Agents Feel the Pain When Coaches Are Fired

Agents Feel the Pain When Coaches Are Fired

Lonnie Cooper has not lost a single N.B.A. game this season. He has not feuded with a superstar or failed to develop a rookie. He has not called for zone when he should have gone man-to-man. And yet by mid-December, Cooper had lost six N.B.A. head-coaching jobs, which is surely some sort of record.
You could also call it the price of success. For two decades, Cooper has been the pre-eminent agent for N.B.A. coaches. His client list is deep and decorated, including Lenny Wilkens, Chuck Daly and Doc Rivers.

But today’s coaches have all the staying power of a 1980s hair band, which is why Cooper just endured one of the most agonizing months of his career.

nytimes.com
12/27/08