Who Will Be the First NBA Coach to Lose His Job This Season?

The NBA’s 2019-20 season has just started but as early as now, the oddsmakers have already picked which head coaches have the best betting odds to get fired first this season.

The 2019 summer not only saw plenty of player movements but the NBA also saw several front office and coaching changes. Teams like Phoenix, Memphis, Cleveland, and Sacramento. Other teams kept their respective coaches or promoted interim coaches to full-time positions. Some of these head coaches are on rebuilding teams who are destined to fail while some are in high-profile jobs where there is little or no room for error. With the pressure to win on everybody, anyone’s job may be on the line. Well, except perhaps for the likes of Gregg Popovich and Mike Budenholzer who are unlikely to get fired this season.

Let’s take a look! And remember, if you need any help betting on basketball, we have this handy article about “How to Bet on NBA”.

NBA Coaches That Could Be First to Lose His Job

Scott Brooks

Brooks has been the head coach of the Washington Wizards since the 2016-17 season. He made an immediate impact when he led the Wizards to the Southeast Division title in his rookie season, taking them to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, Brooks has seen his win total go down from 49 to 43 and then to 32 last season. The Wizards missed the playoffs last year, the first time in Brooks’ tenure here. Washington fired GM Ernie Grunfeld late last season and hired Tommy Sheppard. The Wizards will play this year without John Wall who is out with a torn Achilles. Isaiah Thomas could take over Wall’s spot but given his history and recent decline, he won’t be much of a difference maker. With Bradley Beal as his only main weapon, the Wizards could be headed for a tough season. They picked Rai Hachimura in the draft but he was their only draft pick this year. The Wizards have a mediocre roster at best and it will be hard for Brooks to improve on last season’s performance.

Billy Donovan

There were high hopes for Donovan in OKC after he steered the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference Finals in his first season. But after his Thunder were unable to put away the Golden State Warriors in the WCF, Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City and joined the Dubs. Since then, it has been downhill. Russell Westbrook became a one-man show until Paul George showed up. But one year after George told the fans that he will stay in OKC, he was traded to the Clippers. Then Westbrook was also traded and the Thunder are in rebuild mode. Chris Paul is the star of the team now and he isn’t getting any younger or healthier. CP3 may not be happy in OKC and there is a possibility that he will be traded to a contender. There are too many questions than answers in OKC and I’m not sure if Donovan will be there to finish the season, whether he gets fired or he quits the job.

Mike D’Antoni

Earlier, we talked about Westbrook getting traded to the Houston Rockets. And while our first thought would be that the Rockets are going to be a better team with an All-Star player added, Russell Westbrook can be both a luxury and burden for head coach D’Antoni. We know what Westbrook can do but we also know that he is also a ball-dominant player like James Harden. Russ and Beard played together in OKC but if D’Antoni cannot make the pair work, he could be in trouble. The Rockets were close to the Finals two years ago but could not improve on that last season. A second straight debacle could cost D’Antoni’s job. That’s why the Rockets need a good start or Mike could easily go packing.

Brett Brown

Brown has reaped rewards of former GM Sam Hinkie’s “Process”. It can be recalled that it was Hinkie who coined the phrase “Trust the Process” when he started trading the Sixers’ players for future draft picks. Hinkie was fired before everyone understood what his motives were. While Brown had to endure four losing seasons trusting the “Process”, he was there when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons resurrected Philadelphia basketball. But while the Sixers have emerged as one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, they have never made it past the Eastern Conference Semifinals in their two playoff seasons. The Sixers traded Jimmy Butler last summer and this year it will be up to Embiid and Simmons to deliver. They also lost veteran shooter J.J. Redick and it remains to be seen how their two young stars are going to act as the new leaders. With Kawhi Leonard going West this season, the Sixers have high aspirations this year. A slow start could be disastrous for Brett Brown.

Jim Boylan

Boylan is the coach that the Bulls wanted after Fred Hoiberg. Boylen is a guy who cares for his players. He traveled to Europe to see Lauri Markkanen and Tomas Satoransky. He also went to the Bahamas to visit Zach LaVine. Since taking over, the discord in Chicago has disappeared but then this is the NBA and it’s not just about having good relationships. The Bulls have missed the playoffs in three out of the last four seasons. The team has won a total of 49 games in the last two seasons. Zach Lavine is healthy this season and so is Lauri Markkanen. They also added the likes of Satoransky, Luke Kornet, Thaddeus Young and Otto Porter Jr. to help their young stars. However, the rest of the teams have gotten better, including their Eastern Conference rivals. LaVine is a fantastic player but he isn’t a full-fledged superstar yet. The players like Boylan but the owners want results. This is his third stint as NBA coach but he’s never coached a full season. I’m not sure if that changes this year.

Frank Vogel

The Los Angeles Lakers coaching job is the toughest assignment in the NBA. The Lakers are the most popular team in the NBA and the pressure is at its highest right now. Los Angeles signed LeBron James last season with the hopes of bringing back their glory days. The team missed the playoffs after LeBron got hurt on Christmas Day. Last summer, they traded away their young stars to add Anthony Davis but not only is Davis an injury-prone player, he’s never played alongside a big star like LeBron. James is playing in his 17th season and isn’t getting any younger. The pressure to win this year is even bigger than last season because of Davis’ presence. Sure, it looks like they have a better team this year than last year but then every other top contender has gotten better, except perhaps Golden State. Luke Walton was a favorite here but after failing to make the playoffs last year, he was fired. Making the playoffs isn’t just the expectation for Vogel, winning the title is. A slow start will derail those plans and I think if the Lakers start slow, Vogel will be the first to go.

Who Will Be the First to Go?

Here are the odds for the first head coach to be fired or to leave his post this season.

There’s a good chance that Scott Brooks and Billy Donovan are going to fail this season and that’s why they are on top of the NBA betting odds board. But isn’t that already expected considering their lineups? I don’t see Mike D’Antoni and Brett Brown getting fired during the season, maybe after the playoffs if they don’t win the title or do better than the previous year. Jim Boylan is in the same boat as Brooks and Donovan. Frank Vogel is at +1200 but I think he has the best chance to be fired first.

The Lakers lost to the Clippers on opening night. Sure, it was just one loss but when you dissect the game, the Lakers’ weaknesses were glaring. They started the game strong because they have a fantastic starting unit. However, they do not have a bench that is as dynamic as the Clippers have. Other contenders have a deep rotation. The Lakers have many veterans on their roster but they don’t seem to work well as a team. The Lakers still rely heavily on LeBron and LeBron doesn’t bring out the best in those guys. If the Lakers keep playing one on one and merely rely on individual talent, there is no question Frank Vogel is getting fired first. Sure, it’s still a long season but the Lakers are not a team that can afford to start slow. Not with the pressure around the team.

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