Posted: Wednesday, August 5, 2009, 6:27 PM | 18 comments |
 

Welcome Back, Randy Ayers
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News item: Radny Ayers is back for a second stint with the 76ers. He spent six seasons as the lead assisdtant to Larry Brown, then succeeded him in 2003-04.

 

Reaction: I thought Ayers did his best work under Brown, particularly in helping develop young players. Ayers and then-Sixers assistant John Kuester (now the head coach of the Detroit Pistons) spent countless hours  drilling guys before and after practices and shootarounds and in pre-game sessions.

 

Sadly, Ayers lasted just 52 games (21-31) as Brown's successor, replaced by interim coach Chris Ford. I've heard then-president/general manager Billy King say he should have offered his first-year coach more support, particularly in dealing with star guard Allen Iverson. I remember a legendary night when reporters, waiting to meet with Ayers after a game in the Wachovia Center, could hear loud, angry voices emanating from the locker room. Iverson, for his own reasons, wasn't happy; Ayers wanted to suspend him.

That, of course, didn't happen. That was probably the beginning of the end for Ayers. In retrospect, he never had a chance.

Ayers became the head coach after King went through interviews and calls with Tubby Smith, Jeff Van Gundy, Mike Fratello, Mike Woodson, Terry Stotts and, yes, current Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan. Some of them, for their own reasons, didn't want to come.

But it wasn't as if Ayers didn't have credentials. He had spent eight seasons at Ohio State, winning back-to-back Big 10 championships in 1991 and '92. The Associated Press named him the national Coach Of The Year in '91. And he seemed to thrive and develop under Brown.

Since leaving the Sixers, he has logged two seasons as an assistant with the Orlando Magic and two under Jordan and interim coach Ed Tapscott with the Washington Wizards. In one season with the Magic, he helped the defense improve from allowing 101.8 points per game to a more manageable 96.0. That's the sort of work that obviously would be beneficial to the Sixers.

Oh, and in case anyone thinks the league office doesn't have a sense of humor, the schedule for this season shows the Sixers playing at Washington Nov. 24.

That would be the one-year anniversary of . . . the day Jordan was fired.

 
Posted by Phil Jasner @ 6:27 PM  Permalink | 18 comments
18
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:34 PM, 08/05/2009
    Welcome back I guess. I guess they will probably sign his son now.
    — BigVilFromWestPhil
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:45 PM, 08/05/2009
    Old Logo, Ayers, what next? A. I. or Sir Charles.
    — xmar
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:53 PM, 08/05/2009
    Phil... "Randy" Ayers , not "Radny"
    — Dawk20
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:56 PM, 08/05/2009
    Why???
    — Ruiz the Great
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:29 PM, 08/05/2009
    it nice that you wasted a post on a typo...
    — BBAX
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:13 PM, 08/05/2009
    im assuming he's being brought back as an assistant coach since theres not 1 time in the whole article that his role was mentioned.
    — philliekev04
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:15 PM, 08/05/2009
    Great things come in threes!!! Order those rings now!
    — Bobphxville
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:39 PM, 08/05/2009
    Does that mean maybe oh maybe we could get Iverson back. The team has sucked big time since he left.
    — philligurl
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:00 PM, 08/05/2009
    What a tremendous week for Stefanski! Primo Brezec, Royal Ivey and Randy Ayers. This guy knows talent.
    — Shenkman3
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:17 PM, 08/05/2009
    the sixers news has been so irrelevant to me lately... i have been a die hard sixers fan my whole life but been so turned off by the offseason... a bunch of nothing is happening with this organization
    — cfiglarz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:31 PM, 08/05/2009
    Who needs a comedy writer when i can read these posts...you people are priceless
    — igglegreen
  • Comment removed.
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:32 PM, 08/06/2009
    langx: Thats crazy. But I see your point. If Iguodala doesn't take his game to the next level he will be Gerald Wilkins, and isn't that sad. As for Brand--- pre injury Brand = post injury LJ. Larry Johnson was true beast before he got injured and he was 10x tougher than Brand. The he was smart enough to add a 3 point shot to his game........ I'm gonna ride with you on that Snider comment, seemed like a ticket selling ploy. And thanks for the Brad Greenberg reference. So called Sixer fans dis King and call him the worst GM. I brought up Greenberg and those so called fans didn't even know who that was. Oh but they were fans for years. Frauds!
    — BigVilFromWestPhil


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About Bob Cooney
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.

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