Make or Break!

Make or Break!

This post and regular season have decided many coaches' fates. Personnel like Frank Vogel and JB Bickerstaff have experienced abrupt coaching terminations. And coaches like Jamahl Mosley have seen themselves get bigger contracts. The post-season was very competitive. So, it's no surprise that the front offices decided to fire their coach. The league moves fast every year, which leads to teams making drastic moves. Underachieving teams like the Suns, Lakers, and Cavs are changing their decision-makers. They want to compete next season. The hope is that next year they can compete next season. It will be an exciting off-season to find out who gets hired to make their team competitive.

Jamahl Mosley's Four-Year Extension.

At the end of the regular season, Jamahl received his well-deserved extension. He has been the perfect head coach since the Steve Clifford era. The new era of Magic looks fun. With the first pick in 2022, it's Paolo Banchero who is the cornerstone of the franchise. Paolo Banchero at the age of 21 earned himself an All-Star spot. Along with Franz Wagner, who is a top-50 player in the league. The Orlando Magic had good defense. Even taking Donovan Mitchell and the Cavs to an easy seven games. They were an underrated team last off-season. Nobody had them making the playoffs. But, they almost made the second round. This was a well-deserved contract, and it will be exciting to see the moves they make this off-season.

Brian Keefe signs with the Wizards.

The Washington Wizards have committed to keeping their head coach next season. The team had a bad record. But, under Keefe, they've improved on defense and scoring. The Wizards kept notes and decided that Brian was the future of the franchise. The expectations for the Wizards are to move on from Kyle Kuzma and look to build a competing team for the future. Brian's most notable coaching experience was when he coached the young James Harden. They include Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. This was his second run with the organization. He was key to developing the young Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It will be interesting to see in what direction the Washington Wizards go from here on out.

The Cleveland Cavaliers fired JB Bickerstaff.

JB Bickerstaff is gone. It seemed like he was losing his job in the middle of the season, and then the Cavs went on a run in the early part of the year. The Cavs faced injuries. They affected Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland. There were many players to step up to the plate. Sam Merrill was able to step up. Along with Max Strus and Craig Porter, who stepped in big. The Cavs were able to peak in the second season but ended the season with the fourth seed. When the playoffs rolled around, it was a disappointment. The Cavs were not able to win a single game on the opposing team's floor. Which forced the series to last seven games. Which was unnecessary and dragged the series out too long. The Celtics series was brutal. Jarrett Allen is out, and Donovan Mitchell is getting hurt. It fast-forwards the series to the end. JB Bickerstaff is now fired. Being a key player in making the Cavs rebuild post-Lebron losing his job. The Cavs' goal will be to hire a brand new coach and resign Donovan Mitchell. This off-season, Cleveland could reshape their roster and try to make a run.

The Phoenix Suns have fired Frank Vogel.

The Suns were an embarrassment this off-season. Getting swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in four games was a disaster. Watching Anthony Edwards play like Michael Jordan in that series was incredible. It seemed like the new era of basketball was here, with Kevin Durant giving the nod to the young guard. Critics have shot down Devin Booker's nod for being the best shooting guard. Jusuf Nurkic was the only real big franchise, and Grayson Allen did not play up to par. Even a report surfaced that Kevin Durant did not like the way his coach was coaching him. The Suns were a flawed team. They had no playmakers. Which Frank Vogel wanted throughout the season. The Suns now look to move on and hope to win a title with Kevin Durant.

The Phoenix Suns signed Mike Budenholzer for five years.

The Suns have made drastic changes since last off-season. The Suns went from a joke to being competent under Monty Williams. Under his coaching, they reached the finals. But they never got there again. They lost to Dallas the following year in a humiliating style. And it's made the franchise-changing decision of trading for Kevin Durant. Cutting ties to key role players like Cam Johnson and Mikal Bridges. Then the Suns signed former NBA champion coach Frank Vogel. Traded a washed-up Chris Paul in exchange for Bradley Beal. Traded away a disgruntled DeAndre Ayton for a veteran big man, Josuf Nurkic. The Suns have decided to fire the 2020 champion coach. They will replace him with 2021 champion coach Mike Budenholzer. As a head coach, Mike has seen success. From coaching dogs in Atlanta like Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Paul Millsap. To then coach MVPs Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and Khris Middleton. It will be interesting this season to see how Bud coaches a championship-ready team. Has he learned from his mistakes and lack of change? Does Kevin Durant welcome his coaching? There are many questions about how the Suns will do next season.

The Brooklyn Nets sign Jordi Fernández.

The Brooklyn Nets have made their decision on who will be their coach of the future. This might be Sean Marks's last hire, so he should pray for a home run. The disaster occurred in the past few years. They lost James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving all in one season. For now, they're stuck. The Nets are stuck with role players and have no assets. The Nets could look to trade away Mikal and try to get an asset. Or even hope Ben Simmons becomes good again, which doesn't seem realistic. With the new hire of Jordi, it will help bring Euro-style basketball, which would be fun to see. Along with bringing a younger and fresher energy, Jordi was big in the Kings becoming relevant again. It will be interesting to see how he coaches an uncoachable team.

Mike Brown and the Sacramento Kings agree to an extension.

The Sacramento Kings have been a competitive team for the past two years. Since hiring one of the best assistant coaches in the past few years, it's been Mike Brown. The Kings have had a fun offense with two All-Stars in De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Along with young Keegan Murray, who has been a good two-way player. Also, having one of the best six men in Malik Monk. Sacramento became one of the toughest teams to beat this season. But they failed to make the playoffs this season. Injuries and a lack of roster structure hurt the Kings and did not meet the expectations that were set for them. The Kings' committing to their coach was a good move so far in the off-season. He was hugely impressed by the recent success and culture of Sacramento. The organization's goal is to re-sign their third-best player. They will trade some young guys for some veterans. It seemed like the Kings were going to do their typical bullshit and not resign them, but a deal was finally cut. Showing that this is a new era. The Kings have a long way to go, but this is a good direction.

Steve Clifford steps down as head coach of the Charlotte Hornets.

The Charlotte Hornets are heading in a new direction. For the past few years, they've tried to rebuild their roster. Drafting guys like Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball has been successful. Yet, their off-the-court controversies have hurt the Hornets' development. This is why the Hornets haven't had the same success as the Orlando Magic and Indiana Pacers. This was another awful season for the Hornets, as LaMelo got injured. But they had bright spots, such as Brandon Miller, who was awesome to watch. It seemed like with new ownership, there would be new personnel. Mitch Kupchak's last moves were to add veterans and young guys. Such as Grant Williams, who has a good locker-room personality, and Seth Curry, who is a hometown kid and veteran. And young Ty Mann, who is looking for more opportunities. Charlotte has made a big pivot this season. Their off-season could be interesting.

The Charlotte Hornets hire Charles Lee.

The Hornets have had a total makeover this season. They've made major trades in the regular season. They've had players like Grant Williams and Vasilije Micić. Mitch Kupchak stepped down as the general manager. Michael Jordan sold his franchise. Steve Clifford stepped down as coach. Now, the Hornets have hired Jeff Peterson as the general manager. And the first move he made was to hire Charles Lee. He is a 39-year-old coach. He won a championship with the Bucks in 2021. Now, he is two wins away from winning another one as an assistant coach. This is the first year as a coach for the young man. The goal for him is to bring discipline into the locker room, which is missing. The goal is to have a new direction that can help them win their first championship. The Hornets have young talent but no leadership. We could see that change with Charles Lee.

The Lakers have fired Darvin Ham.

The Los Angeles Lakers won the in-season tournament. They looked like a possible championship team, but they all crashed. The Lakers struggled to make the playoffs, which is an embarrassment. Ham seemed to have lost the locker room too. According to D'Angelo Russell's statement, there was a lack of closeness with the coach last season. Taurean Prince's given important minutes throughout the season. He didn't go with the lineup that brought LA success. Anthony Davis made statements that called out Ham's lack of adjustments. Which indicated the writing on the wall for the coach. He was going to get fired, and it was a matter of when. Not only did LA fire Ham, but they cleaned out the staff. The Lakers plan on hiring a coach and surrounding them with new staff. Stephen A. Smith and a lot of people in the media disagree with the firing of the coach. But Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka needed to throw someone under the bus. This could be the last hire that the management can make. One bad move after another, with LeBron's time ticking. There are a lot of questions about whether the Lakers can be competent enough to win another championship. This off-season could decide the organization's future. It will determine if they are "championship or bust."

Ty Lue extends with the Clippers.

The Clippers have made a great move by extending Ty Lue. No championship coaches are available on the market. So, this move makes the most sense. Since becoming head coach, Lue hasn't had the most healthy roster. They lost to Kawhi Leonard in their conference finals run. They lost him last postseason in the first round, and they lost him again this postseason. It has been tough for the experienced head coach, but he's made the most of it. They traded for MVP James Harden. This shows how serious the Clippers are about winning. LAC would love to step out of the shadow and win their first title. With the Inglewood Stadium too, it would be special to see. With Lue resigning, the goal should be to resign with Paul George. It would help them be contenders and help LA sell tickets. The Clippers know how important Lue is, which is why they extended him.

Jason Kidd extends with the Mavs.

This was a well-deserved extension. When the signing first occurred, I thought it was a joke, but he's changed the way I view him. In the past three years, he's taken the Mavs to two deep playoff runs. Kidd seems to have figured out how to work with Luka Doncic, along with being able to have Kyrie Irving's respect. After having two failed periods with the Nets and Bucks, it seems like Jason has figured it out. He is the perfect representation of Mav culture, as he was key in their first championship. The Dallas Mavericks have a great coach next to a top-five player in the league.

Conclusion 

The off-season has started with a bang so far. We've seen coaches lose their jobs, get extended, or get fired. This was a huge make-or-break for coaches like Jamahl Mosley and Frank Vogel. Coaches like Charles Lee are now getting their first chance to be head coaches. Old coaches are getting another shot, like Mike Budenholzer. Coaching is important in the NBA. They control everything that happens on the court, as well as off the court. The NBA always changes, and these are the changes we are now seeing!

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