It seems like no coach is safe in the NBA these days, even if they win NBA Coach of the Year, with teams firing coaches mercilessly over the years.
This season was no different, with Mike Budenholzer already getting the boot by the Milwaukee Bucks and now Montee Williams fired by the Phoenix Suns.
The Suns parting ways with Williams after the team failed to get the best of the top-seeded Denver Nuggets in their second round playoff series was shocking to say the least.
Another head coach potentially on the chopping block is Doc Rivers of the Philadelphia 76ers, who is on the verge of giving up another 3-1 series lead in his coaching career.
Rivers was recently asked about the Suns firing Williams, and he said the following via Action Network.
“Don’t win coach of the year.”
– Doc Rivers after Phoenix fired Monty Williams
(h/t @TimBontemps, pic.twitter.com/R9HCRNN4y5
– Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) May 14, 2023
Budenholzer won NBA Coach of the Year twice during his tenure with the Bucks, the latest in 2019.
However, Williams won the regular-season award last year, leading many to think he’ll have a few years of job security.
It now seems that the regular season award for the league’s best coach is pointless, as it does nothing more than add a target to your back instead of adding to one’s coaching resume.
That said, Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings better look to next season, as he is the latest player to win the award after enduring the longest playoff drought in the NBA.
The question now for the Suns is where they go with their coaching search, as this could be a short-strain situation due to the added pressure of having a win-now roster led by Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.
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