Stefanski interviews Johnson

The 76ers continued their coaching search today, interviewing former Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson in Houston, Texas.

Sixers President and General Manager Ed Stefanski met with Johnson two days after meeting with Doug Collins in Scottsdale, AZ. Stefanski was joined by assistant general manager Tony DiLeo and team consultant Gene Shue, as he was during his meeting with Collins.

Johnson, 45, is currently working as a studio analyst for ABC/ESPN and was fired by the Mavericks in 2008.

"We had an informative meeting and open dialogue with Avery today regarding our head coaching position," Stefanski said in the team's press release. "His reputation as a motivator and accomplishments as a head coach in the NBA are well-known and I certainly want to thank him for taking the time to meet with us."

Next up for the Sixers is likely to be Mark Jackson, who is currently Jeff Van Gundy's partner on ABC/ESPN broadcasts. Something to also keep an eye on is the now-open coaching job with the Chicago Bulls. Most of the candidates for the New Orleans Hornets opening are currently overlapping with the Sixers, and it's likely they'll also overlap with the Chicago Bulls. Plus, now Vinny Del Negro is available.

Also, still in the mix are: Dwane Casey (Dallas assistant), Tom Thibodeau (Celtics assistant), Mike Budenholzer (Spurs assists), Byron Scott (former Hornets coach), Sam Mitchell (former Raptors coach), and Mike Fratello (currently an analyst).

At some point, as well, the Sixers will almost certainly reach out to Charlotte Bobcats head coach, Larry Brown.

While Stefanski is still executing this coaching search, his second in as many years, he's still not guaranteed to be the Sixers' GM for the 2010-11 season.

--Kate