As with all other competitive sports, the NBA has a high turnover rate for their head coaches. Comparable with any professional job or even a television show like Mad Men, the old saying ‘what have you done for me lately’ apply in-sync to the life of an NBA coach. With the rigorous basketball schedule and the increasing pressure of social media, being a professional coach can be one of the most stressful jobs.

“Head coaches may be hearing all this talk about how ‘we’re all in this together;’ in reality, not really,” Jeff Van Gundy once said. “Unless your name is [11-time title winner] Phil Jackson, [four-time title winner] Gregg Popovich, [23-year Utah Jazz coach] Jerry Sloan or [2008 champion] Doc Rivers, if you lose three games in a row, you’re instantly on the hot seat. I really do believe that.”

After Golden Warriors management gave Mark Jackson the cold shoulder through the season regarding his future with the team, Jackson was abruptly relieved of his duties—just three days after being eliminated in a highly competitive seven-game series. Since the near conclusion of the 2013 season, Jackson joins an exclusive group of former coaches (Lionel Hollins, George Karl, Vinny Del Negro) to not return after guiding their respective teams to 50-plus wins. 

Is this the start to a new trend? Is this unfair? In five years time, are we going to be less shocked when a coach is fired after a 60 percent winning season?

A look back through the years could give us an idea to see if this is a reoccurring matter, or is this indeed a start to a new trend we will be seeing.

Mike Brown was fired five games into the 12-13 season after leading the Lakers to a 41-25 record during the lockout season. Similar to the 98-99 Lakers' season, Del Harris was fired 12 games into the lockout season—after finishing the prior season with a 61-21 (74 winning percentage) record.

Jackson and Harris were fired after numerous seasons with their respective teams—even after improving records every season. Coincidentally, Jerry West was part of both teams’ front offices when these instances took place, so it would make sense to assume the improving records by season were not factored into their terminations. It may seem unfair, but records go out the door when coaches and management do not see eye to eye. Jackson and Harris were both fired because their respective managements felt like they could not take their teams to that championship caliber level.

Both Byron Scott and Avery Johnson were dismissed after leading their particular teams to the NBA Finals within their previous two seasons. Comparable on most occasions, players tend to tune out their coaches after several seasons and the trust in the coach fades.

Recently, Grantland’s Bill Simmons had a podcast with Ric Bucher discussing the intricacies of the divorce between Mark Jackson and owner Joe Lacob. Simmons brings up a great point where it usually takes five to six years for new owners to eventually hand the keys to someone more qualified than themselves. It took six years for Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck to give total control to Danny Ainge and Doc Rivers in order to formulate their 2008 championship. Akin to Mark Cuban, the Mavericks did not win their title until Cuban gave control to Rick Carlisle—more than a decade after Cuban’s purchase.

With the emergence of social media and other forms of constant interaction between fans and individuals of the game presents an insurmountable amount of pressure never seen before by NBA coaches. Online bloggers and reporters’ criticisms of players or coaches can undoubtedly affect the perspectives of them to owners.

“It’s often said that the NBA is a players’ league,” Van Gundy continues. “What’s left unsaid is that it’s also a league about the guys who pick the players, the general managers. Coaches have very infrequent contact with the owners, so they only get the perspective of management.”

Coaches will always be the initial scapegoat when struggles surface, and usually the first one to face the consequences. Yet, the recent firings of coaches after strong seasons seem more like a coincidence more so than a new trend. From instances of executives not seeing eye to eye with coaches to new owners thinking their knowledge of the game is on par with seasoned skilled basketball related professionals, the game simply has too many variables to point to than a new trend starting.