If you get behind the posse, it's a parade, not a chase.
And those half-dozen vacancies may well increase if Orlando dispatches incumbent Brian Hill or Toronto can't reach agreement on a new deal with Sam Mitchell.
It will be interesting to see how coaches do financially in this round of hires. Teams have been increasingly reluctant to throw big dollars at big-name guys - witness George Karl's modest $3 million annual payment in Denver after getting $7 million per year in Milwaukee, and Don Nelson's having to work overtime for the Warriors. (He has to make the conference finals to make $3.5 million.)
But there is still no shortage of interested parties. Consider:
Charlotte. Everyone has been interviewed for this job; Ken Reeves may be next. The current list includes Mavericks assistant Sam Vincent, former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy, Paul Silas, Mario Elie, Mike Fratello, Knicks assistant Herb Williams, Grizzlies assistant Lionel Hollins and ex-Bulls star Reggie Theus, who spent last season getting New Mexico State to the NCAA tournament.
Part-owner Michael Jordan evidently forgives and forgets, or has a sick sense of humor; he and Theus famously feuded as players. (Among other things, it involved . . . someone else. And that's all we're going to say.) Silas, who wants the job - he still has a home in Charlotte - is likely at the front of the current list, though Mitchell may well have the inside track when and if he's freed up from Toronto.
Houston. All that remains is how the Rockets and Jeff Van Gundy will word his departure. It will almost certainly be a "mutual decision" that he will not return. By doing so, Van Gundy will pocket a fat fee.
