NBA Playoffs 2012: 5 Coaches You Don't Want Managing Your Team

Looking at some of the coaches in this year's NBA playoffs, part of me wants to groan. 

In their respective team's matchups, I've been tempted to send a tweet or an email to the superior organization's higher-ups and tell them to make it quick.

Let me put it this way. Game 1 win aside, if I'm an Orlando Magic fan, I'm going to be having major anxiety over the fact that Stan Van Gundy is still coaching the team, especially with Dwight Howard out and all of the drama that led to the team's end-of-season collapse in the conference rankings. The playoff win is nice, but it can't undo a thing.

Oddly enough, Van Gundy isn't the only coach you wouldn't want managing your team in the playoffs. 

Let's have a look at five of them.

No. 5: Stan Van Gundy

Speaking of the devil, let's kick things off with Van Gundy. I'm not saying that he's a bad coach, because eight years as one of Pat Riley's assistants in Miami must have given him some amazing knowledge.

Van Gundy used that knowledge to help lead the Magic to the NBA Finals in 2009, but it all went downhill from there.

While the 2009 squad was great and the epitome of team play, especially in the way they defeated LeBron James' Cleveland Cavaliers in that season's East finals, Van Gundy employed a predictable tactic in the following years—get the ball to Dwight Howard, get the ball to Dwight Howard and get the ball to Dwight Howard more.

Each squad since has been Howard plus aging veterans and/or underachievers, and while that isn't Van Gundy's fault by any means, his lack of the slightest thread of trust in them has sunk Orlando.

That said, if I'm running a team, I don't want him anywhere near it.

No. 4: Vinny Del Negro

Vinny Del Negro's career coaching record is just below .500, and I have no issue saying that he is the most overrated coach in the NBA playoffs right now. 

He posted back-to-back 41-41 years in Chicago before being replaced with Tom Thibodeau, and we all know how that story goes.

The former three-point threat then moved on to the Clippers, and just one season after going 32-50, he finds himself in the playoffs thanks to the acquisition of Chris Paul and introduction of Lob City. Simply put, without Paul, the Clippers would have finished the season with an equal-or-worse record than last season.

On top of that, reports surfaced earlier this season that the man had lost the team. If that's not enough reason to keep him away from one's team in the playoffs, I don't know what is.

No. 3: Tyrone Corbin

This guy had some big coaching shoes to fill in Utah following Jerry Sloan's sudden resignation, and while his guiding the Jazz to a photo finish into the playoffs was impressive, I wouldn't trust him with a team I might be running.

Simply put, Corbin's Jazz were the definition of inconsistency all season long. They had a few lengthy winning streaks but could never seem to get over the hump in the highly competitive Western Conference, mostly because point guard Devin Harris struggled throughout the year.

I'm sorry but as head coach, your job is to get the best out of your team, even if it means benching a star. Corbin didn't do that, so why should I trust him in the playoffs, where every game counts?

No. 2: Doug Collins

Doug Collins' coaching style with the Sixers this season was a lot like the idea of communism: it looked good on paper, but in reality, it just didn't work. Philly's pure team play had a good run but ultimately crumbled when their divisional and inter-conference rivals turned on the afterburners. Without one player to call the alpha dog/star, there was no way for them to stand out in crunch time.

The fact that the leading scorer was sixth man Louis Williams, with a whopping 14.9 points per game and not supposed franchise player Andre Iguodala (12.4 points), is just plain disgusting.  It's almost as though Collins didn't trust any one player to carry the team.

In the playoffs, lack of trust is the first thing to sink a franchise.

No. 1: Mike Brown

OK, so let me get this straight. Brown coached the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers for five years, was the top seed in the Eastern Conference twice and didn't win one championship??? 

I don't care what LeBron supposedly did quit on the team in 2010, the fact that Brown couldn't bring home one ring is unacceptable.

When it comes to my team, he better stay away.