NBA A to Z: Is the coaching hot seat completely empty?

• NBA coaching turnovers of offseason have led to rare job stability during early part of season
• Only Washington Wizards%27 Randy Wittman comes up as possiblity to be fired midseason%2C if team slips
• Also in NBA A to Z%2C more from the Development League showcase on the Minnesota Timberwolves%27 luck

Might one NBA coaching oddity beget another?

It's looking that way at the moment.

After an offseason in which there were a league-record 13 coaching changes, it's entirely possible that all 30 coaches might make it to the end of the regular season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau (by way of ESPN.com), it has been 20 years since there wasn't at least one in-season coaching change. What's more, this season marked just the fourth time in the last 20 years that there were no coaching changes before Christmas.

Part of it is the obvious ripple effect of the massive turnover, as longer leashes typically come with being new on the job. The one obvious candidate for a first-year firing, the Brooklyn Nets' Jason Kidd, eased some of that pressure with a four-game winning streak entering Friday night. Elsewhere, coaches such as the Phoenix Suns' Jeff Hornacek and Charlotte Bobcats' Steve Clifford are not only safe but in the running for coach of the year honors.

Not-so-hot seats abound — at least for now.

The combination of the JR Smith debacle and the fact that the New York Knicks have won four out of five games (including Thursday's win against the Heat) means coach Mike Woodson is much better off than he was just a few weeks ago. The Toronto Raptors' Dwane Casey may have been reaching the danger zone when the Raptors were 6-12 before Rudy Gay was traded to the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8, but they're 11-5 since, and the defensive-minded coach can finally boast about his team's performance on that end (they're sixth in points allowed per 100 possessions at 99.9).

In the West, the Utah Jazz's Tyrone Corbin is in the final year of his deal and certainly may be in trouble when the offseason rolls around, but there are no indications that a change is brewing there anytime soon despite a 12-25 record. And though the Los Angeles Lakers have lost nine of their last 10 games and face the crosstown Clippers tonight, general manager Mitch Kupchak gave his latest vote of confidence for coach Mike D'Antoni this week in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

The least in the East, the 7-27 Milwaukee Bucks, are headed by a first-year coach in Larry Drew who has his fair share of injuries to point to when explaining their awful campaign. Center Larry Sanders missed 25 games with a thumb injury before returning recently; shooting guard Carlos Delfino has missed 34 games after having right foot surgery and remains out; and the roster as a whole has missed 116 games with injuries.

The Washington Wizards' Randy Wittman is still the one to watch on this front. There were definite playoff expectations entering the season, and he'll be in the hot seat running again should they fall off that pace. At last glance, though, Washington (16-17) is fifth in the East and has won seven of its last 11 games.

POINT GUARDING: Andre Miller's uncertain future

One possible obstacle to the trade of Denver Nuggets guard Andre Miller to the Kings that seemed somewhat likely a few days ago? Travis Outlaw. The Sacramento forward is owed $3 million this season and another $3 million next, and the Kings' insistence that he be included in a possible deal with the Nuggets is one of the many reasons it hasn't happened (and may not).

The Nuggets were sending a strong message this week in Reno that Miller would be moved in a matter of days after his spat with coach Brian Shaw and subsequent excusing from the team, but he remains and, according to The Denver Post, could even return to the lineup sometime soon after missing four games. It's a safe bet he's not the only unhappy player here, though: the Kings' Jimmer Fredette will be a free agent this summer and is hoping to find momentum in a new uniform before that time arrives.

The former BYU star deserves immense credit for his professionalism in these last few frustrating years, and that's the very reason you won't likely hear him complain publicly (or even privately) about his lot in Kings Land. But with Sacramento hoping to get at least a second-round draft pick in return for him in any possible deal, count me among the masses who hope he's on the move sooner rather than later and that he finds a better fit elsewhere.

TRADE-IN VALUE: Grizzlies get cash bonus in deal

A footnote relating to the Boston Celtics-Memphis Grizzlies-Oklahoma City Thunder trade that was completed earlier this week: the Grizzlies didn't just get shooting guard Courtney Lee and a 2016 second-round pick (via the Celtics), they were also given $1.1 million from the Thunder that must be paid within 30 business days.

Considering Memphis dealt the expiring deal of Jerryd Bayless ($3.1 million) for Lee's contract that has approximately $11 million combined from this season and next, the extra cash should come in handy.

HEADED NORTH? T'wolves might have reason for optimism

Cheer up, Minnesota Timberwolves. You may have caught a break after all.

The latest round of injury news may be enough to open the door of opportunity for the underachieving Minnesota team (17-18) that is such a mess, as the upstart Phoenix Suns won't be the same without point guard Eric Bledsoe (right knee surgery, expected back in the second half of the season) and the New Orleans Pelicans hardly look like playoff hopefuls anymore now that point guard Jrue Holiday is on the shelf too (stress fracture in his right tibia, out indefinitely). Now if only T'wolves coach Rick Adelman could put on his chemistry teacher hat for a while.

Adelman is one of the game's most accomplished and underrated coaches of all time, but he's never been one to play the part of traffic cop when his players aren't getting along. His is a system that has mostly worked, one in which the veterans are expected to espouse the merits of selfless play and the value that comes to individuals when they succeed as a unit while he maximizes their talents on the court come tipoff time.

But this is a long, long ways from that, and time will tell whether Kevin Love and his teammates can recover from the public bashing that he unleashed after their latest close loss to the Suns on Wednesday (for what it's worth, Love told reporters after shootaround on Friday that they were all getting an 'A' in chemistry now). It should shock no one that frustration has boiled over, though, as an 0-10 record in games decided by four points or less will always have that effect.

Nor should anyone expect Love and teammates to take solace in this amazing statistical slice, courtesy of NBA.com: Based on point differential and what it typically says about a team's record, the Timberwolves' Pythagorean record before their latest loss "should" have been 23-11.

STUCK IN THE RED: Brown locked into Chinese team deal

Timing is everything, as they say, and the timing is tough for Bobby Brown at the moment.

Despite all the NBA opportunity that has arisen from the endless rash of point guard injuries, and despite the fact that the 29-year-old is on the short list of worthy talents to fill one of the many voids, he can't get out of his contract with Dongguan in China until their season ends on Feb. 16. Brown hasn't played in the NBA since 2010, but anyone who pays attention to the famed Drew League in Los Angeles during the summer months knows that he's an NBA talent.

In China, he's nothing short of a star, as he's averaging 31.9 points and 5.8 assists per game. The Clippers, who are likely without point guard Chris Paul until after the mid-February All-Star break because of a shoulder injury, are known to have interest in Brown.

SHOWCASE NOTEBOOK: Thoughts from Reno's D-League extravaganza

A few quick musings from Reno, where the D-League showcase that concluded on Thursday retained its status as one of the hidden gems of the NBA season. To be more clear, it's only hidden when it comes to the fans. The near-5,000-feet altitude (and resultant lack of oxygen) left players and media members alike feeling the effects, meaning the tiny crowds were a blessing in disguise, providing more air to go around for the rest of us.

Otherwise, the gym is full of front-office types who are there to scout the best of the NBA's rest and agents who are hoping to find a rare roster spot for their respective clients. Hence, the national media attention that belies the understated nature of the event: NBA reporters from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports and NBA.com were all a bounce pass away from our USA TODAY Sports' seat, and all involved should send a care package to the league's D-League PR queen, Joanna Shapiro, for her heavy lifting at the affair.

From the event itself to everything that follows across the street at the Silver Legacy when the games are done, it's a regular smorgasbord of the D-League life.

The good: a reported call-up courtesy of the Atlanta Hawks for James Nunnally after the Bakersfield Jam small forward met with with four teams in all in Reno, lots of good buzz for players like Dewayne Dedmon, Manny Harris and, after his recent waiving by the Memphis Grizzlies, Seth Curry as they all try to become the next to be promoted, a strong coaching pool and fascinating petri dish of personnel that I'll write more about in Monday's paper and player meetings at the hotel that are organized by the NBA to help players learn more about how to manage money and avoid the pitfalls of their weird world.

The bad: one of the few blackjack tables available being unofficially reserved by the house for a former NBA player/current D-Leaguer because he apparently spent so much money the night before that it made the move worth it for the casino. (Anyone who even dips into the D-League should hold their chips a little more closely than that.)

The ugly: the reality that 7-8 center Paul Sturgess of the Texas Legends won't be flying to games in a private jet anytime soon. The English-born giant who once played for the Harlem Globetrotters has played in only seven games this season, so it's a safe bet the Legends' parent club, the Dallas Mavericks, won't be calling anytime soon. That means more commercial flights for the 26-year-old who, if this YouTube clip is any indication, seems like a sweetheart of a man. The sliver of good news on this front? Word has it Sturgess was given the front row on his Southwest flight out to Reno and was able to stretch those enormous legs of his. Here's to hoping he can earn a lifetime pass for the A list.