Hoops Habit
Fansided

10 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season

By Gerald Bourguet

Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images
Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
7 of 11
Next
NBA
Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images /

5. These five coaches will be let go

Fred Hoiberg. Stan Van Gundy. Nate McMillan. Alvin Gentry. Dwane Casey.

These are the five head coaches that will be fired by the end of the 2017-18 NBA season.

For Hoiberg, it’d seem like a waste. Everyone knows expectations for the Chicago Bulls should be extremely low, and the front office is paying their guy $5 million annually through 2019-20. However, if “Hoiball” fails to show any signs of traction in 2017-18 — even with a talent-starved roster — the Bulls could easily use a tank year as an excuse to let go of an underwhelming hire.

As of April 2017, Stan Van Gundy’s job was still safe with the Detroit Pistons. But if the Avery Bradley addition doesn’t work wonders and this team sputters again after a majorly disappointing season in 2016-17, the Pistons will look for a fresh start and remove SVG from his roles as head coach and president of basketball operations. His contract runs through 2018-19 at $7 million a year.

Live Feed

The New Orleans Pelicans poor injury luck has already begun
The New Orleans Pelicans poor injury luck has already begun /

Pelican Debrief

  • NBA 2K24 Soundtrack: Full List of Artists App Trigger
  • NBA 2K24 Clothing Brands Revealed DBLTAP
  • Los Angeles Sparks: Recapping their six-game winning streak FanSided
  • NBA 2K24 Pre-Load Times DBLTAP
  • WNBA players that deserve a signature shoe as the league develops FanSided

    • Like the Bulls, the Indiana Pacers should know the team’s failures in 2017-18 can’t be pinned solely on the coach. Unlike the Bulls, the Pacers expect to be more competitive since they have a better roster. When McMillan fails to establish an identity for a team falling well out of the playoff picture, or worse, if Myles Turner‘s growth stalls under his watch, he’ll get the axe with a contract that only runs through 2018-19.

    Alvin Gentry is firmly situated in the hot seat, as it’s playoffs or bust for the New Orleans Pelicans. Following our doomsday predictions at No. 8 on the list, it won’t be surprising to see a head coaching vacancy when this team misses out on a postseason appearance during another one of Anthony Davis’ prime years. Gentry’s contract has a team option for 2018-19.

    Finally, there’s the most surprising inclusion of the list, Dwane Casey. For years the Toronto Raptors have followed a similar pattern: Earn a top-three seed in the East, build up “We The North” hype, watch Kyle Lowry‘s late-season production crater, flame out early in the playoffs.

    All the talk this summer has been about adapting the team’s offense to fit a more modern playing style, but when that fails and the Raptors’ offense falls apart in the playoffs again, Casey will get the blame. Masai Ujiri has not been shy about his disdain for complacency, which means it’ll be time for a head coaching change after locking in Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and Serge Ibaka for the long haul. Casey’s contract runs through 2018-19 with an annual salary of $6 million.