NBA champion coaches Mike Buldenhozer, Doc Rivers, Nick Nurse getting fired is a COWARD MOVE, Gilbert Arenas slams GMs
NBA coaches are getting fired right after losses in the playoffs
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Monty Williams (Image via Blazer's Edge)
Following a recent trend in the NBA, Championship coaches are getting the fault of the blame after playoff upsets, in recent days several NBA coaches have been let go of their job, such as, 2019 NBA champion Nick Nurse, 2021 Western Conference champion and 2022 Coach of the Year Monty Williams and most recently 2008 NBA champion Doc Rivers were all dismissed from their coaching jobs.
In a recent episode of the Old Man of the Three podcast this exact issue was brought up by JJ Redick in which Gilbert Arenas gave a really good insight on why this keeps happening to coaches, he said: “These guys are getting fired because of cowardness on the guy who’s bringing in the talent … right you want to blame the coach for the decisions you’re making and you’re not going to blame yourself …the easiest target is the coach.”
“Who’s replacing what this person’s [championship coaches] done, the resume of these coaches that you’re firing … you messed up by firing these coaches,” Arenas added, expressing his frustration.
Doc Rivers was fired by the Sixers after blowing yet another 3-2 lead to the Celtics but the firing of Monty Williams and Nick Nurse left the NBA world in confusion as they both made the NBA finals a couple of years back and were both excellent during the regular season for their respective teams. Coaches getting fired are common but championship coaches getting fired is a new trend that quite doesn’t straight up make any sense. Coaches are now scapegoated for all the downturn a team can have especially during the postseason but firing a head coach right after they won a championship is alarmingly weird.
Doc Rivers and Nick Nurse among finalists for Phoenix’s Head Coach job
With the firing of Monty Williams, the Phoenix Suns are currently shopping for a new head coach in a huge pool of free agents that features the likes of Doc Rivers, Kevin Young, Nick Nurse, Jordi Fernandez and Frank Vogel.
Nick Nurse and Doc are the favourites to get the job as both coaches have won a championship ring with a similar team construct to the current Sun’s roster that features offense-heavy superstar juggernauts that lack team chemistry at times.
Nick Nurse led the Toronto Raptors to a championship back in 2019 but failed to recapture glory after Kawhi’s departure, recording only 41 wins and being the 9th seed in the East this season but still proving to be a formidable coach with experience. Doc on the other hand won the NBA championship with the Celtics back in 2008-2009 and led the Sixers to the third seed in the East but fell short to the Celtics in the Conference Semifinals.
Although both coaches were fired this season after disappointing playoffs/play-in exits with Doc blowing yet another 3-2 lead to the Celtics in Game 7. With Rivers stained the reputation of blowing leads in the playoffs and Nurse’s lacklustre offense style of coaching the Suns were too quick to fire one of the best coaches in the association in Monty Williams.
With the lack of talent at the end of the Phoenix’s bench and their overall mediocre supporting cast around Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, a mere change in the head coaching position won’t move the needle.
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Gerard Crispin
(3318 Articles Published)