The Highlights
- Scott Brooks has opened as the betting favorite to be fired first in the 2018-19 season at +300.
- Considering how tight the race for the No. 8 seed will be yet again this upcoming season, the best value might be in the Western Conference.
One book has released odds on which NBA coach will be fired first during the 2018-19 season. Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks is the current favorite at +300, followed by Portland's Terry Stotts at +400. Here is the full list of odds:
The first two coaches fired last season were Phoenix's Earl Watson, who was let go after going 0-3 to start the season, and Milwaukee's Jason Kidd. Watson would have cashed the +400 "field" bet right before the start of the season since he wasn't listed individually, and Kidd was +800 there.
This is all about expectations: Even though Watson got the early boot, a lot of in-season moves are due to teams with playoff aspirations falling short. If that holds true, you can eliminate coaches such as Chicago's Fred Hoiberg, Brooklyn's Kenny Atkinson and Sacramento's Dave Joerger.
Brooks is a fair favorite considering the Wizards' disappointing 2017-18 season, although it seems like the best value might be in the brutal Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Those five teams — Portland, Oklahoma City, Utah, Minnesota and Denver — all have playoff aspirations, and it's unlikely they will all get in. None of those squads can afford to start off the season slowly, so general managers might be quick to make a change if things are going south.
For that reason, Denver's Michael Malone (+1500) and Oklahoma City's Billy Donovan (+1500) have intriguing value.
