The first domino in the NBA coaching carousel dropped Thursday morning and it was a pretty significant domino.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired Byron Scott after his third year with the team. Scott's record over those three years was 64-166, which is a winning percentage of .278, which is the lowest of any coach in Cavs history.
According to Jason Lloyd of Akron Beacon Journal, rumors of Scott's firing intensified over the last couple of weeks after the Cavs slipped even with the return of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters from injuries. Their defense has not gotten any better.
There were also reports that Irving and Scott were not getting along. However, Lloyd later reported that Irving was speechless and hurt by the firing and called Scott his "basketball father."
If you are a former coach for the Nets, it was not a good day for you. According to ESPN's Marc Stein, the Detroit Pistons have fired head coach Lawrence Frank after two seasons. Frank's record in those two years was 54-94, but unlike last season when they finished strong, the Pistons lost 26 of their last 37 games on their way to a 29-53 record.
Frank and Scott's firing means two coaching jobs on two bad teams have opened up — along with Philadelphia's coaching job which was left open when Doug Collins stepped down this morning. However, these are not bad teams completely void of talent.
The Cavs have Irving, Waiters, Tristan Thompson and a slew of draft picks in the coming years. Meanwhile, Frank's departure means the opening on a team with one of the most promising front courts in the league with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Under the right coach, Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe could develop in to a terrific one two punch, especially in the East which lacks elite big men.
Look for names like Indiana Pacers assistant Brian Shaw, Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Malone, San Antonio Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer and a few others to get mentioned. There could also be bigger names available for the Cavs job due to Irving's presence and the hope of a return of LeBron James in the summer of 2014.
Photo: Dime Magazine
