Media by Associated Press – Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan watches during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Finding a patient organization in professional sports is a rare quality. Several franchises across all sports — like the San Antonio Spurs and Pittsburgh Steelers — have made continuity a hallmark of their success. But other teams aren’t willing to wait for a coach to figure things out if they are capable of doing so.
Here’s a look at a few NBA coaches that will need to be looking over their shoulders when the end of the season rolls around.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls
Season three in the Windy City has been tough for Donovan. Chicago is missing Lonzo Ball, who hasn’t played since April of 2022 with an injury. The Bulls have fallen off from a team that won 46 games last year to a team sitting on the outside looking in on a play-in tournament spot.
While missing Ball hurts the team, Chicago having a roster featuring small forward DeMar DeRozan, Zach Lavine, and Nikola Vucevic, should be doing better than it is right now. Donovan has been a solid coach in Chicago, leading the team to the playoffs in two of his three seasons with the team; the fanbase will eventually expect more.
Nate McMillan, Atlanta Hawks
McMillan, and to a lesser extent Hawks star guard Trae Young, may be victims of their own success. Two seasons ago, Atlanta made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals and appeared to be on the rise. However, Atlanta has mostly been battling just to earn a spot in the play-in tournament this season.
Young and McMillan haven’t been seeing eye-to-eye, which usually doesn’t end well for the coach. If Atlanta can’t find an extended stretch of success, the Hawks may be in the market for a new coach.
Dwane Casey, Detroit Pistons
Casey has had a difficult four-year run in the Motor City. Some of it isn’t Casey’s fault. He led the team to a surprising playoff run during his first season but, since then, has been overseeing a major rebuilding project. Detroit let the team sink to the bottom of the league for the last few seasons.
The Pistons haven’t seen much fruits of their extended suffering. Detroit hasn’t been able to get much back as far as wins in the standings from having a few top draft picks.
Tom Thibodeau, New York Knicks
Thibodeau was an excellent coach in Chicago but never got the Bulls over the hump. Since leaving the Windy City, Thibodeau has gotten anyone else past the second round. During his first season in New York, Thibodeau led New York to a 41-31 record, but the Knicks bowed out in the first round.
During Thibodeau’s second season, the Knicks finished 37-45. New York is on track to make the playoffs this season but may need to make a run past the first round to keep their coach.
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