NBA Coaches Have No Learning Curve

Six head coaches have been fired in the NBA so far this season, and we haven't even reached the All-Star Break yet!

Is it fair that general managers are blaming their team’s horrific starts all on the head coaches? Do coaches deserve to be let go so early in the season, or should they get a chance to turn things around?

Here’s a look at the six head coaches who have been fired so far:


Washington Wizards' Eddie Jordan Fired after 1-10 Start

Eddie Jordan has turned the Wizards franchise around since he first began coaching for them in the 03-04 season. Jordan took the Wizards to the playoffs four times and ended his career Wizards record at 197-224.

Gilbert Arenas has still yet to return on the court for the Wizards this season. Without their All-Star point guard, the 1-10 start seems reasonable.

Firing Jordan was the worst move the Wizards could make. He did not deserve to get fired whatsoever. The team is simply slacking off and if anything they deserve to be released.

Jordan is a gifted coach and knows how to win games. He definitely will get a head coaching job in the months to come.

Oklahoma City Thunder's P.J. Carlesimo Fired after League-Worst 1-12 Start

The Thunder had a huge transition this offseason. They went from being the Seattle Super Sonics to the Oklahoma City Thunder. They also went 20-62 last season due to inexperience and lack of veterans and depth.

So was it really P.J.’s fault that the Thunder started this season 1-12? Did firing Carlesimo really do much of anything at all? The Thunder have won one game since the firing and have lost 11 standing at 2-23.

I believe that it was not P.J.’s coaching that prevented the Thunder from winning games. The reason for their poor performance is that they don’t have a consistent center, point guard, or power forward.

So how exactly can you fire a coach for simply doing his job? All he was trying to do was improve a horrible team and make them into a contender.

P.J. did not deserve to be fired so early in the season. Head coach Scott Brooks hasn’t done much of anything either, standing at a lousy record of 1-11. Why hasn’t general manager Sam Presti pulled the switch on him yet?

Toronto Raptors' Sam Mitchell Fired after 8-9 Start

Sam Mitchell took the Raptors to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. He was honored with the NBA’s Coach of the Year award during the 06-07 season.

After acquiring Jermaine O’Neal in the offseason, and finally getting rid of T.J Ford, the Raptors had high hopes coming into the 08-09 season.

After an 8-9 start, one game under .500, the general manager of the Toronto Raptors, Bryan Colangelo, decided it was time to get rid of Mitchell. Colangelo stated that he had very high hopes for his team and just wanted them to win games this season.

Firing Mitchell was definitely not the answer to his problems.

Mitchell was an excellent coach who did not deserve to be cut. Assistant coach Jay Triano has taken over the head coaching role and has a current record of 2-4.

Rest assured, Mitchell will find another job shortly.

Minnesota Timberwolves' Randy Wittman Fired after 4-15 Start

Last season, Wittman led the Timberwolves to a 22-60 record season. Without the presence of Kevin Garnett, the Timberwolves were nothing.

Slightly improving during the offseason, the Wolves acquired Mike Miller and Kevin Love, giving their team more talent. The Timberwolves have a bunch of young raw talent on their team and can’t expect to win many games without much experience in the league.

Firing Wittman could have been a great idea for one reason: Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor replaced him with Hall of Famer Kevin McHale.

McHale was a well-established basketball player, and has been the vice president of the Wolves for the past 13 years. His coaching could easily improve the Wolves’ record this season, though not by much.

I believe firing Wittman was the right thing to do because they needed a change. McHale has a tremendous amount of knowledge of and insight into the game, and will help the Wolves succeed more than Wittman could.

Philadelphia 76ers’ Maurice Cheeks Fired after 9-14 Start

During the offseason, the 76ers acquired All-Star power forward Elton Brand. With Brand, the 76ers looked like one of the best Eastern Conference teams on paper.

But after a slow start to the early season, general manager Ed Stefanski believed that it was time to fire head coach Maurice Cheeks.

I believe Cheeks should not have been fired. It was way too early to decide whether or not he was the problem causing the 9-14 start.

Brand is still rather new to the team’s system of play, and Samuel Dalembert has gotten off to a horrific start. Mo is not the person to blame for the lack of wins this season and did not deserve to be fired.

Sacramento Kings' Reggie Theus Fired after 6-18 Start

Reggie Theus was named head coach of the Kings only 18 months ago. The team finished the 07-08 season with a 38-44 record.

Theus did not get much time to show what he could do for the Kings’ organization. He joined the team at the wrong time and got fired shortly thereafter.

Trading Ron Artest was not a positive outcome for Theus, as well as Kevin Martin’s nagging injury this season. Reggie did not get the chance to turn the Kings’ squad around and has suffered by losing his job quite early in the season.