NBA Coaching Carousel Shaken Up by Michael Malone’s Surprise UNC Move

It was a rough season to be a bad team in the NBA.

All season long, NBA commissioner Adam Silver has talked about punishments for teams that are tanking. With less than a week remaining in the NBA’s regular season, two teams have already lost 60 games, the Indiana Pacers and Washington Wizards. It’s possible that the league could have eight additional teams with at least 50 losses by the end of the season.

The competition to land the No. 1 overall pick to draft AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson seems stiff. Yet still, plenty of NBA teams will be firing their head coach and begin searching for a replacement.

And after the North Carolina Tar Heels formally announce former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone as their new basketball coach, this offseason’s NBA coaching cycle is going to get even weirder.

Malone has over 500 career wins in the NBA and a championship ring on his finger from Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray’s championship together. As life in the NBA works, the Nuggets fired Malone shortly after that championship, and he’s done some television work before landing this mega opportunity at UNC.

But for rebuilding teams that are about to fire their head coach after this season? Malone was expected to be the top veteran candidate. Other retread options include former New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau and former Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts. But neither of those candidates felt as enticing as Malone, who will now be busy running his own program in the college ranks.

Of course, it’s possible that bad teams will scoop up top assistants. Cleveland Cavaliers associate head coach Johnnie Bryant got some attention last cycle for his reputation working with star players. Miami Heat assistant Chris Quinn is also highly regarded for player development.

Let’s take a look at a few NBA teams that could’ve used Malone, and now might have to settle on a lesser candidate.

Milwaukee Bucks (if they fire Doc Rivers)

As it turns out, the decision to replace Adrian Griffin with Doc Rivers was a massive mistake for Milwaukee.

The Bucks are under NBA investigation for their handling of Giannis Antetokounmpo's injury. Following so much drama, it feels like the Bucks and Antetokounmpo could be heading for a major split this offseason.

But the Bucks have been awful and will likely have a decent draft pick plus a small haul of picks and promising, young players that they could get in return for Antetokounmpo.

Orlando Magic (if they fire Jamahl Mosley)

The Magic underwhelmed.

They traded a bunch of assets for Desmond Bane, who was thought to be the missing piece and perfect complement to Paolo Banchero as a three-point shooter. That just hasn’t been the case.

Orlando has fallen to the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference and will be fighting for their playoff livelihoods in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Sure, there’s still time to go on a crazy run. But if they don’t? Mosley could be axed and there’d be no shortage of candidates interested in coaching Banchero.

Chicago Bulls (if they fire Billy Donovan)

It feels like Bulls head coach Billy Donovan is a dead man walking, especially after the team canned their top two executives before the conclusion of the regular season.

Donovan was rumored to be a favorite for the UNC job, so the Bulls could’ve been planning replacements anyways.

Currently 29-49, the Bulls feel like one of the most directionless organizations in the NBA right now.