBA’s worst offense, led by guards Brandon Knight and O.J. Mayo, who Drew hasn’t found a proper way to use. Whether it’s the front office making mistakes (giving Larry Sanders an $41 million extension and giving Mayo $25 million over three years are the most obvious) or Drew not using his assets properly, the Bucks shouldn’t be this bad.
Players have spoken out over the team’s lack of identity. While this season is Drew’s first as coach of the Bucks, he hasn’t met the expectations set by Milwaukee's front office.
Mike D’Antoni, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers franchise is a mess right now, and the biggest mistake was Jim Buss hiring Mike D’Antoni as head coach. D’Antoni is a good coach when he has a young quick players on his team. The Lakers don’t have many of those players, and the team's performance has been lackluster (16-26).
With Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash both injured, this team has been exciting but awful at the same time. D’Antoni doesn’t preach defense, and it shows. Nash, Kobe and Pau Gasol are too old to for D'Antoni's uptempo offense to be effective even if the roster was at full strength. With Nash and Kobe returning next season, the Lakers should do them a solid and bring in a coach that will help them contend.
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