The Oklahoma City Thunder are expected to evaluate Scott Brooks’ job status now that their season has come to an end, and a few top college coaches reportedly are candidates to replace him if he is fired.
Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski says the Thunder are going to spend time evaluating Brooks, who is under contract to return to the team next season. Brooks has been the team’s coach since 2008 and led them to the playoffs five straight seasons until they missed the postseason this year amid injuries to Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and even Russell Westbrook earlier in the season.
Though Woj says Brooks has strong relationships with those in the organization, some are not expecting him to be back next season. Woj reports that Florida coach Billy Donovan could emerge as a “serious candidate” for the job. Donovan supposedly has a long outstanding relationship with Thunder GM Sam Presti. Woj also names UConn’s Kevin Ollie as another potential candidate. Ollie is a former NBA player who cemented his status as a stellar coach by leading the Huskies to a shocking national championship in 2014.
If the Thunder do let Brooks go, he is expected to be a hot candidate elsewhere around the league. And if the job becomes vacant, there is good reason to believe that Donovan might have a lot of interest in the position.
