Sloan's record of 1,000-plus wins with the same franchise may never be broken. Coaching young millionaires is a stressful job where good men burn out and need a change of scenery sometimes. Other times owners have quick trigger fingers hoping a shake-up will make things better.

This year, for instance, more than one-fourth of the coaches in the NBA in their first season with their teams. In the Eastern Conference, a full 40 percent -- 6 of 15 -- are new. Some of the "new" guys are veterans with Coach of the Year trophies on their mantles, while others are truly head coaching rookies.

Here's a look at the eight first-year head coaches in the Association this season:

Eastern CONFERENCE

Michael Curry, Detroit Pistons

Credentials: Curry is a first time head coach, but he has plenty of NBA experience as a player, executive and assistant coach. The 40-year-old was a scrappy, defensive-minded guard in the league with six different teams during an 11-year playing career. He also served as the president of the NBA Players Association.

Curry, after his playing days came to an end in 2005, went to work for the NBA as the league's vice president of player development. He then joined Flip Saunders' staff as an assistant coach before taking over the top spot.

Likelihood of success: Good. Curry, who has a master's degree from Virginia Commonwealth, was known as a leader during his playing days. His talented, veteran-dominated team will win around 50 games during the regular season. But Detroit is a franchise that expects to go far in the playoffs every year and anything less that an Eastern Conference title will be a disappointment. New acquisition Allen Iverson will sells some tickets and merchandise and will be fun to watch, but don't expect him to help Detroit past Cleveland or Boston in the playoffs.

Vinny Del Negro, Chicago Bulls

Credentials: Del Negro, 42, was a solid point guard for the San Antonio Spurs during his playing days. He then went on to become a color commentator for the Phoenix Suns before moving into the Suns' front office, eventually becoming the Suns general manager. But of all the new head coaches, Del Negro has the least amount of coaching experience.

Likelihood of success: Fair. The rumor was that veteran coach/broadcaster Doug Collins was going to return to Chicago, but then that deal fell through. Rather than going after another experienced coach, Del Negro was given the job. The Bulls underachieved last season, so there is room for improvement and with a talented young point guard like Derrick Rose to work with, Del Negro could be still at the helm when the Bulls become a contender again in the East in a couple of years.

Larry Brown, Charlotte Bobcats

Credentials: He's simply one of the best coaches in NBA history -- even if he can't stay in one place for very long. He has won both an NCAA title (Kansas 1988) and an NBA crown (Detroit 2004) and his teams almost always improve once he gets there. The one big exception was his last coaching job, when his 2005-06 New York Knick crashed and burned to a 23-59 record.

Likelihood of success: Poor. Brown is a great coach, but he's never been a patient man and has moved around from team to team in the ABA, NBA and college ranks throughout his career. The Bobcats simply don't have enough talent to get to the playoffs this season no matter who their coach is and, at 68, who knows how much Brown, who has had health issues in years past, can take the NBA grind. It seems unlikely that Charlotte will become the eighth NBA team Brown leads to the playoffs.

Scott Skiles, Milwaukee Bucks

Credentials: He was known for his intensity as a player and still is known for it as a coach. Skiles, in stints with the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls, seems to get more out of his players for a season or two before they begin to tune him out. He was fired last season by the Bulls after they got of to a 9-16 start one year after posting 49 wins and a playoff series victory.

Likelihood of success: Fair. Ex-Ute center Andrew Bogut has been through three coaches in three years with the Bucks, but he said this week that he thinks Skiles being "a stickler to detail" will help the underachieving franchise get the boost it needs to get to the playoffs. It may not happen this season, but Milwaukee will likely see the postseason again if Skiles is around for two or more seasons.

Mike D'Antoni, New York Knicks

Credentials: One of the most successful coaches in the NBA in recent seasons, he led the Phoenix Suns to 54 or more wins in four straight years before leaving to take the Knicks job. While the Suns would have welcomed him back, D'Antoni has said that he "had worn out my welcome" in Phoenix, as he had disagreements with management on where the team was headed. D'Antoni, who likes a fun-to-watch, run-and-gun style of play, was the NBA's coach of the year after the 2004-05 season.

Likelihood of success: Good. He is in a honeymoon period in the nation's top market and will be seen as a huge success just by getting the Knicks to be competitive following disastrous results under Isiah Thomas and Larry Brown. A .500 record this season and a playoff spot are not out of the question. Winning playoff series, however, with D'Antoni's preferred style of play is more difficult since games tend to slow down and become half-court affairs.

Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

Credentials: Del Negro may have the least amount of coaching experience of the new head coaches, but Spoelstra is the least known. The 38-year-old never played in the NBA , but he did grow up around it, as his father, Jon Spoelstra, was an executive for the Trail Blazers, Nuggets and Nets. The younger Spoelstra is the first Filipino-American head coach in the NBA and is currently the youngest. Prior to taking over the Heat, Spoelstra served as an assistant coach/director of scouting for the Heat for seven years.

Likelihood of success: Good. One of the NBA's all-time greats believes in him. "This game is now about younger coaches who are technologically skilled, innovative and bring fresh new ideas. That's what we are getting with Erik Spoelstra. He's a man that was born to coach," said Pat Riley, his successor in Miami. It helps that he has Dwyane Wade, one of the NBA's top young players, on his side.

Western CONFERENCE

Rick Carlisle, Dallas Mavericks

Credentials: Has seen success at both his previous stops, for the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. Carlisle-coached teams have gone to the playoffs five of his six season, with the only exception the rebuilding 2006-07 Pacers.

Likelihood of success: Fair. He takes over for Avery Johnson, who had lost the support of his players after several successful seasons. The Mavericks are still talented, led by star forward Dirk Nowitzki, but they are getting old and have a small window of opportunity. The team never seemed to have recovered after beingc up 2-0 in the NBA Finals and then blowing the series against the Heat in 2006. Carlisle will have his work cut out for him in getting his team back to a championship level.

Terry Porter, Phoenix Suns

Credentials: During an NBA playing career from 1985 to 2002, Porter's teams only missed the playoffs once. He was also an NBA All-Star twice and helped the Trail Blazers to the NBA finals twice. His coaching career started before the 2003-04 season with the Bucks, as he led them to a 41-41 record and a playoff berth. The next year, however, Milwaukee went just 30-52 and Porter was fired. He then became an assistant for the Pistons before getting back into the head coaching ranks this season.

Likelihood of success: Good. The Suns are loaded with talent led by Steve Nash, Shaquille O'Neal, Amare Stoudemire and Grant Hill. The problem is that most of those guys -- Stoudemire being the exception -- is past his prime. The Suns will win plenty of games in the regular season this year and should be a better playoff team than in the recent past with more of an ability to play the slowed down, postseason-style of half-court game under Porter. E-mail: lojo@desnews.com