Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Scott Brooks’ future is now in question as the organization will be evaluating his position with the team this offseason.
Needing a win and a New Orleans Pelicans loss to make the playoffs, Scott Brooks’ Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t get any help from the Pelicans’ opponent on Wednesday night. The Thunder missed out on the playoffs for the first time in six years and Brooks’ job is now in jeopardy.
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Brooks, a seventh-year head coach for the Thunder, saw his team finish second in the Northwest Division, but manage to miss the playoffs for the second time in his tenure. He coached most of the season without superstar and former MVP Kevin Durant, who missed major time with injuries.
The Thunder haven’t met their goal of winning an NBA title with one of the most talented rosters in the league, most likely leading to a ‘job evaluation’ this offseason.
Why they should fire him
Brooks has led this team for seven years now and he has no rings to show for it. With guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden on the team all at one point, the team made it to the NBA Finals just once, losing in five games. The year before that, in 2010-11, the Thunder made it to the Western Conference Finals and lost, four games to one.
It seems as if Brooks just can’t bring this team over the hump, and that’s something that isn’t accepted in the NBA these days. Sure, Harden hasn’t been with the team in a few years and Durant has been injured all season, but this team was more than capable of a solid run.
Westbrook was playing like a true MVP and other younger role players were pitching in as well. It seems like Brooks is just too nice of a guy and doesn’t seem ready to take a firm grasp of this team.
Why they should keep him
You have to eventually cut the guy a break. I mean, the reigning MVP played just 27 games this year and even Russell missed some time at the beginning of the year, sitting on the end of the bench with KD.
It can’t be very easy losing two guys like that for extended periods of time and then just expecting Westbrook to come back, lead a team without his co-pilot and win the MVP all on the way to the playoffs.
The Thunder did finish 45-37, so it’s not like they completely lost it this year. This team did whatever it had to do to make the playoffs. Heck, if Oklahoma City was in the Eastern Conference, it would have been the six seed.
What I think they’ll do
There’s no way they cut this guy loose after one missed playoff appearance in six years. He brought this team from basically nowhere after the Durant and Westbrook injuries and turned it into a contender.
Brooks isn’t to blame for this and it can be understandable that Oklahoma City is title hungry after not having won one since they were called the Seattle Supersonics — and that hasn’t been since 1979.
I say they will give Brooks one more shot in 2015-16 to win a title, and if they fall short, his job is gone. He has one more year left on his deal with a team option for 2016-17, so I doubt they give up one year early because of an injury-plagued season.
Brooks will be back, in my opinion.
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