Mid-Season Coaching Changes in the NBA

Authors

Kenan Spruill, Brigham Young University
Adam Roberts, Brigham Young University
Joseph Price, Brigham Young University

Keywords

mid-season coaching changes, NBA, replacing coaches

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Economics

Abstract

“When the going gets tough, we fire the coach”, this quote from former coach and current ESPN analyst Jeff van Gundy represents part of the current trend in sports. Management fires the coach in the hope that the new one can lead the team to glory. Replacing coach’s midseason does not happen often, but when it does, it is the best choice for the team? We are attempting to see if there is a legitimate reason for firing a coach midseason. Considering the fact that changing coach’s mid-season requires the team to pay for both the old and new coaches’ salaries, the expected benefit from switching coaches would have to be larger than the new coach’s salary for the decision to be economically efficient.

Recommended Citation

Spruill, Kenan; Roberts, Adam; and Price, Joseph (2017) "Mid-Season Coaching Changes in the NBA," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2017: Iss. 1, Article 45.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2017/iss1/45