(My Sportsbook) - Already one NBA coach has entered the ranks of the unemployed and more are sure to follow.
So, who will be the next in line to join Byron Scott?
Considering his Nets are off to a franchise worst 0-11 start and are the only winless team in the NBA, Lawrence Frank has to be at the top of any endangered species list.
That said, I have a sneaking suspicion New Jersey basketball chief Rod Thorn will give Frank every opportunity to turn things around. Thorn has always been a Frank fan, some would say a Frank apologist so it's hard to imagine Thorn pushing his coach off the ledge when his best player, Devin Harris, is sidelined. And, don't forget Courtney Lee, Yi Jianlian, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Jarvis Hayes and Keyon Dooling have also all missed significant time.
It's hard to spin an 0-11 start but Thorn will do it with the eloquence of a James Carville or Karl Rove.
That brings us to the Clippers' Mike Dunleavy.
The Clips have officially embarked on their annual underachieving tour and are a double buzz kill this season. Not only are they bad, they are boring. Dunleavy has put together one of the lowest-scoring teams in the league and things aren't likely to turn around until No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin returns from a fractured kneecap and shooting guard Eric Gordon makes it back from a groin injury.
By that time, Dunleavy may already be gone.
Meanwhile, the Warriors' Don Nelson certainly deserves a pink slip. Rumors were rampant that lead assistant Keith Smart was ready to take over for this generation's Doug Moe. However, the trade of the disgruntled Stephen Jackson to Charlotte probably buys "Nellie" a few more week to torpedo things in Oakland.
ENABLING BAD BEHAVIOR
It took Allen Iverson all of three games to sour on Memphis but that didn't stop Knicks president Donnie Walsh from debating whether to bring in the former 10-time All-Star.
Walsh confirmed Monday that his 1-9 club will explore the possibility of signing Iverson, the former league MVP who has turned selfishness into a cottage industry. "We'll look into it," Walsh told the New York Daily News. "Right now, I'd say probably not but we'll see."
Obviously New York is a better fit for Iverson than Memphis. He would be an ideal fit for Mike D'Antoni's up-tempo system and he would love to play at the Garden and partake in the Gotham nightlife afterwards.
But, this isn't about placating Iverson. He has destroyed every locker room he has ever entered and that wouldn't change in New York. Meanwhile, Iverson would stunt the development of the team's young players like Wilson Chandler, and Danilo Gallinari.
All signs point to the Knicks passing on Iverson, a sound decision for an organization not known for its astuteness.
JORDAN'S FAILING IN PHILLY
I know it's early but Eddie Jordan has been a bit of a disaster in Philly.
Ten games into the regular season, Jordan still hasn't figured out a rotation and he's on pace to lose his team in record time. The Sixers have already quit on Jordan in five or six games. His "Princeton Offense" is a terrible fit for a team that should be playing transition ball and pushing things at every opportunity.
It's clear Jordan is a "system guy," determined to pound the square peg into the round hole until it fits. To make matters worse, he's not exactly Phil Jackson is the psychology department. After his team checked out early last week against a Deron Williams-less Utah team and was booed off the floor by an embarrassing crowd of 8,000, Jordan decided to play "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in his post-game press conference. The only thing missing was the breaking glass and Jordan asking the assembled media if we were "sassin him."
Listening to Jordan's comical, college 101 attempt to light a fire under players who want nothing to do with him struck me as sad. Of course, Jordan will have plenty of time to turn things around. The financially strapped Sixers aren't about to pay off another coach.
HOW'S THIS FOR A HANDLE?
Last week Toronto Raptors guard Jose Calderon averaged 14.3 points and 7.8 assists in four games, while only committing three turnovers. For the year Calderon has dished out 67 dimes and turned it over just 13 times, ranking first in the NBA with 5.15 assists per turnover.
Extra possessions is the most underrated statistic in the NBA. The more shots a team gets means more opportunities to score. Points, rebounding and assists will always be the glamour stats but things like offensive rebounding, steals and turnovers win games.
