Last Year’s Offseason Coaching Moves

There will be at least seven teams changing coaches this offseason, with six current openings to go with the Cavaliers' hiring of Mike Brown. Last summer, the coaching market was much less volatile. Only three clubs changed coaches, while another two removed interim tags from the coaches already in place. With a season's worth of results, here's a look at last year's moves:

  • Mike Woodson began the offseason as interim coach of the Knicks, and the team kept him on board with a three-year deal worth about $12MM. He led New York to its first division title in 19 years. Woodson is the only coach on this list still alive in the playoffs.
  • The Wizards elected to retain interim coach Randy Wittman, giving him a two-year deal. Wittman's name was mentioned among coaches on shaky ground early this season, as the Wizards started 4-28, but the team played .500 ball from that point forward, buoyed by the return of John Wall.
  • The Bobcats made an unconventional choice, hiring St. John's assistant Mike Dunlap for the head coaching job in Charlotte. The team showed improvement from the league's all-time worst winning percentage in 2011/12, climbing out of last place with a three-game winning streak to close the season. Still, Dunlap clashed with players, and the Bobcats fired him after just one season.
  • New Magic GM Rob Hennigan called upon his history with the Spurs to hire San Antonio assistant Jacque Vaughn as Orlando's head coach. Less than two weeks later, Hennigan traded Dwight Howard to the Lakers, and Vaughn was left with a roster that finished with the worst record in the league.
  • The Trail Blazers were another team changing both GM and coach. Front office boss Neil Olshey, fresh off his jump from the Clippers, chose former Mavericks assistant Terry Stotts to coach Portland. The team's bench was a weakness all season, and thanks to a late-season slump, the Blazers finished with a winning percentage (.402) inferior to last year's (.424).

Note that this list doesn't include coaches who were hired at midseason. The Lakers, Nets, Bucks and Suns all made changes while the 2012/13 was in progress.

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