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NBA coaches who should be fired soon
Chicago Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg appears to be on the hot seat. Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports

NBA coaches who should be fired soon

With the NBA season officially past the halfway point, it's becoming more and more clear which teams are truly in the playoff hunt and which are on the verge of underachieving status. The Bulls and Knicks seems full of dysfunction while teams like the Blazers, Magic and Kings can't seem to get their bearings.

Welcome back to the Yardbarker roundtable, where we take a look at some of the coaches who may pay for their teams' unmet expectations.

Which coach should be fired and soon?

Alex Wong: Fred Hoiberg. This was difficult to choose because some of the worst teams in the league actually have relatively stable coaching situations, like the 76ers (you can't get rid of Brett Brown after all the time he put in on that rebuilding program, especially with the team still responding to him), Nets (they just hired Kenny Atkinson and are in for a long rebuild) and the Lakers (same, Luke Walton just arrived). 

So, Hoiberg is the choice here. The Bulls are currently in a playoff spot, but it's unclear what their head coach has done in his almost two full seasons to get the most out of his roster, which, fair or not, is the comparison to his predecessor Tom Thibodeau, who got the most out of his Bulls teams even through injuries. Add in the Rajon Rondo-Jimmy Butler-Dwyane Wade drama, and it might be time for a new coach in Chicago.

Sam Greszes: OK, he's not a coach anymore, but he still should be fired: Philip. Douglas. Jackson. If I never, ever, ever, hear his name spoken out loud again, it'll be too soon. 

Here's a hot take: Phil Jackson was an above-average coach who lucked into two of the best lineups in the history of basketball. Now, he doesn't have one of the best lineups in the history of basketball, and he's being exposed for what he is: a terrible motivator who seems categorically incapable of adapting to a constantly changing game. #TeamMelo

Jason Clinkscales: This isn’t my favorite question in the world, but the coach I think is most likely to lose his job next would be Alvin Gentry in New Orleans. There may not be many openings between now and the start of next season because many teams have already made changes in the previous year, but in Gentry’s case, the Pelicans are mired in mediocrity and a cavalcade of injuries. It may not totally be his fault, but if there’s any future to build around Anthony Davis, it may begin with a new coach.


New Orleans Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry now must figure out how to make Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins fit together. Ray Carlin/USA TODAY Sports

However, perhaps Gentry can reverse his and his team's fortunes with DeMarcus Cousins in tow. Then again, if he can't figure out how to get Boogie and Davis to work together, it could be the impetus for his firing.

Daniel Tran: After a decent turn as head coach in 2013-2014, Jeff Hornacek has not been impressive since. After that first year, Hornacek has a 76-111 record. In that time, he has failed to develop a roster of youngsters with the Phoenix Suns and can’t make the pieces fit with the New York Knicks this year.


New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has had to deal with distractions all season. Tommy Gilligan/USA TODAY Sports

If he can do neither of those as a head coach, what can he really do?

Sean Keane: Fred Hoiberg. He's already lost Jimmy Butler's respect, he never had Dwyane Wade's and he still plays Rajon Rondo in the fourth quarter. The Bulls should fire him at the same time they buy out Rondo and make them share a cab.

Shiloh Carder: I honestly can't see any coach fired during this season. If I had to find one, it would be Fred Hoiberg. The Bulls have been an absolute mess this season, which isn't all his fault. This is a horribly crafted roster, yet they are currently sitting in the seventh spot. Still, Hoiberg's predecessor, Tom Thibodeau, was fired for doing much better than what they currently are. There seems to be a feeling that the organization is analyzing if Hoiberg is the right man for this job.

Demetrius Bell: The Raptors are currently in a battle to remain in position for home-court advantage in the first round when they have a squad that, for all intents and purposes, should have been cruising in the top three of the Eastern Conference all season. Now, if they start picking up some wins with the addition of Serge Ibaka, then things could go right for Toronto. However, the Raptors need a change of leadership on the bench if they want to get serious about possibly upsetting the apple cart in the East this year. That means moving on from Dwane Casey.


Head coach Dwane Casey's Raptors are battling to remain in the top half of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports

David Matthews: Fred Hoiberg! The Bulls are a complete mess and need to go into rebuild mode, and one of the first steps in that regard should be acknowledging that Hoiberg is overmatched as an NBA coach and needs to go. It's not his fault that the roster is constructed as such, but it is sort of his fault that Niko Mirotic hasn't improved in two seasons. The modern NBA is all about shooting threes and shooting them efficiently, and the Bulls do neither of those things. Hoiberg isn't the main reason the Bulls have fallen out of Eastern Conference contention, but his firing, as well as those above him, should be the start of any rebuild the team does.

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