NBA Takes: Special Edition – The saga of mutually parted ways coaches
Could there be more mutually parted coaches?
The Brooklyn Nets, the Eastern Conference’s second seed, and quite frankly the team who was supposed to bring the title back to the Atlantic Coast, were eliminated by the third seed Milwaukee Bucks. I thought Brooklyn assistant Mike D’Antoni would eventually take over for Steve Nash because the first-year head coach looked a little over his head in Game 7.
Mike is a candidate for the head coach job in Portland. Kevin Durant played high-intensity minutes and made it look easy until overtime. Then KD’s fatigue showed down the stretch. A more experienced coach might have found a way to spread the load better.
Even more surprising, the first seed Philadelphia 76ers were eliminated by the fifth seed Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta is currently coached by their interim headman, Nate McMillan. Needless to say, Mr. Sonic is due for a promotion to the Hawks head coach.
Doc Rivers might get a pass since this is his first year in Philly. Don’t forget Doc was the coach of a beleaguered LA Clippers team who could never find their way out of the first round. His replacement, Ty Lue, has the Clips in the Western Conference Finals.
Maybe it’s time to stop playing musical chairs with some of the same old coaches. Younger players are rapidly taking over and are demanding more control. In the next edition of NBA Takes, we will look at some promising assistant coaches considered for the next step. These early postseason coaching changes are more exciting than the playoff games themselves. Look for more names to join the “mutually parted” list after the NBA Finals.
Woj joined the The Jump with the latest on the NBA Coaching Carousel – here's got the details on how things went down in Boston and Indiana, and what's next in Portland and Dallas: pic.twitter.com/zYfNONBHUI
— Rachel Nichols (@Rachel__Nichols) June 25, 2021
Stay tuned with NBA Takes as we follow the coaching changes. Stay safe and healthy!