FanHouse EddieJordan

PHOENIX -- The Sixers almost came back from an 18-point deficit in the final eight minutes on Friday against the Suns, but the guys usually on the end of Phoenix's bench -- Dan Dickau, Carlos Powell, et al. -- were able to hang on just enough to secure a two-point victory.

Marreese Speights, a second-year player who averaged just under eight points and four rebounds a game last season, was a big reason for the Sixers' strong comeback. He scored 15 of his game-high 32 points in the fourth quarter, while also finishing with 12 rebounds and two blocked shots.

Even though this is the preseason, it was still a career game for Speights, and one that you'd think his new head coach, Eddie Jordan, would be excited about. But that wasn't exactly the case.

When Eddie Jordan got canned from the Wizards, primarily because he mishandled his roster after his starting All-Star point guard missed two years due to injury followed by his starting center going down before the start of this season, most people said the same thing.

"That guy's not going to be unemployed long.'

Today the Philadelphia 76ers made sure that prediction came true, and hired Jordan as their new head coach.

So was it the right move?

We have a second NBA coaching vacancy. Tony DiLeo, the 76er executive who took over for deposed Maurice Cheeks early this season, told Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski he wanted to give up his coaching duties, according to Kate Fagan of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via The 700 Level). DiLeo will return to the front office.

The Kings had been the only coach-less franchise, and they'd taken their sweet time filling the void. Sacramento's first interviews -- Eddie Jordan and Paul Westphal -- have been scheduled for this week. Jordan has been considered a potential candidate for the Sixers job; E.J. was New Jersey's top assistant for several years of Stefanski's tenure there working under Rod Thorn. Doug Collins has also been mentioned profusely, as he was with the Chicago opening last spring.

For 24 hours, the NBA had no head coaching vacancies. That's a stunner for the week after season's end; usually there's a bloodbath immediately following the final regular season game. But Flip Saunders quickly replaced Ed Tapscott, Oklahoma City hurried to lock in Scott Brooks, and the other potential openings remained tentatively filled ...

... until the Kings declined the 2009-10 option on interim coach Kenny Natt's contract Thursday. The move had been expected with some certainty. But in comments related to the new opening, Geoff Petrie has raised some eyebrows about what kind of coach the team will seek.

The Rotation is a weekly study on the NBA by one of our All-Star voices. In rotation this week is Tom Ziller.

An annual tradition regular as daybreak, as the season ends a pack of coaches are mercilessly hacked to pieces by fans, media and often their own bosses. A parade of potential replacements jumps aboard the carousel. They dance, they preen ... one of them wins. A year or two or (fingers crossed) three later, said doll gets torn apart. The cycle continues.

There was a switch this season, though: the bloodletting happened during the season, as a record eight coaches met the iron maiden between opening night and Valentine's Day. Is there anyone left to execute at season's end?

Well ... yes. Of course there is. After the jump, we tell you whom and guess their replacements.

The Kings sacked Reggie Theus this morning, landing somewhere between surprise and "duh" on the Richter scale. For most people who know, Sacramento's performance and the general ferver surrounding the coaching guillotine sent Theus toward the gallows of expected dismissal. But closer to the scene, Geoff Petrie's history left many of us sure Theus would survive until April.

Petrie has only fired a head coach once in his near 20 seasons as a basketball executive. In four years in Portland, Petrie stayed with Rick Adelman; Petrie left when Adelman did. Upon arriving in Sacramento in 1995, Petrie kept atrocious incumbent coach Garry St. Jean for nearly two full years. However, in March of 1996 with 15 games remaining, Petrie canned St. Jean. Since then, the Kings have gone through four coaches; only Theus saw his end come during a campaign.

This is just getting ridiculous: the Kings fired Reggie Theus this morning, becoming the sixth NBA team this season to replace their head coach. According to Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee, assistant coach Chuck Person will join Theus in the unemployment line, while assistant coach Kenny Natt will take over as interim head coach.

Theus' departure is hardly a surprise -- the Kings have dropped 10 of 11 games and have a dismal 6-18 record on the season. And as Tom Ziller pointed out over the weekend, getting blown out by the Knicks erased whatever goodwill Theus earned by upsetting the Lakers last week.

Natt lacks head coaching experience but certainly has an impressive resume. He joined the Kings last season after spending nine years working under Jerry Sloan in Utah and three under Mike Brown in Cleveland. All in all, he's spent 28 years preparing for this opportunity: after his NBA playing career ended after 49 games, he bounced around Europe and the minor leagues before doing everything from scouting, coaching and working in the front office.

That said, Natt might just be keeping the spot warm for Eddie Jordan, who was recently fired by the Wizards but rumored to be a favorite to take over in Philly and Sacramento. Stay tuned.

Your standard "who's next?" list of endangered NBA head coaches now includes Sacramento's Reggie Theus and Memphis' Marc Iavaroni. Actually, both men have been on the hot seat most of the season -- Iavaroni was reportedly under fire last April, and Theus almost lost his job in early November before getting a win over (irony) Memphis.

Both seemingly solidified their jobs this week. The Grizzlies have won three straight. The Kings almost swept a pair against the Lakers. But all beautiful things die sometime. For Theus, the premature death came Saturday night, as the Knicks waltzed into ARCO Arena and simply destroyed the Kings. Sacramento trailed by 30 in the first half, and it hardly got prettier.

I mentioned Saturday that the Lakers win on Tuesday likely saved Reggie's job this year, barring a basketball apocalypse. Losing to the Knicks by 24 at home, showing little to no defensive effort from the starters and a languid, boring offense -- that's basically basketball apocalypse. Earlier today, I discussed a wrinkle in Theus' job security: Eddie Jordan, believed to be a top preference of Kings GM Geoff Petrie, is getting interest from Philadelphia. Petrie isn't one to rush into action, but after losing Stan Van Gundy two years ago I wouldn't be surprised if he went rash all of a sudden.

The logistics of a Theus sacking remain difficult, as it appears the team won't make a move today. The Kings play Minnesota at home Monday before leaving for a road trip which will take us to Christmas. The team has a spell of four games in five nights between the holidays. On paper, Theus survives another few weeks. But I find it hard to believe Petrie (who has the call on the coach's tenure; the Maloofs have OKed it, apparently) can stand to watch basketball like this much longer.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports that while the 76ers indicated Tony DiLeo would be running the show for the remainder of the year following the firing of Mo Cheeks as coach, there's a possibility the team could bring in Eddie Jordan to take over soon.

Jordan has history with Philadelphia GM Ed Stefanski: Jordan was a top assistant in New Jersey under Byron Scott and Lawrence Frank before taking the helm of the Wiz while Stefanski worked under N.J. GM Rod Thorn.

Jordan, the first coach canned this season, is an offensive-minded fellow. Philadelphia's major problem is ... offense. I think we all see where this is headed. But will the Sixers make the move during the season, and is Jordan ready to get back under the burning, abusive magnifying glass? Here's Ivan Carter of the Washington Post: