Some of the worst coaching jobs you've seen in a single season in the NBA

Doug_12 · Post #41 » by **Doug_12** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:01 pm

No Sam Mitchell? The "MS Paint Sam a playbook" topic was the thing that brought me to this forum 17 years ago.

Spoiler:

Sealab2024 · Post #42 » by **Sealab2024** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:09 pm

AbeVigodaLive wrote:
Sealab2024 wrote:Gotta put any Kurt Rambis season on the list.

Yep. He gets overlooked... especially since he was with the league's all-time worst franchise so there are other viable candidates (see Sidney Lowe as a pro AND college coach. It's embarrassingly bad.)

But somehow Kurt Rambis was even worse than his career 32 - 132 record in Minnesota would suggest.

I will concede that he had to work with the NBA's worst decision-maker this side of Ted Stepien... David Kahn. But that doesn't excuse...

- Rambis forced the Triangle offense on a very young, immature and not-very-talented roster. The team finished that first season on a 2 - 29 slide. LOL.
- He clashed immediately with rookie prize, Kevin Love. In fact, he tried to get Love traded after their first season together.
- Just how little did Rambis think of Love? Kevin Love wasn't even a starter on a 15 - 67 team. Ryan Hollins started more games than Love. And Darko Milicic also started ahead of Love from the moment he arrived on the team midseason. Meanwhile, the team's two best players, Kevin Love and Al Jefferson, were deemed incompatible on the court. Obviously, Ryan Hollins + Jeferson was the better option. As for Darko as the starter... the team was 1 - 17. LOL.
- Kevin Love broke out in season #2... despite Kurt Rambis trying to prevent it. Al Jefferson was traded, so at least Love was now a starter. BUT, Rambis benched Kevin Love in the 1st game of the season. Then, Rambis kept Love's minutes under check for the first couple of weeks... never topping 30 minutes, averaging only 26 mpg... until one night he gave Love a career high in minutes. Love went for 23 points and 24 rebounds (11 offensive). Then Love went back under 30 mpg again. The next time Love played more than 30+ minutes... he went for 31 points and 31 rebounds (12 off). Rambis's hands were tied at that point and Love played nearly 40 mpg for the rest of the season. Love FORCED Rambis to play him.
- Still, Rambis was unhappy. You see, after averaging a paltry 1.8 three pointers in the first season, Kevin Love had the audacity to take 2.9 attempts per game the next season. Despite shooting 42%... Rambis continually tried to curtail the number of attempts Love took in favor or more mid-range jump shots and a janky offense run through Darko Milicic.

Meh. Don't take it from me. Read this... https://www.canishoopus.com/2012/1/11/2700213/what-a-difference-a-coach-makes

Or better yet... here's a gem about how Shaquille O'Neal felt about Rambis the coach...

…Asked about Rambis as a coach, O’Neal had nothing to say at all. He also hung up, called back and said ‘That’s what I like about him."’

Damn it. Now I'm all worked up like it's 2011 all over again. Just note... I will fight anyone who disagrees with Kurt Rambis is the worst coach in NBA history... to the death.

Lol. Serenity now!!! Yeah, I knew we were boned when he insisted on having rookies and 2nd year players run the triangle. The Kevin love stuff was just nonsense. These are the same dudes who considered Darko Milicic "mana from heaven".

schnakenpopanz · Post #43 » by **schnakenpopanz** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:11 pm

Earl Watson as suns coach.
I have still nightmares.

Sealab2024 · Post #44 » by **Sealab2024** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:13 pm

Doug_12 wrote:No Sam Mitchell? The "MS Paint Sam a playbook" topic was the thing that brought me to this forum 17 years ago.

Spoiler:
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=855652

LethalRangee · Post #45 » by **LethalRangee** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:22 pm

AbeVigodaLive · Post #46 » by **AbeVigodaLive** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 8:49 pm

Sealab2024 wrote:
Doug_12 wrote:No Sam Mitchell? The "MS Paint Sam a playbook" topic was the thing that brought me to this forum 17 years ago.

Spoiler:
https://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=855652

Funny enough... Sam Mitchell had only a .354 winning percentage in Minnesota.

Still puts him in the top half of Timberwolves head coaches. 7 coaches were at .314 or worse.

Hoop Hunter · Post #47 » by **Hoop Hunter** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 9:07 pm

SkyBill40 wrote:Monty Williams in any Suns season; Frank Vogel last Suns season; Mike Budenholzer THIS Suns season.

The pattern here, it was NOT the coach.

Post #48 » by **boomershadow** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 9:24 pm

SkyBill40 wrote:Monty Williams in any Suns season; Frank Vogel last Suns season; Mike Budenholzer THIS Suns season.

Vogel had the team above the play-in and in less than a year they're not even in the play-in

SkyBill40 · Post #49 » by **SkyBill40** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 11:03 pm

boomershadow wrote:
SkyBill40 wrote:Monty Williams in any Suns season; Frank Vogel last Suns season; Mike Budenholzer THIS Suns season.

Vogel had the team above the play-in and in less than a year they're not even in the play-in

That's less Vogel and more Ishbia. If Vogel were as good as being insinuated, he'd be a head coach right now. Last I checked... he isn't. He's a consultant for the Mavs and that's not quite the glory of a HC.

FrobeBryant · Post #50 » by **FrobeBryant** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 11:07 pm

Jim Cleamons when he was head coach of Dallas. 28-70 record. Seems like the Phil Jackson coaching tree was probably the worst there was (Cleamons, Rambis, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Brian Shaw, Bill Cartwright).

MrGoat · Post #51 » by **MrGoat** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 11:52 pm

Quinn Buckner. His season coaching Dallas was a disaster. Protege of Bobby Knight and tried to act like Bobby Knight, team would have mutinied if they brought him back next season

ForeverTFC · Post #52 » by **ForeverTFC** » Wed Feb 26, 2025 11:58 pm

Yeah yeah. Count your blessings that you weren't subjected to Kevin O'Neill. The darkest timeline in Raptors history.

DLoMor · Post #53 » by **DLoMor** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:10 am

FrobeBryant wrote:Jim Cleamons when he was head coach of Dallas. 28-70 record. Seems like the Phil Jackson coaching tree was probably the worst there was (Cleamons, Rambis, Derek Fisher, Luke Walton, Brian Shaw, Bill Cartwright).

Don’t forget Frank Hamblem. He was very bad in 2005 after Rudy quit.

doogie_hauser · Post #54 » by **doogie_hauser** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:12 am

Monty Williams last season with The Pistons is the first thing that springs to mind (recency bias I know)

doogie_hauser · Post #55 » by **doogie_hauser** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:13 am

DLoMor wrote:
Special_Puppy wrote:Chauncey Billups's entire coaching tenure

He’s doing great this year.

Not for Portland's long term future tbh

nomansland · Post #56 » by **nomansland** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:29 am

Bryan Shaw. Only time in my basketball following that I stopped watching.

ejftw · Post #57 » by **ejftw** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 12:56 am

Any time Glen the bum was at the helm with the Clippers.

Lalouie · Post #58 » by **Lalouie** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 1:10 am

randy wittman. pick em

DLoMor · Post #59 » by **DLoMor** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 1:25 am

Lalouie wrote:randy wittman. pick em

I don’t think that he was that bad on the Wizards. Helped them go past the first round a few times even with one of the years Wall was injured.

Deathray · Post #60 » by **Deathray** » Thu Feb 27, 2025 1:26 am

Dick Motta in his last NBA season with the Nuggets. He was checked out. The team was checked out. Nobody cared.