The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly fired head coach Scott Brooks.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reports that Thunder general manager Sam Presti met Brooks near his California home on Wednesday to inform him of the decision. Wojnarowski added that Florida coach Billy Donovan is expected to become a “serious candidate” to replace Brooks.
Brooks took over as head coach of the Thunder in 2008, and this season was his first missing the playoffs. The Thunder struggled to find consistency, thanks in large part to a series of key injuries — most notably Kevin Durant’s foot problem.
It has been obvious since the season ended that Brooks’ job was not safe, and a report on Tuesday indicated that UConn’s Kevin Ollie is a lead candidate to became the next Thunder coach. However, Ollie released a statement on Wednesday to make it clear that he has no plans to leave UConn for any NBA job.
Assuming Ollie is being truthful, Donovan looks like the frontrunner for the position. He supposedly has a longstanding relationship with Presti and many — including one of Donovan’s former players — believe he is looking to make the jump to the NBA. The OKC job certainly has plenty to offer.
