They hear the clock ticking

[curiousspirit]

They hear the clock ticking



It's nearing decision time in the NBA -- when the regular season concludes, the playoffs begin. . . . and coaches get fired. Five coaches hear the clock ticking -- some more loudly than others.

1. Bob Hill, SuperSonics. Hill took over for Bob Weiss in early January after the Sonics got off to a 13-17 start. Hill has guided the Sonics to a 19-26 record since. Do the math. Weiss' winning percentage (.433) was better than Hill's (.422). And both fall far short of the Sonics' 52 wins last season under Nate McMillan. The Sonics' front office must bear some responsibility for the step back because three key role players -- Flip Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic and Reggie Evans -- went into the season on one-year contracts. Each was traded. Chemistry pushed the Sonics to the Western Conference semifinals a year ago, and a lack of it will put them in the lottery this year.

2. Sam Mitchell, Raptors. As far as accomplishments go, Mitchell's most notable one has been steadying the Raptors after a horrendous 1-15 start. That likely won't be enough for new president and general manager Bryan Colangelo, who had higher standards with the Suns. It certainly doesn't help that the man who brought Mitchell in -- Rob Babcock -- was let go earlier this season. In the end, Mitchell's future might hinge on two factors: his relationship with Colangelo and his relationship with star power forward Chris Bosh.


3. Maurice Cheeks, 76ers. Cheeks is one of the NBA's classiest men. But facts are facts, and facts are not on his side. The 76ers had lost 13 of 18 games entering the week, and the majority of those defeats had been by double digits. Allen Iverson and Chris Webber have been mostly healthy this season but have failed to form a successful partnership. Cheeks would seem to be most likely to take the fall here, though a case could be made that team president Billy King or perhaps even Iverson should beat him out the door.

4. Mike Montgomery, Warriors. This began as the season in which the Warriors would end their seemingly interminable playoff drought (now at 12 years). Instead, the team likely will fail to match last season's win total of 34. On the surface, Montgomery, who is finishing his second season, doesn't seem to have a prayer of returning.

Not so fast. Vice president Chris Mullin has said several times that Montgomery will not be fired. In fact, Mullin has gone so far as saying that firing Montgomery would be "weak." One thing the coach has going for him is Mullin's desire to bring stability to the organization. Consider this: If Montgomery is the Warriors' coach on opening night next season, he'll be the franchise's longest-tenured coach since P.J. Carlesimo, who was fired in 2000.

5. Rick Adelman, Kings. The Kings were eight games under .500 at the end of January, and it was a foregone conclusion that Adelman, in the final year of his deal, would be fired. The bigger question was whether he'd last the season.

But the addition of small forward Ron Artest has turned the Kings around, and they're headed toward their eighth consecutive playoff appearance with Adelman at the helm. There still are signs this could be Adelman's final season in Sacramento, but give him credit for a low-key approach that has worked perfectly since Artest's arrival.

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn...ic.php?t=82580

[Spaceman Spiff]

Ray Allen seems to like Bob Hill. I wouldn't be surprised if he got another year.

[pjjrfan]

I don't really keep up with a lot of these teams, but I do know that Mitchell has had a lot of controversary in his tenure at Toronto. And Montgomery has lost respect in the way that he has handled Baron Davis. And as far as Mo Cheeks it just seems his team doesn't play very well. And as is so often the case, it's a lot easier to replace the coach then the players.

I see the Kings as a team who will show just how much they love thier coach when the playoffs roll around, a good showing will probably save Adelman's job. But then pressure games bring out the best in Ron Artest judging by his antics in Indiana. I sure want to see how the Kings handle a meltdown by Artest.

[Brooklyn Dave]

I think Hill stays in Seattle because ownership would prefer to keep costs down.

I think Adelman's return depends on who is available that might be better. Money is not the issue and if a high profile big dollar guy were to be available the Kings will have a new coach.

[ElNonoMasa]

Originally Posted by curiousspirit

1. Bob Hill, SuperSonics. Hill took over for Bob Weiss in early January after the Sonics got off to a 13-17 start. Hill has guided the Sonics to a 19-26 record since. Do the math. Weiss' winning percentage (.433) was better than Hill's (.422). And both fall far short of the Sonics' 52 wins last season under Nate McMillan. The Sonics' front office must bear some responsibility for the step back because three key role players -- Flip Murray, Vladimir Radmanovic and Reggie Evans -- went into the season on one-year contracts. Each was traded. Chemistry pushed the Sonics to the Western Conference semifinals a year ago, and a lack of it will put them in the lottery this year.

This is mostly management fault.
Their front office shouldn't have lowballed McMillan out. That was incredibly stupid of them. I don't recall Stern saying Washington State doesn't want the Sonics last year, when they had a winning team, and the arena was full.
The other thing going against them is that Ray Allen was on a contract year last year, playing his heart out, and not so much this year.
But I don't see how Bob Hill has anything to do with that?

[Dave McNulla]

the sixers are a tough nut to figure out too. they've had about 4 coaches since lb left three seasons ago. they fired the obrien, who was doing alright, just to bring cheeks in. they're slightly worse last season, but won't make the playoffs this time (it's mathmatically possible).

[curiousspirit]

If memory serves me, this has been a good year for coaches. Not that they are doing a good job, but that only two (I think) have lost their jobs during the season (JVG and Weis(?) from Seattle). However, things may change once the season is complete.

I think that Cheeks is a question mark. Hill will probably stay because of the teams performance in the last two months. Mitchell, I think, is borderline and will influenced by Bosh's opinion. Mullin wants Montgomery to stay and as for the Kings, who else is out there that is good enough to replace Adelman?

[highplainsspur]

I've been a Cheeks fan since his days at West Texas State; I hate to see him get booted... again.

[curiousspirit]

Originally Posted by Hantler

SVG, although I'm not sure how JVG has kept his job thus far.

Duh -- you're right.