Mike D’Antoni was a key figure in the development of high scoring basketball for the NBA in the mid 2000’s; his Phoenix Suns held a 7 seconds-or-less scoring philosophy that made teams defend quicker and smarter. Now, since being out of a job since his resignation as the Los Angeles Lakers head coach in spring of 2014, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking for D’Antoni to bolster their staff as an Associate head coach.
Although interesting to say the least, this could be good news down the stretch since the 76ers just locked head coach Brett Brown in through the 2018-19 season.
From Yahoo:
“D’Antoni, a four-time head coach in the NBA, has been discussing with Colangelo and Brown a role on the Sixers’ bench that could begin later this month, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
D’Antoni, 64, and Colangelo have a longstanding relationship that includes successful runs together with the Phoenix Suns and USA Basketball. D’Antoni has been the revolutionary offensive mind of the modern NBA era, clearing the path for faster, smaller offenses that thrive on the 3-point shot.
The timing of Brown’s two-year extension on Friday, a deal that extends through the end of the 2018-19 season, has apparently eased any concerns that D’Antoni would be brought to the Sixers as some kind of head coach in waiting. D’Antoni wants to be a head coach again, and his candidacy elsewhere could be enhanced if he’s back on a bench in a coaching capacity.”
