Coaches are hired to be fired. It's hard to believe, but Lawrence Frank was the longest tenured coach in the Eastern Conference before he was fired by the New Jersey Nets.
In case you haven't been keeping count, more than half of the 30 teams -- 17 -- have changed coaches the past two seasons.
"You get into this (profession) knowing you have to do well and your team has to perform," said Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "Sometimes you have to get lucky to coach great players. You're job as a coach is to get your players to play at their maximum potential."
Thunder assistant Mo Cheeks has experienced the tenuous job security that comes with being an NBA head coach.
In his first job, Cheeks didn't have a losing record his first three seasons. He led the Trail Blazers to the playoffs twice. But after getting off to a 22-33 start his fourth season, Cheeks was fired.
The following season he was hired by Philadelphia. After getting close to the playoffs his first two seasons, Cheeks led the Sixers to the playoffs. But when they got off to a 9-14 start last season, once again he was fired during his fourth season.
"There's always a lot of turnover," said Cheeks, smiling. "There have been a lot of really good coaches that have gotten fired over the years. A lot."
Coaching changes are common in the NBA. Only nine have been with their current team five or more seasons.
Jerry Sloan (Utah) and Gregg Popovich (San Antonio) are rare exceptions. Sloan is in his 22nd season with the Jazz. Popovich is in his 14th season with the Spurs.
"It says something about those guys," Cheeks said. "Those are great coaches. They've had a lot of success. Even though Sloan hasn't won a championship he's won a ton of games. (Popovich) has won championships. They're good."
Frank is the winningest coach in Nets history. He led New Jersey to four consecutive playoff berths, including three semifinal appearances. But with the Nets getting off to a league-record worst start, Frank was the fall guy. Veteran guard Rafer Alston used a poker term to show support for his coach.
"He wasn't dealt a royal flush," Alston was quoted. "It's like he had a pair of 2s. He tried to fight... I'm sure they'd like to fire some of the players if they could. They did the easy thing and fired the coach."
That's often the case.
It's now obvious coaching wasn't the problem in Philadelphia.
Cheeks, 53, has proven he can win. His 284-286 career record is better than a lot of NBA coaches that never approach .500.
If offered another head coaching job, in the right situation, you would assume Cheeks would take it even though anyone not named Phil Jackson, Sloan or Popovich risks being fired.
"We'll see what happens," Cheeks said. "I'm happy with what I'm doing right now."
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