I remember George Karl, Pfund, Dunleavy, Harris (Lakers), Adelman. I know there are so many more. So if people think that a coach is safe with a winning record, they are mistaken. Sometimes, the GM has an idea on how good their team should be, and if their coach isn't getting them there, then they make a change. Just a little FYI.
They may have had winning records, but they haven't had three consecutive seasons with an improvement of 9 or more games. The only way Nate gets fired during this season is if we're below .500 by the All Star break, and that ain't happening.
Nate will not be fired midseason, going off KP's reluctance to do anything significant in the middle of the year. The only way I see Nate's job in serious jeopardy is if we finish seventh or eighth in the West and a quick first-round knockout, or worse yet, not making the playoffs.
After the easy schedule Portland has had in November they play the following games: POR vs. MIA POR vs. HOU POR @ NYK POR @ IND POR @ CLE POR @ MIL POR vs. SAC POR vs. PHX POR @ ORL POR @ MIA POR @ DAL POR @ SAS POR vs. DEN POR vs. PHI POR vs. LAC December is going to be much tougher then Nov. was. If they don't get their act together they really could be around .500 at the end of the month. I haven't the slightest idea if they will be, but they haven't played well enough for me to feel good about it. Portland is currently 1 and 3 versus teams that currently have winning records. In December they are going to play 3 times as many games against teams that are over .500 (12). Hopefully they rise to the level of their competition. If they don't they are on track to loose 9 of those games. The only patsies on the schedule are the Knicks, Spurs(and they may wake up by late December) and Clippers. We will know a whole lot more about the team on January 1 then we do right now.
When Pat Riley stole the Heat back from Stan van Gundy, I think the team was winning with Shaq. I didn't check.
POR vs. MIA POR vs. HOU POR @ NYK POR @ IND POR @ CLE POR @ MIL POR vs. SAC POR vs. PHX POR @ ORL POR @ MIA POR @ DAL POR @ SAS POR vs. DEN POR vs. PHI POR vs. LAC looks like 12-3 to me
The Bulls were 30-52 the season before they hired Doug Collins. In Collins' 3 seasons, the Bulls went 40-42, 50-32, and 47-35. Then they fired him. Overall his record was 137-109, .557.
You are very much the optimist. the two Miami games will be tough, as will the Houston, Phoenix, and Denver games. Thanks to Jennings' emergence, the game at Milwaukee will also be more difficult than originally expected. Would it be a huge shock if we lost 4 of those 6, as well as the 3 you identified? Would you be satisfied with an 8-7 December?
