Casey, Thibodeau next for Stefanski
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Casey, Thibodeau next for Stefanski
The 76ers have confirmed they will interview both Boston Celtics assistant coach Tom Thibodeau and Dallas Mavericks assistant coach Dwane Casey.
It is unclear, as of yet, when the interviews will take place.
Casey spent 11 seasons as an assistant with the Seattle Supersonics. He was a head coach for 1 1/2 seasons, coaching the Minnesota Timberwolves for the 2005-06 season and part of the 2006-07 season. His overall record in Minnesota was 53-69.
Boston General Manager Danny Ainge confirmed that Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski called last week asking permission to speak with Thibodeau. The Celtics granted permission and now that Boston has been eliminated from the playoffs, the Sixers will be able to move forward with the interview process.
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers said he put a call into Stefanski to see where he could help. The sentiment from Ainge and Rivers is that Thibodeau is "an excellent coach who just needs an opportunity." Thibodeau has worked both seasons in Boston under 1-year contracts.
Calls to Thibodeau were not immediately returned. The Sixers declined comment
Thibodeau just completed his second season as an assistant with the Boston Celtics and has spent 19 seasons in the NBA, but none as a head coach. Thibodeau spent the 1993-94 season with the Sixers, working with then head coach John Lucas. He went on to work with Jeff Van Gundy in New York and Houston.
Thibodeau is considered one of the best defensive coaches in the league. In his 19 seasons, his teams have finished in the Top 10 defensively 15 times.
--Kate
Comments (48)
Someone actually wrote that the Sixers are "solid" defensively? That's hilarious.— Oliver- why would they ever look at dwane casey? we will now have brought in two known losers in the league. how can you try to turn a franchise around with a coach that has a career losing record i.e. eddie jordan and dwane casey. you need a winner, thibodeau, avery johnson, etc. step it up Ed
- Lynum? You forget he has watched the mess for a couple yrs. Besides, he doesn't need the money....and it would never be enough to coach this prennial mediocre bunch...going NOWHERE!!!!!!!— stoneman
- ya, im sure this Thibodeau guy is the reason for the Celtics being a top defensive team...nothing to do with Garnett and Pierce. Anyway, who cares? The Sixers are solid defensively...what they need is someone who can draw up some OFFENSIVE plays. Witnessing the Sixers half court offense is like watching the Three Stooges.— sedale
- The right thing to do is to higher the guy as our defensive head coach thus stilling him from the Celtics buy paying him more cash than they are and higher a legit number 1 type coach.— rayzoe
- I believe you have to build a team that can make the playoffs, (done) Then you need to build a team that can win in the playoffs. Who cares who the coach is.— CURTCASH30N
- i want this guy— pistolabus1
- PS Are the Flyers still in the Playoffs? And what round are they up to now anyway?— incog69
- People suggesting that the Sixers need to revamp their roster are foolish. They have the most athletic team in the NBA. With a defensive coach, they could be the #1 def. team in the league. Rebounding is very strong (with Brand), perimeter D is very good with Iggy and Thad etc. And excellent D, goes well with a top notch transition O. Look out for Philly next year. One last comment, someone mentioned that the Sixers have marginal players. I beg to differ. While they are devoid of top 5 talent, they have 3 well above average players (Miller, Brand, Iggy) and a two more better than average players (Young, Dalembert- yes, him). Together, that makes a solid team (and I think I was conservative on 2 or 3 of those guys (Iggy, Thad and depending on health, Brand). I'm a homer, and an optimist, but I try to be objective :)— incog69
- I went on the Boston Globe web site and Celtics fans really don't want this guy to leave. That's enough for me. Subtract him from the Celts and add him to the Sixers. Plus, you win with defense in this league and Thibodeau is supposed to be a defensive genius.— iceman
- Lynam isn't a candidate because he's getting up there in age. The team is in need of someone with a fresh voice the players haven't tired of. Thibodeau is a good, no-nonsense coach with credibility and a good head for the game. Avery Johnson is a very good coach, but I don't think the organization is really going to hire a coach witha bigger personality than his players. Pat Riley is retired and he's the last of the coaches who sold tickets.— Scorekeeper
- simple, babs, cause Lynam blew the first go around.— thingfish
- JonKap is right on. Thibodeux brings no head coaching experience. No coach is going to get this team much over .500. They do not have the talent level to compete at the upper levels of the conference. Was it a coindence that Larry Brown took this team to the final???— Luwgk
- Thibodeau is a horrible pick. Since the Sixers can't shoot, they might as well become a better defensive team. He is probably the best coach for this team as it stands now.— smw1021
- i think he's an excellent option and is one of top candidates out there. the sixers would be very smart to bring this guy in to lead our franchise.
Comment removed.- If you're interested in knowing more about Tom Thibodeau check out this profile as it pertains to the Sixers. I like this guy and he is my personal choice as the Sixers next coach. http://www.reclinergm.com/my-choice-for-the-sixers-new-head-coach-tom-thibodeau/— ReclinerGM
- We dont need John Lucas back,we need someone fresh not a retread!!!!— wstollenmaier
- Comment removed.
- John Lucas??? What are you high too???Heavy Tc from GnA.We need someone fresh,not a retread like Lucas.— wstollenmaier
Glad to see the search continues. Stefanski will make a wise decision, perhaps this is the best guy svailable-sure need the 'D'-go Sixers!!!- Jeff Van Gundy, please. And speaking of Dei Lynam...she talks like a guy on the street. Her poor husband...— Larry Brown
- It was bad enough they made Lynam an assistant. If they were to make him head coach again I would never watch another Sixer game. I'll never forget him saying Bradley was going to revolutionize the game of basketball.— ericg610
- The ONLY guy I want. Let's pray this is the guy— JayOfDaJungle
- If he was any good, was why he an assistant for 19 years? And how good was the Sixers defense under John Lucas? Yea, thats what I thought. GA in Blue Bell, that was funny!— scars73
hire anyone, they'll be fired before the rebuilding process is over anyway.— dpcoz- Thibodeau is high on my list but I'd prefer Eddie Jordan or Jeff Van Gundy over Thibodeau.— jdr527
If your a diehard Flyer's fan don't post, we know your hating on the sixers because not enough people are paying attention to your precious "do no wrong" Flyers. Stop wasting Kate's time.- Comment removed.
- Avery Johnson - we HAVE TO speak with him!— Irish Frank
- This is the type of coach this team should look for. He would bring a system mentality to a team/franchise that has lacked it for the past 20+ years, except for the Larry Brown years. There is nothing about Avery Johnson's resume that tells me he would be a difference maker, even though he'd be better than recent coaches probably. Lynam- are you kidding us?— doctorj
Lynam drafted the 7'6 stiff Bradley some years back. That alone should remove him from consideration.- Comment removed.
- 1. He has never been a #1 guy. How much of the defense was from the head coach's system? 2. The NBA is a player's league. You need great players to win. The head coach of a mediocre team is irrelevant. Lets say this guy IS a defensive guru and they win 5 more games a year. What does that do but get them even worse draft picks?— JonKap
- Comment removed.
- How about Kelvin Sampson? Good track record as coach and the NBA has unlimited text messaging.— GA in Blue Bell
- Comment removed.
- what is the emfatuation over avery johnson? i just don't get it. thibodeau might not have the name recognition, but he'd be 10 times the coach johnson was on his best day.— jazztafari
- Comment removed.
- Even though he's an Celtic, right guy for the job.— ttmanage
- Avery Johnson Please..— asv
- Avery Johnson can development a guard— rgoldberg
- Comment removed.
- 12&70, 12&70, 12&70, 12&70, 12&70, 12&70. We need to lose lose lose to win win win.— phillyking22
- Hell yeah. Since the Knicks were stupid enough to hire D'Antoni over this guy, I'd be ecstatic to take him. He can make this team into an elite defense, which is how we're going to have to win games anyway because we still have so many marginal offensive players tied up for years to come.— dww2001
- Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz— FlyerFan21
- I predict he's the one...— jimmy76er
- keeping my fingers crossed. this is the guy we need to fix our defense, not a retread.
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About this blog
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.
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