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NBA: Top 10 Coaching Candidates

By Aaron Ferguson

Apr 1, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 1, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Chicago Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call during the third quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 27, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks high fives Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during a break in action against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
May 27, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks high fives Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during a break in action against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

Scott Brooks

Teams Coached: Oklahoma City Thunder (2008-15)
Career Record: 338-207 (.620)
Postseason(s) and Record: 5 appearances (2012 NBA Finals), 39-34 (.534)

Scott Brooks had success as head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He had the help of two superstars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and now he will be tasked with moving on and coaching a different team.

However, with Durant’s free agency this summer, a team may hire Brooks as their head coach in an attempt to lure Durant to their team, thanks to the strong relationship between Brooks and Durant.

Brooks, 50, decided not to interview for another head coaching position after being fired following last season. Instead, he wanted to focus on reconnecting with his family and take a year off, as Yahoo!’s Wojnarowski reported. Though with a year’s time passing, Brooks is in a power position to land the head coaching gig of his choice due to previous success.

Brooks has been tabbed as the top choice for the Wizards, according to Yahoo!’s Wojnarowski. Washington D.C. is the hometown of Durant, who is regarded as the biggest name hitting free agency this summer. Adding Brooks to the staff would only boost the Wizards’ opportunity of bringing their hometown superstar back home.

As previously stated, Brooks is a prime target in the head coach market this offseason. He may wait and see what other coaching positions open up to see if there isn’t a better opportunity available, as Basketball Insider’s Eric Pincus suggests.

As the New York Daily News’ Frank Isola points out, Brooks played for the Knicks during his NBA career, so there may be a mutual interest there in coaching the Knicks.

Brooks has plenty of options to choose from before agreeing to coach a new team. He should exhaust all of those options before ultimately deciding which team he will join.

Next: Will The 76ers Make A Coaching Change

While the playoffs are in full swing and the offseason will follow shortly, teams will begin interviewing and deciding who their next head coach will be within the coming weeks. With all of the different coaching candidates in play, there likely won’t be many surprises due to an experienced coaching pool to choose from.

However, there are always some coaches that will slip through the cracks and emerge as frontrunners and ultimately land a job.

More hoops habit: Every NBA Franchise's Mount Rushmore

Stay tuned for the next set of coaches to pace the NBA sidelines.