11 potential 2016 NBA head coaching candidates

Simply looking at how teams are performing around the NBA this season, it seems that there are going to be more head coaching vacancies following the regular season than we have seen throughout the past several years.

It might be pure conjecture here, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see the likes of the Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies, Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings all have vacancies when all is said and done this season.

That's a lot of solid opportunities for up-and-comers in the coaching profession.

From an assistant in Golden State who proved his worth while Steve Kerr was sidelined earlier this year to a former NBA veteran of 19 years, here are 11 potential NBA head coaching candidates you will want to keep an eye on over the next several months.

1. Luke Walton, assistant coach, Golden State Warriors

Walton might have had Steve Kerr helping him with the game plan and working with the team during practice. That was definitely a nice thing to have as Kerr was recovering from back surgery.

Still, Walton was the best interim head coach in the history of sports during his half-season manning the Warriors bench. He led the team to an astounding 39-4 record, which in and of itself will place Walton among the top candidates for a head coaching job next summer.

At 35 years old, Walton is still incredibly young. He also boasts less than two fulls years of coaching experience. None of that should matter to teams that are looking at add a fresh face to their franchises.

What Walton has done, primarily to gain the trust of a championship head coach, should be taken into account more. As should Walton's vast amount of experience as the son of a Hall of Fame basketball player.

We have seen the likes of Mark Jackson and the aforementioned Kerr have a ton of success as head coaches without any previous coaching experience. Heck, Derek Fisher has proven himself to a lesser extent in New York.

The interesting dynamic here is that the Los Angeles Lakers — a team Walton won two NBA championships with as a player — might very well be looking for a head coach following the season. That just seems like a match made in heaven.

2. Ettore Messina, assistant coach, San Antonio Spurs

You want to talk about a résumé that speaks for itself? Look no further than this four-time Euroleague champion.

Messina is considered one of the greatest basketball minds on the planet. So it was a pretty big surprise that he decided to join the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach back in 2014. After all, some might have concluded that Messina should be a head coach in the NBA.

That's likely something teams looking for a head coach will strongly consider once the 2015-16 season comes to a conclusion.

With nearly a quarter century of head coaching experience overseas, including his current role as the Italian National Team head coach, Messina is more than qualified to take over as a head coach in the NBA.

3. Adrian Griffin, assistant coach, Orlando Magic

It wasn't too long ago that Griffin was considered one of the hottest assistant coaches in the NBA. As Tom Thibodeau's right-hand man in Chicago from 2010-15, Griffin served the team extremely well.

He was handpicked by the defensive genius when Thibodeau set up his original coaching staff in 2010 and helped lead the Bulls to the playoffs all five seasons he manned the bench.

This came on the heels of Griffin playing nine years in the NBA as a reserve. He adds experience from both the playing and coaching perspective — something that could prove to be invaluable to teams looking for a head coach.

4. Kevin Ollie, head coach, University of Connecticut

Talk about an ascension up the coaching ranks. After serving just two seasons as one of Jim Calhoun's assistant coaches with the Huskies, Ollie took over the head coach job.

Dealing with NCAA sanctions from Calhoun's tenure, Connecticut was ineligible for tournament play his first season. Ollie still led the team to a 20-10 record in his initial season back in 2012-13.

Once back on the beaten path, Ollie didn't look back. The following season saw the former NBA guard lead his Huskies to 11 consecutive postseason wins, earning both the Big East Tournament championship and the NCAA Tournament title in one of the most surprising runs in recent college basketball history.

While Ollie's stock has dropped a tad following a NIT appearance last season, he's still among the hottest young head coaches in the nation. Add in 13 years of experience as a point guard in the NBA, and the résumé speaks for itself.

5. Becky Hammon, assistant coach, San Antonio Spurs

It isn't too far-fetched to believe that a female head coach could soon find her way leading an NBA bench in the not-so-distant future.

Already the first female to be hired on as a full-time assistant, Hammon led the Spurs Summer League team to a title last year. She's also going to be the first to coach in an All-Star Game.

Widely respected as one of the up-and-coming assistant coaches around the Association, Hammon's next logical step is to receive consideration for a head coaching opening — something that could very well happen as early as this upcoming summer.

There are some who have been in relatively high front-office positions around the NBA who believe she's going to get a look here:

"I know this is a bold statement. If I was running a team and had a head coaching opening. The first call would be to Becky Hammon,” former Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Bobby Marks said last summer. “Hammon is as qualified as any current assistant coach in the NBA. She is paying her dues and working from the bottom up.”

Based on how much she has impressed during her short two-year stint in San Antonio, this wouldn't be much of a surprise. Add in 13 years of professional experience as a player, and that's magnified even further.

6. Sean Miller, head coach, University of Arizona

Having led his Wildcats to the Sweet 16 in four of the past five seasons, Miller has made himself known around the college basketball community. That came on the heels of the 47-year-old former Pittsburgh point guard earning four consecutive trips the tournament to end his successful tenure as Xavier's head coach.

Also heading the U.S. Men's Under 19 National Team, Miller has received a ton of respect from key decision makers in the larger basketball world.

The next logical step here would be a venture into the NBA as a head coach. Having already seen himself on the receiving end of overtures from teams conducting previous head coaching searches, it's now all about when Miller might want to make that transition.

7. John Calipari, head coach, University of Kentucky

We already know that the Brooklyn Nets have reportedly been linked to Coach Cal. We also know that he reportedly wants about $12 million per season to make the transition to the NBA.

None of this should come as a surprise considering the ridiculous level of success Calipari has enjoyed with Kentucky since taking over the school's basketball program in 2009. In the six years since, the veteran coach has posted a .829 winning percentage with a national title and four trips to the Final Four.

He's also sent a ridiculous 25 former Kentucky players to the NBA via the draft, including 19 in the first round. It really is a machine that Calipari is running in Lexington.

While Calipari didn't have much success in his first venture in the NBA back with the then New Jersey Nets from 1996-99, there's little doubt that he would be the most highly coveted coaching candidate from the college ranks. It just remains to be seen whether he has real interest in the NBA.

8. Nancy Lieberman, assistant coach, Sacramento Kings

If we are going to add a qualified candidate such as Hammon to the list, Lieberman simply can't be ignored.

With 17 years of professional coaching experience, including three seasons as the head coach of the Texas Legends of the NBA Developmental League, there's little doubt that she's more than qualified to lead an NBA team. That's only magnified by the fact that this Hall of Fame basketball player dominated the women's game when she played in the 1980s and 1990s.

There was even a report earlier this season that the Sacramento Kings might already be considering her for a head coaching position.

Such is the nature of the beast in a rapidly changing NBA that is seemingly supporting the inclusion of qualified women as coaches more than any other sport out there.

If Kings owner Vivek Ranadive wants to make a splash, this would surely do just that. It would also give the team an experienced basketball mind to replace George Karl, who isn't going to be the long-term solution in Sacramento.

9. Chris Mullin, head coach, St. John's University

Already possessing experience in an NBA front office as the Golden State Warriors' executive vice president of basketball operations from 2004-09, Mullin boasts the résumé that few college basketball coaches currently possess.

More than that, his experience as a Hall of Fame basketball player during an amazing 16-year NBA career should come in handy here.

As it relates to Mullin's current employment, he's is in his first season as the St. John's head coach. And while it's likely he's going to want to fulfill some sort of commitment beyond one year, it wouldn't be a major surprise to see Mullin's name pop up when it comes to head coaching vacancies following the 2015-16 campaign.

He has the experience as a player and a front-office executive. It's not too much different than the path Steve Kerr took to become the Warriors' head coach last season. The only major difference here is that Mullin actually possesses coaching experience.

10. Sam Cassell, assistant coach, Los Angeles Clippers

This always seemed inevitable. During a solid 16-year run as a player in the Association, Cassell was seen as a true leader for the teams on which he ran point. A three-time NBA champion with the on-court smarts few possess, Cassell seems destined for a head coaching role in the not-so-distant future.

Prior to joining Doc Rivers' staff with the Clippers in 2014, Cassell served six seasons as an assistant with the Washington Wizards. That came immediately after he closed out his playing career with a title under Rivers in Boston back in 2008.

One of Rivers' right-hand men on the bench in Los Angeles, Cassell has helped the team morph into a legitimate title contender. With the respect of players due to his on-court success, a transition to the head coaching ranks would be rather seamless.

11. Juwan Howard, assistant coach, Miami Heat

Let's be honest here for a second. Howard isn't really in just his third year as an assistant coach for the Heat.

While that will show on his résumé, he served as an assistant in an unofficial capacity during his final three years with the team — averaging less than 10 minutes per game and suiting up in just 102 of the team's 230 games during that span.

A NBA veteran of nearly two decades, Howard has all the experience one could hope for in a head coaching candidate. Now that he's actually gaining valuable experience under Erik Spoelstra in Miami, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Howard earn a head coaching job in the near future.