New Name Emerges in Sixers’ Coaching Search

By Kevin McCormick, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The list of names in the running to become the new coach of the Sixers continues to grow. As of Sunday afternoon, another big name has been thrown into the mix.

After being eliminated from the postseason on Saturday night, Rockets' head coach Mike D'Antoni has informed the Rockets that he will not be signing a new deal with the team. D'Antoni has spent the last four seasons in Houston where he posted a record of 217-101.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowkski has reported that D'Antoni will be considered as a candidate for the Sixers' head coaching position. This could be a potential homecoming as he was an assistant coach under Brett Brown in the 2015-2016 season before becoming the head coach of the Rockets.

Overall as a head coach D'Antoni has a record of 672-527 in the regular season and 54-56 in the playoffs. In terms of experience, he arguably has the most among candidates in the running for the job, but his fit with the Sixers might not be the best.

His losing record in the postseason is one red flag that stands out. As the Sixers are looking to take the next step in contending for a title, his struggles in the playoffs are concerning.

Another thing that sticks out is his style of play. D'Antoni's brand of basketball doesn't exactly match the mold of the current Sixers' roster construction.

Whether it was with the "seven seconds or less" Suns or with the Rockets, D'Antoni has always liked to push the pace. Playing fast has always been his focus and that isn't how the Sixers are built to play.

Hiring D'Antoni as head coach could do wonders for Ben Simmons, but he might not be the best coach for Joel Embiid. If the Sixers are going to get this most out of their All-Star duo they need a coach that is good for them both.

D'Antoni will likely one of the finalists for the coaching position. A lot of this decision will come down to if the Sixers want to modernize their offense after their attempt at "bully ball" didn't pan out.

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