A start
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A start
It's been a slow, slow, slow start to the 76ers coaching search. It's been 13 days since Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski fired Eddie Jordan and it appears little else has been done in the search other than gathering information and making preliminary calls to gauge preliminary interest.
There is, as always, the issue of Larry Brown returning as coach. The Sixers will certainly make a phone call to Mr. Brown, but the prospect of Larry Brown being the head coach within an organization where Stefanski is Prez and GM seems unlikely, at best. Coincidence or not (and we're going with 'not'), when Stefanski took over as GM for Billy King, Brown quickly made his exit from his front office position, too. There's some confusion as to whether Brown has kept in contact with Sixers owner Ed Snider, but there's little confusion over whether Stefanski and Brown have kept in good contact.
And there is, of course, the issue of Stefanski's future as the team's GM. It's still not guaranteed, but he'll likely remain in the position until a game plan has been developed. That game plan could either involve Stefanski remaining and hiring an agreed-upon coach, or the game plan could not involve Stefanski at all. It feels like, until then, this coaching search is in limbo.
Here's a list of possible candidates for the opening along with whatever information has been gathered. The Sixers' coaching search may be in its infancy, but we might as well start talking about who might be best suited for the job.
Dwane Casey: Assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks. Considering he was the only guy who received a second interview last summer (other than Jordan, of course), it would make sense the Sixers would reach out to Casey again. The Mavs are still in the NBA Playoffs, facing the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. According to multiple people, the Sixers haven't yet reached out to the Mavs for permission and wouldn't do so until after they've been eliminated (or until after they've won the whole thing).
Avery Johnson: Former head coach of the Mavericks. According to the Times Picayune in New Orleans, the Hornets have already reached out to Johnson regarding their head coaching vacancy and Johnson is said to be "definitely interested" in the vacancy. The Hornets are obviously ahead of the Sixers in their coaching search, having also reportedly reached out to Jeff Van Gundy, so that could play a factor in taking one candidate off the market before the Sixers hit their stride.
Jeff Van Gundy: Former head coach of the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets. It sounds like he could be in the mix for the Hornets job, but there are conflicting reports about whether Van Gundy actually wants to get back into coaching. His brother, Orlando Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, said Jeff has no desire to get back into coaching right now (Jeff's working for ESPN as an analyst), but the Times Picayune also reported that another source close to Van Gundy said Van Gundy is unsure about his future.
Doug Collins: Collins, former coach of the Chicago Bulls and now a TNT analyst, was the first name that dropped in the Sixers' search last year. Although Collins expressed interest in the opening, he apparently never received a call from the Sixers. Judging from talking to folks, Collins will likely get a call this year, although it seems the Sixers have yet to take any serious steps.
Jay Wright: Villanova head coach. Last year, Wright met with Stefanski about the Sixers' vacancy and then politely said he wasn't interested in the job and wanted to remain at Villanova. Wright is always an interesting possibility, especially given his closeness to Brown, who has reportedly been "angling" for a front-office position with the Sixers, and who could then -- in a perfect world -- bring Wright in as coach. But according to a source, Jay Wright is not currently in the mix.
Tom Thibodeau: Assistant coach for the Boston Celtics, known as a defensive guru. Considering Jordan's tenure was marked with some of the worst defense seen in some time, the Thibodeau option becomes even more appealing. Stefanski interviewed Thibodeau once last year, but did not ask him back for a second interview. The Celtics just defeated the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs. Might be a little while before Thibodeau becomes available.
Byron Scott: Former head coach of the Hornets and New Jersey Nets. Scott has twice been fired, but both times after being pretty successful the year prior. Stefanski was in New Jersey during the same time as Scott, but we know how the last New Jersey connection worked out.
These are the main names you'd assume the Sixers would tag at the beginning of their search. Stefanski has said he would gather information on many, many candidates ... some even from the college ranks (take a look at Paul Hewitt, who coached Thaddeus Young at Georgia Tech and was an assistant at Villanova from 1992-97). There are a few other NBA assistant coach names that could be in the mix: Portland's Monty Williams, Utah's Tyrone Corbin, San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer, Houston's Elston Turner, and we could even see Patrick Ewing's name emerge as a potential head coaching candidate. If not for this year's vacancies, then maybe next year.
Right now, it really sounds like the Sixers aren't concerned with having a coach in place by June's NBA Draft. So this is all just the start.
--Kate
The Sixers lack accuracy at the point guard position which is why McNabb was shipped off to D.C. to make this city reach it's full potential. They will have to find someone who has heart after the travesty we had to endure with McNabb and now Roy" Frontrunner" Hallday. We all deserve better and will get better with leadership and accuracy at key positions...I'm on a horse.
8 or so job openings this off season. The Sixers are the worst of them all. No cap space, no superstar, and coaches come and go so much. They will have to take whatever slub is on the bottom of the coaching pile.— JonKap
I'll coach them.
Put my vote in for Tom Thibodeau - this team needs defense before anything else.— dpcoz- Stefanski failed. We need a GM. If Stefanski gets to make the draft pick, it only means that Snider doesn't care.— fuller11
- A new President, GM, and staff are needed; at that point, you might have a serious search for a head coach. Dwane Casey? Even if he was better than Jordan, isn't that damning with faint praise? Is Casey any better than O'Brien or Cheeks? What we DON'T need is another December and January filled with columns from beat writers about the team's lack of direction, followed by ANOTHER February NON-trade deadline. Back up the truck.— 76erfn
- 0 for 7 on that list. Join "Sixers Fans For Change" on Facebook.— ArtMooney
- I like Collins or Laimbeer...please not Brown— jss31
- My 1st 3 choices are Avery Johnson, Avery Johnson and Avery Johnson.— boasocal
- Ideally, the sixers would hire Brown for a front office position and then hire Wright as coach. If that does not happen, I fear the sixers will go down the same road they have previously. Stephanski needs to move on or be put in another position in the organization. Make Wright an offer he can not refuse. I believe he would be a great pro coach if given a few years to get his feet wet.— quentin1978
- Did I miss anything? I fell asleep about half way thru the article...— scootch
Things are pretty bad when even the Clippers are a better organization.— OldCoach- When a team takes a serious step backwards in effort and results, it reflects on the organization as a whole. Obviously, there are players on the Sixers they are too willing to play "street basketball" instead of listening to their coaches. Good potential coaches scout the teams looking for new coaches, and they realize the Sixers have work to rid its roster of uncoachable players. Potential coaches don't want to put their reputations on the line for players that show-up when they want to. In fact, that is why the best coaches by-pass the Sixers as a coaching destination repeatedly the last few years. It's well overdue to hire a strong basketball GM and coach, and let them decide which players want to be on a winning team. Let them trade the players that just want to collect a paycheck, and go out to the nearest club. The Sixers fans deserve better, but the ownership and management seem not up to the task.— RunningTheBases
- Bring back Dileo and save the extra salaries. Or let Brown be GM and coach to save some dough.— CBent1
- Top down has to be decided before the coach can be thought about. I don't see any credible plan in place to give this team a on-court identity. Are were a fast break team (the most success but only because everyone was so independent), a half court Spurslike team (the least success because everyone was so independent!), a "system" Lakerlike team (re: Triangle) (well if you can't learn Princeton and Artest takes a year to learn Triangle that's probably not promising), a defensive powerhouse? I mean the list could go on and on but that's the problem: team definition. That starts at the top with the General Manager's position to set the broad strategy, the player personnel group to recruit and staff the team and then the right coach to excecute. When a leader does not have an effective strategy--then the leader either most a) deliver or b) depart. Unless Stefanski-- who deep sixed (pardon the pun) the only successful strategy of the past several years (uptempo game)--- can clearly outline what that basketball approach will be-- then he needs to do the right thing.. and that's b).— flashgordon
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
