While the Bobcats and Magic search for a new head coach, several other teams have decide to retain the ones that finished the 2011/12 season. Despite a class of potential coaches that includes Phil Jackson, Jerry Sloan, Nate McMillan, Stan Van Gundy, Mike D'Antoni, Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, and more, the Clippers, Knicks, and Wizards elected not to interview other candidates before retaining their own guys. Was that the right decision?
In the Clippers' case, the team picked up its 2012/13 option on Vinny Del Negro. For the Knicks and Wizards, permanent contract extensions were handed out to interim coaches Mike Woodson and Randy Wittman, respectively. In each case, financial considerations likely played a role in the decision, and fans and writers expressed surprise that candidates like Jackson, Sloan, or McMillan weren't contacted.
Each of the aforementioned returning coaches had some success in 2011/12 — Del Negro led the Clippers to the Western Conference Semifinals, Woodson had an 18-6 regular season record, while Wittman turned the Wizards into a different team in the second half. But were any of the three the clear-cut best option available to coach their respective clubs? Which team do you think made the biggest mistake in not expanding its coaching search past the in-house candidate? The Clippers, Knicks, or Wizards?
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