Injuries, inconsistent play and a pair of huge performances from Anthony Davis torched the Oklahoma City Thunder season. While many thought they were a championship contender before the season, they ended up on the outside of the playoffs looking in.
Injuries weren’t enough to excuse the Thunder’s issues, though, and management took action when they fired Scott Brooks. Oklahoma City will be looking for a new head coach this summer and while there are plenty of decent options out there, they might not necessarily want to coach the Thunder even despite the fact that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are two of the league’s best players. It’s a pressure-cooker situation for OKC, but here five coaches that will be in the mix.
Kevin Ollie
Ollie is easily the hottest college coaching candidate out there but the overwhelming interest in him combined with the fact he would prefer to stay at Connecticut for one more season means he probably won’t take the Thunder job this summer. Ollie has shown the ability to outsmart opposing head coaches with X’s and O’s and consistently put his players in position to succeed. Two of the biggest knocks on Brooks was that he couldn’t do either. His NBA experience (as a player) should make a potential transition that much smoother but right now, it doesn’t look like he’s interested in the role. The Thunder will have to find a way to change his mind.
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Billy Donovan
Should Ollie turn down the job as expected, the most likely alternative has to be the Florida head coach Donovan, who has spoken openly about looking forward to the opportunity to coach in the NBA. Donovan is at somewhat of a crossroads in his career since he turns 50 in May and wants to coach at the pro level, but still has a strong desire to coach the Gators. With two national titles, four Final Fours and more than 500 wins, Donovan has compiled a long list of accomplishments at Florida. Both his experience and savvy might make him the most likely fit for Oklahoma City, and don’t forget that he has ties to general manager Sam Presti as both are known to be close.
Tom Thibodeau
This is where the list gets somewhat complicated as the consensus opinion is that the Bulls head coach would welcome change and so would the team. Thibodeau has somewhat worn out his welcome as management feels he’s a big part in the players being overworked. The challenge is that Chicago is still fighting as a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference, so it becomes hard to evaluate what the Bulls front office will do. If they lose to the Cleveland Cavaliers in Round 2, Thibodeau could be a goner. But what if they upend the Cavs, then handle the Atlanta Hawks and go to the finals? Would the Bulls really let him go? It seems like their marriage is not destined to last and OKC hopes that’s the case.
Eltore Messina
The darkhorse candidate to take the head coaching job in Oklahoma City is Messina, the first-year assistant with the Spurs that has done an excellent job on the international stage. Messina doesn’t have the same resume as some of the other candidates on this list but he has a strong reputation at the International level. After all of us have watched David Blatt succeed, many feel Messina could thrive if given the opportunity.
Alvin Gentry
One more candidate the Thunder could be interested in is Gentry, who has done an excellent job helping to develop the Golden State Warriors explosive offense as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant. Gentry has plenty of experience at the NBA level and he could be another underrated fit that could really help take the Oklahoma City attack to the next level. The Thunder have far too much talent not to be perennial title contenders and with Kevin Durant one year away from unrestricted free agency, the pressure is on to find the right fit with Gentry as one more viable option on a strong list of coaching candidates.
