The NBA season \u2013 72 games this year, not the normal 82 \u2013 is roughly 25-percent done, but nearly every team in the league having played 18 games. There is a lot of basketball left to be played, but some teams are already in situations where coaching changes are either likely or can at least be viewed as possible. Four teams in particular have alarming situations which need evaluation\u2026 and maybe swift action. These are the four coaches on the hottest seats in the NBA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dwane Casey, Pistons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The 5-14 Pistons just did beat the Los Angeles Lakers, a result which might create a turnaround and inspire this team to do better, but if that win over LeBron James and the defending champions doesn\u2019t lead to significant improvements in the near future, what should the Pistons do? This organization is going nowhere. It is one of the most stagnant franchises in the league. The team got a No. 8 playoff seed a few years ago and was swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the playoffs. There is no player development, no noticeable emergence of young stars. The team picked up Jerami Grant from the Denver Nuggets in a significant offseason acquisition. Grant was a key player on the Nuggets last season, when Denver shocked the Los Angeles Clippers and made a run to the Western Conference Finals. Grant was supposed to raise the ceiling for this team, but the Pistons aren\u2019t even raising their floor. They are near the very bottom of the Eastern Conference, and if they don\u2019t improve in the next month, we could see Dwane Casey get fired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scott Brooks, Wizards<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The hottest seat in the NBA is easily this one. The Washington Wizards are last in the Eastern Conference. They entered Friday, Jan. 29, with only three wins. Everyone in the NBA knew things would be bad for the Wizards when they got swept by the Chicago Bulls in a two-game series earlier this season. The Bulls are actually making progress under new coach Billy Donovan. They aren\u2019t above .500, but you can see the growth in the Chicago roster under a coach who knows how to develop players. That same development isn\u2019t emerging in Washington, which is without John Wall but picked up Russell Westbrook in the offseason. Russ isn\u2019t making his teammates better, and Brooks \u2013 who coached Westbrook for many years with the Oklahoma City Thunder \u2013 is failing to use his knowledge of Westbrook\u2019s game to the benefit of the franchise. This is the most obvious case of a team which needs a fresh voice and perspective on the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Luke Walton, Kings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kings are under .500 once again and are unlikely to make the playoffs. How many more seasons will the Kings take? How many more years will they be content to drift through mediocrity? The Western Conference has four especially strong teams \u2013 the Lakers, Clippers, Jazz, and Nuggets \u2013 but after that, the rest of the West is mediocre, with a bunch of teams at or near .500. The Kings have a chance at the playoffs, but who thinks they will actually get there? If this team can\u2019t finish with a record very close to .500 this season, Walton could be kicked to the curb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ryan Saunders, Timberwolves<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Timberwolves have gone through a lot of headaches and problems. Karl-Anthony Towns has been injured and sick. People understand this has not been a smooth pandemic season for Minnesota. Yet, as the last-place team in the conference, the Timberwolves have not done anything to create confidence or optimism in their future. D\u2019Angelo Russell is not playing as well as he should be. Coaches get fired when bad situations exist and high-end players aren\u2019t performing their best. It might not be fair to fire Saunders, but who said the NBA was fair to begin with? No one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n