Many Coaches Relieved of Duty
After the NBA Season ended, 14 teams who did not make the playoffs are getting ready for the NBA Draft and the 2019 Free Agent Class. But, some teams have decided that they need a new direction and a new head coach.
Dave Joerger was fired by Sacramento after finishing 39-43, 9th in the West. This was a great step forward for the Kings, and I do not quite understand why the Kings fired Dave Joerger, after having one of the best seasons of Kings basketball in a while. But, hey, I ain’t the GM, so it’s their decision to make.
J.B. Bickerstaff was relieved of his duties by the Memphis Grizzlies, who started off the year well but slipped to 33-49, 12th in the West. Memphis needs a new head coach, and according to NBADraft.net, the Grizzlies are picking 7th, and they are projected to pick Keldon Johnson from Kentucky. I do think Keldon Johnson would be a nice young piece, and I agree with the move for J.B. Bickerstaff to leave as the Grizzlies look to rebuild.
Larry Drew walked into the worst team in the league this year after the Cavaliers fired coach Tyronne Lue. Drew was not expected to do much in his time with coaching the Cavs. He went 19-57 in his time with the Cavaliers. According to NBADraft.net, they are projected to select 2nd where they would take Ja Morant. This would not be a good draft pick because they already have a good young point guard in Collin Sexton, but RJ Barrett would be a good shooting guard selection for them. I don’t know who will be coaching the Cavaliers, but it will be a tough few years for Cavaliers.
Magic Johnson suddenly left the Lakers Organization (what??) before the season ended, and even if Johnson had stayed, many people, including me, thought that the Lakers would fire Walton or he would leave. The coaching situation with Lebron was not working, but a coach like Tyronne Lue, who has coached Lebron before, would be a good fit. The Lakers are also heavily dependent on this year’s free agent class and the 2019 Draft. According to NBADraft.net, they are selecting 10th overall and going to take Cam Reddish from Duke. This is not a good pick because they already have young forwards like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. A guard would be the more ideal choice and guards like Darius Garland from Vanderbilt and Romeo Langford from Indiana would be better choices.
So, even after the NBA season ended, the teams that are not contending are still quite busy trying to get ready for next year. I hope you like today’s post, leave a comment on what I should do next, and our next few topics will be Iconic Moments in the NBA, as I break down Iconic Moments, draft prospects, rookies coming into this league and the NBA Playoffs as they unwind. (Go Blazers!)
