Insider: Early Christmas Special

[Weez]

Updated: Dec. 22, 2005, 12:31 PM ET

Coaches on edge: 'Twas the night after Christmas ...By Chris Sheridan

ESPN Insider

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Only the coldest of cold-hearted NBA owners would fire a coach on Christmas Eve, which is why it never happens.

Sure, Tim Floyd left the Chicago Bulls on that very day four years ago, but that was a resignation -- Floyd gave himself an early Christmas present by ending his misery after compiling a 49-190 record over three-plus seasons.

Last year, Jeff Bzdelik lost his job in Denver three days after Christmas, and in 2001, Dan Issel was fired by the Nuggets just one day after Christmas. Also, Lon Kruger lost his job in Atlanta on Dec. 26, 2002, so there's definitely a trend at work here.

This has been a relatively tranquil season in terms of coaching changes, especially compared to last season, when nine teams (Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, L.A. Lakers, Grizzlies, Timberwolves, Knicks, Magic, Trail Blazers) made midseason changes. Nobody has been fired, and only one coach -- Miami's Stan Van Gundy -- has resigned.

But remember, at this point a year ago, only one team -- the Grizzlies -- had changed head coaches. Lenny Wilkens lost his job in January, Flip Saunders and Rudy Tomjanovich were goners in February, and Don Nelson, Paul Silas, Johnny Davis and Maurice Cheeks all bit the dust in March.

In other words, plenty of time remains for someone to get the ax. Who will be the first to go? Insider handicaps the strongest contenders:

Adelman

Rick Adelman, Sacramento Kings. Odds of being the next coach fired: 2-1

The Kings seemed to be turning things around when Bonzi Wells' buzzer-beater gave them their third straight win Dec. 13, but that victory was followed by three straight losses to Detroit, San Antonio and Charlotte.

If Thursday night's game against Dallas ends in a loss, too, we can safely put the Dec. 26 home game against Portland in the "must-win" category for Adelman, a lame duck in the final year of his contract. The Kings have already lost seven times in Sacramento, which used to be the toughest place in the NBA for opponents to win. Geoff Petrie's friendship with Adelman might have bought him some time, but the Maloof brothers are running out of patience.

Who would replace Adelman? Just a hunch, but Don Nelson has a relationship with the Maloofs and even bought a condo from them in Las Vegas.

Weiss

Bob Weiss, Seattle SuperSonics. Odds: 3-1

The Sonics were 19-5 and the surprise of the league at Christmastime a year ago, and now they're 11-13 with the league's most porous defense. The Sonics also rank last in rebounding, and they've already had three three-game losing streaks, matching last season's total.

Asked about Weiss' job status a week ago, general manager Rick Sund was not exactly oozing warmth.

"You support your coach and you work with your coach at all times until he is no longer your coach. You don't put a timetable on it."

After home games against Dallas on Friday and Boston on Dec. 26, the Sonics will play seven of their next eight on the road. The most winnable game in that stretch is at New York Jan. 8, two nights after playing at Detroit. Could Jan. 7 be Weiss' day of doom?

Mitchell

Sam Mitchell, Toronto Raptors. Odds: 20-1

Mitchell's situation improved in the past couple of days, first when CEO Richard Peddie said he was against making midseason changes (Translation: They'll probably fire Mitchell and GM Rob Babcock after the season), and then with the Raptors' victory at Houston in which they limited Tracy McGrady to seven points. The Raps play four of their next five on the road, where they're 5-8. At home, they're a miserable 1-12.

Woodson

Mike Woodson, Atlanta Hawks. Odds: 30-1

Ever since Woodson received a strong vote of confidence from general manager Billy Knight, things have taken a turn for the better, including quality wins over Boston, San Antonio, Cleveland and Denver. Hard to ever say the Hawks have an easy upcoming schedule, but nine of their first 10 post-Christmas opponents have losing records.

Sloan

Jerry Sloan, Utah Jazz. Odds: 45-1

Any owner crazy enough to walk across the court and berate his team during a huddle (as Jazz owner Larry Miller did Nov. 14 in a home loss to the Knicks) might just be unstable enough to fire a coach now in his 18th season with Utah. For two years running, there has been an undercurrent of frustration in the organization with Sloan's player rotations.

Others:

Eddie Jordan, Washington Wizards. Odds: 50-1

The Seattle of the East in terms of taking a big step backward after a surprisingly good year. Think they miss Larry Hughes?

Jeff Van Gundy, Houston Rockets. Odds: 75-1

Hey, Van Gundys don't get fired, they resign. Yao Ming's toe surgery buys some more time for Jeff, whose club is 13th in the 15-team West.

Bernie Bickerstaff, Charlotte Bobcats. Odds: 200-1

Look, he's got Kevin Burleson, Alan Anderson and Bernard Robinson on his roster, and Robinson sometimes starts.

Larry Brown, New York Knicks. Odds: 1,000-1

It's now seven straight losses for Brown, who is due to rip Isiah Thomas' roster any minute now.

Chris Sheridan, a national NBA reporter for the past decade, covers the league for ESPN Insider. To e-mail Chris, click here.