Top 10 NBA Players Who Could Be the 2014-15 NBA Coach of the Year
There are several players currently on NBA rosters who are destined to become NBA head coaches.
10 of them will become head coaches in the league sooner than later.
And one of them will be anointed as the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2014-15 season.
If that seems unlikely, because that's only four seasons from now, consider this:
The NBA journey between being a player and being a head coach can happen in overdrive.
Just ask Doc Rivers, who retired in 1996 and became head coach of the Orlando Magic in 1999.
Or Byron Scott, who retired in 1998, spent two years as an assistant with the Sacramento Kings and became head coach of the New Jersey Nets in 2000.
And Scott Skiles, who retired in 1997, spent one year as a head coach in Greece and was named head coach of the Phoenix Suns in 1999.
It also helps that a majority of current NBA head coaches were formerly NBA players, meaning they earned their stripes on the front line.
In addition to Rivers, Scott and Skiles, that list includes Scott Brooks, Larry Drew, Kurt Rambis, Rick Carlisle, George Karl, Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollis, Alvin Gentry, Tyron Corbin, Doug Collins, Nate McMillan, Paul Westphal, Monty Williams and Mike D'Antoni.
So here's a look not only at what could be the future core of NBA head coaches, but at least one who will be named the best of the best in 2014-15.
Derek Fisher, Los Angeles Lakers
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Derek Fisher, who has been in the NBA since 1996, will turn 37 in August and is ready to move on to the next phase of his basketball life.
He has five NBA championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers.
He was also part of the 2010-11 team that imploded in the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks.
So he has seen the highs and lows of NBA life.
His career is filled with clutch shots, smart on-court decisions and qualities of leadership that it takes to gut it out as an NBA head coach.
He has mentored under Phil Jackson, learning not only how to understand X's and O's but egos.
His current contract expires in 2012-13, but he could opt out to become an assistant coach as early as the 2011-12 season.
From there, he would be on the fast-track to being a successful NBA head coach.
Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks
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Jason Kidd is a throwback player to the days when it was essential to grind it out on offense and defense on every play.
The politically correct description would be hard-nosed.
The more to the core description would be bad ass MF.
He was co-Rookie of the Year in 1994-95 during his first stint with the Dallas Mavericks.
He led the New Jersey Nets to two consecutive NBA Finals in 2002 and 2003.
He has run a variety of offensive strategies with Dallas, the Nets and the Phoenix Suns.
He was a member of two Olympic gold medal U.S. teams at the 2000 and 2008 Summer Games.
His current contract runs through 2011-12 , when he will be 39.
Then it would be time to launch a new career. As an NBA head coach he not only would demand, but would get, respect from his players.
Chauney Billups, New York Knicks
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Chauncey Billups had a tenuous start to his NBA career, spending time with four teams in his first six pro seasons.
But it all came together when he signed as a free agent with the Detroit Pistons prior to the 2002-03 season.
Not far removed from their Bad Boy championship days, the Pistons made Billups the starting point guard and returned to a hard-nosed style of play.
With Billups as the floor general, the team won the 2003-04 NBA title over the Los Angeles Lakers. For his role, Billups was named NBA Finals MVP.
Billups continued to be the translator of strategies as an on-court general when he was traded from the Pistons to the Denver Nuggets in November 2008.
And though Billups was almost an afterthought of the Carmelo Anthony trade from Denver to the New York Knicks this past February, he quickly showed his clutch skills on offense and team leadership on defense.
The Knicks picked up his option year for 2011-12 at a reported $14.2 million, where he will be the man who runs the plays for and gets the ball to Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire.
Billups will be 35 in September, so he is quickly approaching the time when he will be running the plays as a head coach.
Ray Allen, Boston Celtics
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Ray Allen has ice in his veins and an established shooter's touch.
He is the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers.
He has been a court leader from his rookie season with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1996-97 when he was part of a "Big Three" that also included Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson.
When he joined the Seattle Sonics in 2003, he became a leader for five seasons.
The team had some respectable showings in the Western Conference but the franchise was essentially playing out its days in Seattle before relocating to Oklahoma City.
In 2007, he became an integral part of the Boston Celtics' "Big Three," alongside Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. The team won the NBA title in 2007-08 and returned to the Finals in 2009-10, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers.
He has been mentored by such players-turned-head coaches as Nate McMillian, Bob Weiss and Doc Rivers.
He signed a two-year deal with the Celtics in 2010, which will make him 38 when it ends after the 2011-12 season.
He also acquired some special skills that few head coaches arrive with but eventually need: He has acted in a movie, co-starring with Denzel Washington in Spike Lee's He Got Game.
Grant Hill, Phoenix Suns
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One of the smartest basketball players in the NBA.
His pro bloodline was inherited from his dad, Calvin Hill, a Yale grad who went on to star with the NFL's Dallas Cowboys.
Hill was a two-time NCAA title winner at Duke, where he got his first prime-time coaching insights from Mike Krzysewski.
He shared Rookie of the Year honors with Jason Kidd in 1994 and went on from there to establish himself as a legitimate team leader.
Off the court, he is heavily immersed in national politics and community relations.
He also knows the pros and cons of sports marketing deals, having had alliances with Sprite, Tag Heuer and Nike.
Hill, who turns 39 in October, is currently an unrestricted free agent.
Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns
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Well-versed in the intricacies of running a team and motivating players.
His current contract expires after 2011-12, when he will be 38.
The two-time NBA MVP and five-time NBA assist leader is hard-nosed and immune to shortcomings that most rookie head coaches would face.
He was named in 2006 by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Spends significant time and energy on causes such as conservation and recycling, including his line of shoes when he was with Nike.
Lists as his NBA heroes Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas.
He combines basketball smarts with insights in how to motivate players and community efforts.
He would channel all of those positives into a successful career as head coach.
Kurt Thomas, Chicago Bulls
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Kurt Thomas has played with eight teams since joining the NBA in 1995.
His travels have made him familiar with cities and situations nationwide, a definite plus when leading a team on arduous road trips.
The upside of his well-traveled playing career also includes receiving head coaching experience from the likes of Gregg Popovich, Tom Thibodeau, Jeff Van Gundy and Mike D'Antoni.
His reputation as a hard worker, especially off the glass, gives him an edge in coaching younger players.
He was at 39 the second oldest player in the NBA last season behind Shaquille O'Neal. As a veteran, he helped to mentor the younger Bulls, including MVP Derrick Rose.
Thomas is currently an unrestricted free agent. A career in coaching awaits.
Mike Dunleavy Jr., Indiana Pacers
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Mike Dunleavy Jr. is the son of former NBA player and head coach Mike Dunleavy.
That afforded him an up-close and personal look at the inner workings of the NBA.
He won a national title at Duke under head coach Mike Krzysewski, gaining even more tutoring.
Dunleavy is currently an unrestricted free agent.
He's only 31, so he's likely to sign a two or three-year deal, and then look for other options.
Head coaching would be a perfect fit for his resume.
Jamal Crawford, Atlanta Hawks
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Jamal Crawford is hard-nosed, competitive, smart and willing to throw himself into edgy situations for the team.
He will take that to the next level as a coach.
Crawford is one of only four players in NBA history to score 50 or more points for three different teams (Wilt Chamberlain, Bernard King and Moses Malone).
He holds the NBA record for most four-point plays (24). One of the best players in the NBA coming off the bench.
Currently an unrestricted free agent, Crawford at 31 likely will still be playing a few more years before considering a coaching career.
Juwan Howard, Miami Heat
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Juwan Howard has dealt with the trials and tribulations of national media and internal attention since his days as a member of the Fab Five at Michigan.
He has earned a reputation as a man dedicated to his teams, family and community.
He left college early but continued his campus work and graduated on time with his senior class.
Howard established during seven seasons with Washington that he could be an offensive and defensive threat.
Although his overall numbers have declined since 2004, he has become a more intensive student of the game, learning about the intricacies of coaching.
He was called to the Miami Heat this season by Pat Riley to become part of a bench foundation in support of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Although his role was limited, he is now playing in the NBA Finals.
After which he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
At 38, he's likely to move on past his playing career.
Coaching would suit him well.
Five Other Players Who Could Become NBA Coaches
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• Malik Allen (Orlando Magic, 33 in June)
• Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies, 33 in September)
• Marcus Camby (Portland Trail Blazers, 37)
• Vince Carter (Phoenix Suns, 34, pictured)
• Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks, 34 in September)
