Best coach that was given a "SECOND CHANCE"

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magnifier661

magnifier661

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I can't seem to think of a coach that was fired from one organization, only to win in another. Help me out here.

Intangibles: Had a losing season and fired in process. Then went to a new organization and had a winning record.
 
I know it's not quite what you're looking for, but Rick Carlisle is one of the few coaches who has visibly improved with each of his coaching stops. He got fired from Indiana after a 35-47 season, sat out a year, and then took Dallas to 50, 55, and then 57 and a title just 4 years after being run out of Indy.
 
Technically, it was Carlisle's third chance, though.
 
Didn't this happen w/ Doc Rivers? I seem to remember him being a borderline bad coach at one point...

Belicheck (different sport, I know) certainly fits that bill...
 
Jerry Sloan was 94-121 in 2 1/2 seasons coaching the Bulls from '79-'82 before being fired midway through his third season. He didn't get his next head coaching gig until 6 years later. He did OK.
 
What is not coincidental about the three examples already given is that once the talent improved, the coach suddenly got a lot better.

Doc Rivers was about to get fired from Boston before Kevin McHale decided to throw Danny Ainge a bone and gifted him Kevin Garnett.

Sloan had Reggie Theus, uber-slow Artis Gilmore, and David Greenwood in Chicago, but once he got Stockton and Malone, he was a genius!

Carlisle had a washed-up Reggie Miller and Rik Smits in Indy, but once he got Dirk, he's a coaching legend.
 
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Another one: Chuck Daly was one of 4 head coaches for the Cavs in the '81-'82 season, going 9-32 over 41 games before getting canned. Then he became coach of the Pistons in '83 and won over 63% of his games and 2 titles in 9 years.
 
PapaG said:
Technically, it was Carlisle's third chance, though.
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No that applies... Yeah why aren't we trying to head hunt this guy? Gotta admit, I hated him during his interviews on our series... But I pretty much hate anyone that is coaching or playing against us. :P
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Another one: Chuck Daly was one of 4 head coaches for the Cavs in the '81-'82 season, going 9-32 over 41 games before getting canned. Then he became coach of the Pistons in '83 and won over 63% of his games and 2 titles in 9 years.
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Sad he died. I actually always loved his coaching. He started a trend in the NBA that didn't stop until 2004.
 
glazeduck said:
Didn't this happen w/ Doc Rivers? I seem to remember him being a borderline bad coach at one point...

Belicheck (different sport, I know) certainly fits that bill...
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Did Doc coach someplace else? He has to be fired from one team and go and win on another.
 
magnifier661 said:
Did Doc coach someplace else? He has to be fired from one team and go and win on another.
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Doc coached in Orlando and was fired.

The craziest part about Doc's coaching record, though, is that he went 24-58 in 2006-07 (the year Ainge was pissed Portland and Seattle jumped ahead of Boston in the lottery/they were tanking for Oden), and then Ainge gets the gifts of Garnett and Ray Allen, and Doc goes 66-16 in 2007-08 and wins a title. Had Boston won that lottery and drafted Oden, Doc would not have lasted another year or two. Instead, they got the 5th pick, traded it to Seattle (Jeff Green) as part of the Ray Allen deal, and the rest is history.

It was all the coaching, right? ;)
 
Jack Ramsay came and won a title here in Portland! Probably the biggest winner of your question.

Doug Collins is doing quite well in Philly

I'm sure there is a list of others, Doug Moe, George Karl...
 
Doc was fired from orlando after starting a season 1-10
 
BoomChakaLaka said:
Jack Ramsay came and won a title here in Portland! Probably the biggest winner of your question
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Except that he was not fired in either of his previous stops; he just left for a different job. Sloan and Daly are the most definitive NBA examples of sustained success after prior firing.
 
PtldPlaypus love your Avatar, it's like 'don't tank too hard or you'll be stuck forever'
 
PtldPlatypus said:
Except that he was not fired in either of his previous stops; he just left for a different job. Sloan and Daly are the most definitive NBA examples of sustained success after prior firing.
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And even with that, Daly failed in New Jersey and Orlando after Detroit, and Sloan never won a title in Utah.

I'm not sure if that works for them or against them, but the two best examples have 2 titles between them in 40 combined seasons as NBA head coaches.
 
HailBlazers said:
PtldPlaypus love your Avatar, it's like 'don't tank too hard or you'll be stuck forever'
Click to expand...

All things in moderation, including tanking.

PapaG said:
And even with that, Daly failed in New Jersey and Orlando after Detroit, and Sloan never won a title in Utah.

I'm not sure if that works for them or against them, but the two best examples have 2 titles between them in 40 combined seasons as NBA head coaches.
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This is true. The majority of the titles won over the past 30 years have been won by guys who were successful right away (Riley, Jackson, Popovich). An excellent argument against hiring a head coach with experience.
 
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Cavs Fired Mike Brown, now he is winning in LA. I don't think he is a good coach, just a product of good players (LeBron & Kobe).
 
Well, he was not re-hired by Buffalo. But technically you are correct. And love that avatar!
 
PtldPlatypus said:
All things in moderation, including tanking.



This is true. The majority of the titles won over the past 30 years have been won by guys who were successful right away (Riley, Jackson, Popovich). An excellent argument against hiring a head coach with experience.
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The key is to either be a winner who moves and helps get two of the 10 best players ever a title (Jackson to LA), an assistant who is promoted to coach one of the best players ever (Riley in LA, Jackson in CHI), or a GM who takes over as coach in season you don't have David Robinson, and you know you're going to tank to try and get the #1 pick, which you know will be Tim Duncan (Popovich).

Kind of deflating when you look at it, isn't it? This is how dynasties have been built.
 
George Karl. I think he coached very briefly with Golden State before getting fired, going to Real Madrid, doing well, and getting hired by the Sonics where he was coach of the year (I'm pretty sure) and has gone on to good things in Milwaukee and Denver.
 
It's hard to think of a coach who HASN'T been fired, other than: Phil Jackson.
 
Here's a different question: how many coaches have coached two different teams in one season? I can only think of Larry Brown (fittingly).
 
PapaG said:
Sounds like the Clips could use a little Sarge in their locker room.

Seems like a good fit for Nate. I'd love to see what he could do with two legitimate All-NBA players.
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So would I. It would be especially sweet if the Clips took out the Lakers in the playoffs.
 
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