Wizards Scott Brooks Favored to Be First NBA Coach Fired; Billy Donovan at +300

• After winning just 32 games last season, Washington head coach Scott Brooks is favored to be fired first
• Three coaches whose teams are in the top 5 of the 2020 NBA Championship odds are in the top six of the odds
• There could be good value with Ryan Saunders at +1600 as Minnesota is expected to be bad, again

As the 2019-20 NBA season is just about to get underway, sportsbooks have posted futures odds on which head coach will be the first to be fired. Scott Brooks of the Washington Wizards has long been hanging by a thread and is the favorite here at +225.

Is he a good bet or is there value elsewhere on the board?

Odds To Be First Head Coach Fired in 2019-20

*Odds taken 10/21/19.

Will Brooks Be First To Go?

As we get set to start the 2019-20 campaign, it’s Brooks who is on the hottest seat. Brooks had a solid first year in Washington, going 49-33 and winning the Southeast Division. Since then, the team has struggled, bottoming out at 32-50 last season.

Part of the problem has been the injuries to and general decline of star point guard John Wall. He played in 78 games and was an All-Star in the 2016-17 season when they won the division. He’s played a total of 73 games the last two seasons and is expected to miss the entire 2019-20 campaign.

It will be quite simple for Brooks: either guys like Rui Hachimura, Troy Brown, Thomas Bryant, Isaiah Thomas, C.J. Miles, Moritz Wagner and Admiral Schofield are going to make this team respectable and Brooks will keep his job, or he’ll get fired pretty quickly if they can’t develop the youngsters and get blown out night after night.

Is Donovan In Trouble?

Billy Donovan enters the season with a short stack. After having Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and championship hopes over the last couple of seasons, now both are gone and the Thunder are expected to be one of the worst teams in the league.

What’s worse for Donovan is that the team is still looking to dump veterans like Steven Adams, Chris Paul, and Dennis Schroder. While their NBA regular-season win total is in the 32 or 33-win range, it might plummet if they move proven assets.

Even so, I don’t think Donovan gets canned because he’s been dealt this hand. Expectations are very low and he’ll be given the entire year to try to develop the new wave of talent. What’s happened here is not his fault.

Contenders’ Coaches Among Favorites

If you’re looking at the odds, what’s interesting to note is that Brooks and Donovan are at the top, then there’s a slew of coaches who lead contenders in terms of the NBA Championship odds. That includes Mike D’Antoni of the Houston Rockets, Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers.

All of this is contingent on their teams taking a nosedive. In other words, if the Lakers are 10-15 after their first 25 games, Vogel may be on the chopping block. It might seem extreme but we’ve seen it before (see: Mike Brown).

Some felt Brett Brown should have been fired last season, so any inkling of an early struggle and he’ll feel the pressure.

I don’t think any of these guys are good bets, though. These teams should all be pretty good this season.

What’s The Best Bet?

I think there’s great value with Ryan Saunders of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He took over midseason for the Timberwolves last year and led the team to an uninspiring 17-25 record. I don’t see what changes this time around.

Their starting lineup features Karl-Anthony Towns, Robert Covington, Jeff Teague, Andrew Wiggins and Josh Okogie. Taking a look at their bench, this team has virtually nothing other than the hope that Jarrett Culver will be an impact rookie, and maybe Shabazz Napier.

In a challenging Western Conference – especially in a division which should have three 50-win teams – the Timberwolves are going to be one of the worst teams in the conference.

Saunders has no pedigree and he’s inherited a team with chemistry issues. They’ll be bad this year, which means Saunders offers good value at +1600.