$Each NBA Team\'s Worst Coaching Hire Ever$

Each NBA Team's Worst Coaching Hire Ever

By Chipper Murphy

David Blatt took the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals last season, and led them to the Eastern Conference’s best record before being fired for someone with no head coaching experience. Tyronn Lue got David Blatt’s job because he has been friends with LeBron James since James was 17 years old. Regardless of the weight James carries in the organization, the Cavs took a big risk firing Blatt and hoping Lue would pay off. With that in mind, let’s like at each team’s worst coaching hire.

$Each NBA Team\'s Worst Coaching Hire Ever$

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Atlanta Hawks: Lon Kruger — Before coaching the University of Oklahoma, Lon Kruger was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks where he infamously guaranteed season-ticket holders that his team would make the playoffs or get a refund. Kruger was fired after starting the season 11-16, and the Hawks ended up missing the playoffs.

Boston Celtics: Rick Pitino — Rick Pitino is one of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball, but he never caught on to the pro game. At least he gave us this, "Larry Bird is not walking through that door, fans. Kevin McHale is not walking through that door, and Robert Parish is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be gray and old."

Brooklyn Nets: Lionel Hollins — The Brooklyn Nets were in complete disarray after Jason Kidd forced his way to Milwaukee, so their next head coach needed to be a great fit. Hollins was recently fired after a terrible tenure where he ignored everything that was going wrong and refused to coach as if he was in today's NBA.

Charlotte Hornets: Mike Dunlap — Mike Dunlap has to be top-five weirdest hires in NBA history. He was an assistant coach at St. John's University with little NBA experience, before taking the Charlotte Bobcats job. He coached the team in the last season before they became the Hornets again, and only lasted one season, winning just 21 games.

Chicago Bulls: Tim Floyd — Replacing a legend is never easy, and Tim Floyd not only replaced Phil Jackson with the Chicago Bulls but he took over a roster that had been decimated by the losses of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman. In four seasons, Floyd was a miserable 49-190 with his tenure marred with fights with players and management.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Byron Scott — Byron Scott's first appearance on this list is with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During his first season with the Cavs, Scott led his new squad to the longest losing streak in NBA history, 26 games, finishing with 19 wins. Much like his current Lakers' squad, his teams were horrific defensively, and he never came close to the playoffs in his three seasons at the helm.

Dallas Mavericks: Quinn Buckner — Quinn Buckner coached the Dallas Mavericks for one season — his only coaching experience whatsoever — during the 1993-94 season. The team had won just 11 games the season before, and the team was looking for a great improvement with a new voice so they hired Buckner. Instead, Buckner started out his short career 1-23 and his team finished 13-69.

Denver Nuggets: Brian Shaw — After years of learning from Phil Jackson, Brian Shaw was one of the league's most sought-after assistant coaches. When he finally took his shot with the Denver Nuggets big things were expected. Unfortunately, Shaw failed to live up to those expectations as he was fired during his second season, with a record of 56-85.

Detroit Pistons: Lawrence Frank — After Lawrence Frank's terrible finish with the Brooklyn Nets, ending with a losing streak of 16 games, he managed to get another head coaching position. This time with the Detroit Pistons, and that went even worse as he was let go after just two seasons.

Golden State Warriors: P.J. Carlesimo — P.J. Carlesimo is best known for being choked by Latrell Sprewell during practice, but he also did a poor job as coach while with Golden State. He was fired in his third year, after his team got off to a 6-21 start.

Houston Rockets: Jeff Van Gundy — Jeff Van Gundy is not a bad coach but the Houston Rockets never lived up to the expectations that they always had while he was at the helm. Van Gundy was armed with All-Stars like Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady and never made it out of the first round of the playoffs in four seasons.

Indiana Pacers: Jim O'Brien — The Indiana Pacers replaced the great Rick Carlisle with this clown? In three and a half seasons with the Pacers, Jim O'Brien didn't make the playoffs once.

Los Angeles Clippers: Mike Dunleavy, Sr. — Mike Dunleavy, Sr. was not only the head coach but the general manager as well, and during his seven seasons with the team the Clippers made the playoffs just once. After his firing, the Clippers and Dunleavy got into a legal battle in which the team accused their former coach of fraud. Dunleavy sued the Clippers for the remainder of his contract and won. I'd say that was a bad hire.

Los Angeles Lakers: Byron Scott — Appearance No. 2 for Byron Scott is with his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers. The current state of the team speaks for itself, but Scott proclaimed that when he took over he would make them a good defensive team and they have gotten even worse. Scott has chosen to ignore the 3-point shot and the way the game has progressed while shamelessly caving in to Kobe Bryant's ego.

Memphis Grizzlies: Sidney Lowe — Sidney Lowe coached the Grizzlies in their last season in Vancouver and their first two seasons in Memphis, with all three going terribly. His first two were an identical 23-59 record, before being fired during his third season after starting 0-8.

Miami Heat: Stan Van Gundy — Only two coaches have had any impact on the Miami Heat franchise: Stan Van Gundy, Pat Riley, and Erik Spoelstra. Pat Riley could never be considered a bad hire, especially because he hired himself, and Erik Spoelstra has won two championships. SVG's exit was messy and quite frankly, much like the situation between David Blatt and the Cavaliers, with Shaq taking on the LeBron role.

Milwaukee Bucks: Terry Porter — Terry Porter came into a difficult and important spot for the Milwaukee Bucks after they lost Gary Payton and fired George Karl in the same offseason. Milwaukee was Porter's hometown so there was hype surrounding his return and it didn't pay off. He only lasted two seasons, continuing a long line of short-tenured Bucks head coaches.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Kurt Rambis — Kurt Rambis is another Phil Jackson disciple who tried to be a head coach and failed miserably. Rambis' no nonsense attitude allegedly rubbed the Timberwolves' veterans the wrong way, and he was let go after compiling a 32-132 record in two seasons.

New Orleans Pelicans: Monty Williams — Despite competing in the difficult Western Conference, Monty Williams never got the most out of his teams in New Orleans. The Pelicans held on to him for too long and now they are in franchise hell with new head coach Alvin Gentry.

New York Knicks: Isiah Thomas — Isiah Thomas ran the New York Knicks into the ground as an executive for years before taking over as head coach and firmly sealing the fate of the franchise. If you were ever wondering why the Knicks needed to start a massive rebuild, look no further than Thomas.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Scott Brooks — Much like Monty Williams, Brooks was never able to get the full potential out of his team. He had two of the five best players in the NBA and was close to winning a championship, but couldn't get it done. Oklahoma City's biggest mistake was not hiring Brooks, but for not firing him sooner.

Orlando Magic: Jacque Vaughn — The Orlando Magic had a tough decision to make after firing a great coach in Stan Van Gundy, and they made the wrong one. Jacque Vaughn won just 43 games in his first two seasons, and was fired during his third with a record of 15-37.

Philadelphia 76ers: Maurice Cheeks — Maurice Cheeks played for the 76ers and won a championship, so his hiring was met with praise. It's hard when you hire a former player to coach his team however, because it always comes with high expectations. Cheeks didn't meet them as he was fired during his fourth season, making the playoffs once and losing in the first round.

Phoenix Suns: Lindsey Hunter — Lindsey Hunter only served as interim head coach for the Suns in 41 games — they went 12 and 29 — after Alvin Gentry was fired during the 2012-13 season, but according to Jared Dudley, Hunter was so inept that he couldn't draw up plays. The Suns made an embarrassing mistake when they handed over the reins to Hunter, no matter how little time it was for.

Portland Trail Blazers: Nate McMillan — Best known for being the head coach of the "Jail Blazers", Nate McMillan did just enough to survive every year he was in Portland but never made it past the first round of the playoffs. He was let go in the midst of his seventh season, with a record of 266-269.

Sacramento Kings: Eric Musselman — Eric Musselman had the difficult job of replacing the legendary Rick Adelman, and he didn't exactly get off to a good start. Before the season began, Musselman was arrested for a DUI and eventually fired after finishing 33-49 in his lone season with the team.

San Antonio Spurs: Bob Weiss — Gregg Popovich has been the head coach for the Spurs for so long it's hard to imagine anyone else at the helm. There was a guy named Bob Weiss though, and he was the Spurs' coach for two seasons in the late '80s and went 59-105.

Toronto Raptors: Jay Triano — The Toronto Raptors surprisingly fired Sam Mitchell, who had led them to the first division championship in franchise history just two seasons earlier, and replaced him with Jay Triano. Triano missed the playoffs during both of his full two seasons at the helm.

Utah Jazz: Tyrone Corbin — Replacing Jerry Sloan must have been quite the chore for the Utah Jazz. It's the kind of undertaking that no executive would want, but Utah made the wrong choice with Tyrone Corbin. They let him go after three years, after making the playoffs just once, and losing in the first round.

Washington Wizards: Eddie Jordan — Before Eddie Jordan was coaching lowly Rutgers University, he was bombing in the NBA too. Jordan compiled a record of 197-224 during his tenure with the Washington Wizards.

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