NBA Hot Seat: NBA Coaches On the Hot Seat in 2024

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NBA Hot Seat 2023
Chase Kiddy @chaseakiddy Mar 07, 2024, 4:30 PM

Jacque Vaughn has nearly 15 years of NBA coaching experience dating back to his time as an assistant with the Spurs in the early 2010s. He also coached the Orlando Magic for several years.

But experience hardly mattered during his recent tenure as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets, where a team that had shed its top-line talent was somehow expected to compete in a lopsided NBA odds market against other top Eastern teams in Boston, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

Vaughn did an admirable job last season taking over for Steve Nash, who was dismissed just seven games into the 2022-23 season. The Nets were 2-5 when the front office ejected Nash; Brooklyn went 43-32 over the last 75 games under Vaughn. 

But reality set in for the Nets this season. Brooklyn is a mostly untalented team stuck in the middle of the standings, which is just about the worst place you can be in today’s NBA. 

Thus, the Nets have begun trading off pieces for draft capital. Vaughn’s Feb. 19 firing is best viewed in that light. Brooklyn was 21-33 at the time of his dismissal. 

Vaughn is the third NBA head coach to be sacked this season, joining Milwaukee’s Adrian Griffin and Washington’s Wes Unseld Jr.

Here are a few other coaches that may be on the hot seat this year.

Monty Williams

Is Monty Williams the right guy to develop Detroit’s talented-but-raw roster? It’s a fair question, as the 2023-24 Pistons currently have the worst record in the NBA, which they achieved thanks in part to a record-setting 28-game losing streak. 

Williams has always been lauded as a thoughtful leader, but coaching a contending Suns team is a world away from his current situation. Perhaps this marriage was a bad fit from the start. 

Billy Donovan 

Unlike many of the other teams at the bottom of the standings, Chicago is not a team waiting on a young potential star to develop. The Bulls are under .500 despite being nearly $30 million over the cap. 

The likely target to absorb that disappointment is head coach Billy Donovan, who’s now in his fourth season with the team. 

The Bulls lost in the first round of the 2022 playoffs after a 46-win regular season. Last year, they finished 40-42 and missed the postseason. 

Chauncey Billups

Portland hired Chauncey Billups to be the Blazers’ head man back in 2021. Consider how much has changed between then and now – Damian Lillard is gone, and the team is a distant 14th place in the West.

This team is a total rebuild at this point. Last year’s No. 3 pick, Scoot Henderson, has not had a great rookie year. (It’s early, so let’s not overreact.)

Portland’s dreadful record clearly isn’t the fault of Billups. This Portland team is not constructed to be competitive this season. But before the season ends, the Trail Blazers’ front office will have to ask themselves if the first-time head coach is the right fit for the team as presently constructed.

If they feel he’s not – if they feel he was the right hire for a more competitive team, but it’s now time for a more developmentally-focused head coach – then Billups will be looking for a new job.

Available NBA Coaches

  • Mike Budenholzer
  • Terry Stotts
  • Mark Jackson
  • Kenny Atkinson
  • Nate McMillan
  • Becky Hammon
  • Stan Van Gundy
  • Jeff Van Gundy
  • Mike D’Antoni
  • Dwane Casey
  • Stephen Silas
  • Dave Joerger
  • James Borrego

NBA Head Coaches

CoachTeamYears of Prior Experience
Quin SnyderAtlanta Hawks9
Joe MazzullaBoston Celtics1
Kevin Ollie (Interim)Brooklyn Nets4
Steve CliffordCharlotte Hornets9
Billy DonovanChicago Bulls8
J.B. BickerstaffCleveland Cavaliers6
Jason KiddDallas Mavericks7
Michael MaloneDenver Nuggets10
Monty WilliamsDetroit Pistons9
Steve KerrGolden State Warriors9
Ime UdokaHouston Rockets1
Rick CarlisleIndiana Pacers21
Tyronn LueLos Angeles Clippers6
Darvin HamLos Angeles Lakers1
Taylor JenkinsMemphis Grizzlies4
Erik SpoelstraMiami Heat15
Doc RiversMilwaukee Bucks23
Chris FinchMinnesota Timberwolves3
Willie GreenNew Orleans Pelicans2
Tom ThibodeauNew York Knicks11
Mark DaigneaultOklahoma City Thunder3
Jamahl MosleyOrlando Magic2
Nick NursePhiladelphia 76ers5
Frank VogelPhoenix Suns11
Chauncey BillupsPortland Trail Blazers2
Mike BrownSacramento Kings9
Gregg PopovichSan Antonio Spurs27
Darko RajakovićToronto Raptors0
Will HardyUtah Jazz1
Brian Keefe (Interim)Washington Wizards0

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About the Author

Chase Kiddy

Read More @chaseakiddy

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.

Chase Kiddy is a writer for BetMGM and co-host of The Lion's Edge, an NFL and college football podcast available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and everywhere else. He has also written for a number of print and online outlets, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Washington Post, Daily News-Record, and HERO Sports. His first novel, Cave Paintings, is in development.