5 Shortest Coaching Stints in NBA History

David Fizdale Press Conference
David Fizdale Press Conference

This summer has been one where the winds of change in the league have been gusting with more force than ever. The Detroit Pistons, the Toronto Raptors, the Orlando Magic, the New York Knicks, the Milwaukee Bucks, the Charlotte Hornets, the Phoenix Suns and the Atlanta Hawks are all ushering in new head coaches in the wake of disappointing 2017-18 campaigns.

That's almost quarter of the league which is in the hands of brand new coaches now. More heads could roll next season as teams try and find the perfect combination to take the double-defending champion Golden State Warriors in the shortest timeline possible.

This prompted us to take a look at the shortest head coaching tenures in NBA history, and we came up with the following list:

#5 Maurice Cheeks with the Detroit Pistons (50 games)

Detroit Pistons  v Philadelphia 76ers
Detroit Pistons v Philadelphia 76ers

Mo Cheeks was put in charge of the Detroit Pistons as Joe Dumars' final head coaching hire - after the 2012-13 NBA season had ended. He was charged with the unenviable task of accommodating Josh Smith, Brandon Jennings, Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond in the same starting lineup.

None of these 4 players were capable of shooting consistently from the perimeter, and as a result, the Pistons' driving lane resembled a traffic jam more than anything else. Through 50 games of the 2013-14 season, the Pistons had a dismal 21-29 record - more due to Dumars' incompetence in the front office than Cheeks' own faults.

But it was the latter who paid the price for the underperforming team, as they failed to make the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Dumars himself stepped down as the team's President of Basketball Operations at the end of the season.

#4 Gar Heard with the Washington Wizards (44 games)

Washington Wizards v Charlotte Hornets
Gar
Head's time at Washington was a short one

Gar Heard was hired as the Wizards' head coach on June 17th, 1999 by General Manager Wes Unseld. Washington, as had long been the case for them, stayed at the bottom of the barrel in the Eastern Conference even under the new head coach, although there were signs that Heard would, at some point, be able to turn things around.

All of those hopes were put paid when midway through the season, Michael Jordan decided to assume the responsibility of President of Basketball Operations for the franchise. As a part-owner, he would only be answerable to the majority owner Abe Pollin. MJ signed a 5-year contract at the time and was committed to making the Wizards great again.

Among his first moves as the team president was the firing of the incumbent head coach - within a span of 2 weeks. The Wizards were already at a dismal 14-30 by that point, but the last game they played before Heard's firing was a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers (themselves a bottom club) and had little hopes of making the playoffs.

#3 Rudy Tomjanovich with the Lakers (43 Games)

El Segundo, Ca. – Los Angeles Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich announces his resignation Wednesday at
Tomjanovich at the press conference when he announced his resignation

Following a recovery from bowel cancer - a condition that he was diagnosed within 2003 and which caused him to resign from the Houston Rockets' locker room as the head coach - Rudy T was ready to be back in the thick of the action. He was actively pursued as a replacement for the outgoing Phil Jackson in the summer of 2004, and he duly signed a five-year, $30 million contract.

He got off to a successful start with his new franchise, despite the fact that they were dealing with the departures of Shaquille O'Neal, Gary Payton and Karl Malone. This Kobe-led team was on course to make the playoffs with a 24-19 record 43 games in, but Tomjanovich's health again took a turn for the worse.

Citing mental and physical exhaustion from the sheer grind of the NBA schedule, Tomjanovich resigned from the head coaching post. There were murmurs that he did not get along with Kobe Bryant, but both of them vehemently deny the existence of any rift. The fact that Rudy T never put his name in consideration for another head coaching role is enough of an indication that he resigned out of health concerns and not Mamba concerns.

#2 Bob Weiss for the Seattle Supersonics (30 games)

Seattle Sonics v Utah Jazz
Seattle Sonics v Utah Jazz

Way back in the day, when the Sonics still existed and had 2 active All-Stars on their roster, they went the cost-cutting way in order to manage their head coaching position. After the departure of Nate McMillan to the Portland TrailBlazers, Seattle decided to ignore worthier candidates like Flip Saunders and Paul Silas.

Despite having Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis on his roster, Weiss was unable to lead the Supersonics to a winning record. In his 30 games as head coach of the franchise, Seattle dropped 17 games and won only 13. Having previously had a losing record as a head coach, Weiss had a short leash in any case and was fired on 3rd January 2006.

The Supersonics folded themselves 2 years later, having traded Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis away to tank for more young talent to surround Kevin Durant with. This ploy succeeded in helping newly-formed Oklahoma City Thunder in drafting Russell Westbrook in 2008, and James Harden in 2009.

#1 Jerry Tarkanian with the San Antonio Spurs (20 games)

Sacramento Kings vs San Antonio Spurs
Jerry Tarkanian

This list is rounded out by the coach of a franchise that is today synonymous with stability, great governance and excellence. Yes, it's the San Antonio Spurs we're talking about here, and it is this ball club that elected to hire Jerry Tarkanian in the summer of 1992. Tarkanian had previously coached UNV to the Final Four four times, and the NCAA title in 1990.

But he found himself faced with an uphill challenge - guiding the Spurs to an NBA championship with David Robinson as his best player. Not only did he fail to win the locker room over to his side - several senior Spurs players were openly against him - but he also fell victim to nervous breakdowns and panic attacks.

He might have brought about his own demise by writing to team owner Red McCombs, requesting him to recruit a point guard. In his 20-game spell in charge of the Spurs, they won 9 and lost 11. It wasn't so much a case of not having patience with a head coach as the fact that they found him to be utterly incapable of being a competent coach at the NBA level.

Quick Links

Edited by Moderator -PJ