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NBA: Former Head Coaches Who Deserve Another Chance

By Maxwell Ogden

Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and current ESPN commentator smiles before the start of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and current ESPN commentator smiles before the start of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Keeping a head coaching gig in the NBA is a difficult task. Which former sideline generals deserve a chance to be a head coach again?

Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and current ESPN commentator smiles before the start of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 9, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson and current ESPN commentator smiles before the start of the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /

In the immortal words of Aaliyah: “If at first you don’t succeed, pick yourself up and try again.” For NBA players, the opportunity for redemption is one that’s granted on a consistent enough basis that few careers are impossible to resurrect.

For NBA head coaches, however, job security is elusive and second chances are more of a pipe dream than an expectation.

Head coaches are given a short leash and a small window in which they can either succeed or perish. Though some coaches are given second chances, the odds of that occurring rest somewhere in between slim and none.

Coming off of an offseason that provided a rare example of head coaches receiving second-chance hires in the NBA, however, a select few head coaches deserve another shot of their own.

In 2016, the Washington Wizards hired Scott Brooks, the New York Knicks hired Jeff Hornacek, the Houston Rockets hired Mike D’Antoni, the Indiana Pacers promoted Nate McMillan, the Minnesota Timberwolves hired Tom Thibodeau, and the Orlando Magic hired Frank Vogel.

The question is, which former NBA head coaches deserve a chance to get back on the sideline again?

Next: Honorable Mention