As I grow older, there's something I notice more and more about sports franchises. To spark a period of success, three attributes must coincide ... coaching, talent, and timing. The first two are pretty self-explanatory. The third can work with some wiggle room. Some coaches are given the luxury of time, making sure that their system is in place long enough for the talent pool to catch up and start winning. Others get plopped into a ready-made situation, apparently being the final piece to overcome previous hurdles. In this current coaching hiring season, the cycle will allow for both scenarios to take shape.
With the NBA Finals in sight, five of the six coaching vacancies are still open. Of those six, two were basically "long-term" understandable. Houston (which has already been filled) and Detroit are rebuilding projects that should take time course correct. Four of the other jobs fall into the latter "tweak-to-win" category. I know that even the successful organizations can make changes at the end of the bench. It just seems like this offseason will ramp up the pace of replacement.
The records of the now-former coaches of Toronto, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, and Phoenix were pretty damn good:
Now, to be fair, this year ain't beholden to seasons past. A myriad of things can happen between a high-water mark and the end of a tenure.
In Nurse's case, the roster appeared to grow stagnant. The Raptors have missed the playoffs two out of the last three seasons, bowing out in the first round in the other campaign.
Rivers just couldn't get over the hump. Even though the Sixers won 60-plus percent of their games the last three regulars seasons, each playoff run ended in the Conference Semifinals.
Regarding the cases of the coaches that faced off in the 2021 Finals, both Budenholzer and Williams fell short of championship aspirations. The Bucks couldn't steer around a First Round loss as the top overall seed for this postseason. The Suns ultimately couldn't look past devastating, blowout losses to end the last two seasons.
Even though we may never know the true cause for each firing, the hope of all the franchises are clear. Acquiring that home run hire will be easier said than done, however, especially with roster questions all over the place.
Toronto hasn't been championship quality since Kawhi Leonard made his pit stop north of the border. Can the front office build up the talent to compete with the likes of Boston, Milwaukee, and Miami?
Philadelphia in home to the reigning MVP, but can they keep James Harden in the fold? If Harden decides to up-and-leave, where will the team go to replace those contributions? Would it be time for Tyrese Maxey to raise his game to a new level?
The talent restock is deeper in Phoenix. Yes, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker are on the roster for the foreseeable future. However, the bench was depleted in that mid-season trade for Durant. And what to do about an aging Chris Paul and a disgruntled Deandre Ayton?
Milwaukee appears to be in the best condition, roster-wise. Superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is locked in for multiple seasons. But there will be discussions around extending the next two in line (Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday). What's the plan to continue surrounding the Greek Freak with a talented set of teammates?
The annual carousel is all but a rite of passage. This year, though, it seems that the focus has shifted more toward the teams within reach of the brass ring (rather than digging up from the bottom). Wherever the "search-go-round" stops, all of these contenders want to line up their timing to keep a winning window open as long as possible.
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