More on 76ers Coaching Search
Marc J. Spears: New Orleans Pelicans and Philadelphia 76ers have already reached out to former Clippers head coach Doc Rivers in regards to their head coach openings, sources told @TheUndefeated.
Lue is scheduled to interview for the job on Tuesday, according to multiple sources. One has to wonder if he thinks his meeting could just be a formality and/or insurance in case former Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, whose job it is to lose, doesn’t accept the job. Back on Aug. 25, the day after Brett Brown was fired, Lue was the prime candidate. He and the Sixers had mutual interest. The thought was that his recruitment for the job would pick up once the Clippers were eliminated from the playoffs.
But it’s hard to criticize the Sixers for not hiring a qualified Black coach when, in fact, Brand, the person publicly in charge of leading the decision, is another Black male. Yet, as first noted Wednesday, this coaching search has been eye-opening for several league sources. The sources have said it’s hard to tell who’s in charge because of ownership’s earlier-than-expected involvement. Sources have been saying for weeks that the job is D’Antoni’s to turn down. They say he’s the guy the ownership group wants. One source even said the 69-year-old would have to bomb his interview with the Sixers owners not to be offered the job.
Now, word is leaking out that Brand is pushing hard for the Sixers to hire D’Antoni and that Embiid gave his blessing. According to multiple sources, Embiid is happy that he’ll face the basket instead of posting up in D’Antoni’s proposed five-out system. D’Antoni’s plan is to move Tobias Harris back to power forward. The Sixers will also make trades if he’s hired, according to reports. The expectation is that he’ll have a say in picking players for his freewheeling style of play.
But what about Lue? Source have said his progress has been different. So far, his candidacy has consisted of just discussions with Brand, according to sources. The GM did not meet with him in person like other candidates in the first round of interviews. Nor has Lue heard from anyone in the ownership group.
Some are more skeptical that the interest is a two-way street. Multiple league sources who spoke with PhillyVoice have questioned whether D'Antoni is genuinely interested in the job or whether it's a leverage play to get a better deal elsewhere. There are other teams, most notably the Pacers and Pelicans, with rosters that better suit his style of basketball.
On Philadelphia's end, the interest appears legitimate. Ownership has long been a fan of D'Antoni dating back to his brief stint as an assistant on Brett Brown's staff.
Kevin O'Connor: Rumblings of Mike D'Antoni going to the Sixers have gotten much louder this past day. Nothing's final, I'm just intrigued since his preferred style isn't a fit for Philly's roster. It'd be weird. Would hiring him be a precursor to changes to modernize the team? MDA does love CP3.
Mike D’Antoni’s next coaching job will likely wind up being with the Indiana Pacers or Philadelphia 76ers, league sources tell BasketballNews.com.
There have been maturity issues involving Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons that have been problematic for that franchise for several seasons, but league sources said that having a new voice leading the locker room – along with a new offensive game-plan emphasizing speed and scoring that presumably would be welcomed by Simmons, Embiid and Tobias Harris – would be part of the appeal in order for Sixers ownership to go hard after D’Antoni.
The Bulls are narrowing to finalists for their head coaching job and expect to conduct final interviews soon, sources said. Denver assistant Wes Unseld Jr., Philadelphia assistant Ime Udoka, Milwaukee assistant Darvin Ham and former Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson are among the coaches who have had strong interviews so far.
Jason Dumas: Source tells me that Mike D’Antoni & Billy Donovan should be in Camden this week to interview with the Sixers for the head coaching job.
Question: Any chance of getting Dawn Staley as the coach? — Deirdre Childress Hopkins from Facebook. Answer: First off, it’s great to hear from you, Deirdre, and thanks for the question. My colleague Marcus Hayes wrote recently that the Sixers should interview Staley because of her accomplishments as a player and a coach. I would hope that if the Sixers interview her that it just wouldn’t be for public relations reasons and that they would truly be considering her. I have been on record saying that I think the Sixers need somebody with NBA head-coaching experience, who can push Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and I still think they will go that way. That doesn’t mean that somebody like Staley wouldn’t work and she would be a fascinating hire. There is always a chance the Sixers could go this route, but I don’t think it will happen.
Even as his Clippers braced to face the Nuggets in the NBA’s Western Conference semifinals beginning Thursday, Rivers sounds like he’s rooting for Lue, and happy his assistant’s name is at the top of the wish lists for the Nets. And 76ers. And whoever else. “He’s been great. He’s been great. I’m glad it is. He deserves it,” Rivers said Wednesday via Zoom. “It’s a joke that he’s not a head coach, but it’s to my advantage that he’s not.”
Jon Johnson: To clarify: there is no done deal with Lue. Apologies to Sixers. More to come.
Jay Wright: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Eg7Q5r3WkAEu-Af.jpg
Dan Gelston: Jay Wright says no thanks to the 76ers : “I am not a candidate for the job. I am very happy and honored to coach at Villanova.”
Keith Pompey: Los Angeles #Lakers assistant coach Jason Kidd wants the 76ers coaching job, according to multiple league sources.
Golden State Warriors associate head coach Mike Brown could be in the mix for the 76ers' head-coaching vacancy. A league source says communications are happening on that front. Will he get an interview? To be determined. The Sixers fired Brett Brown on Monday after seven seasons. The organization is looking for a veteran coach to push All-Stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons.
Los Angeles Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue is a candidate for the Sixers job. Multiple sources have said Lue and the Sixers have mutual interest. Lue would bring an NBA-championship resume (Cavaliers, 2016). He also won consecutive NBA titles as a reserve guard for the Lakers in 2000 and 2001. His second title came against the Sixers.
Lue, of course, has also been mentioned for months as a top candidate in the Nets’ looming coaching search. The latest rumbles in N.B.A. coaching circles suggest that the Nets or the Philadelphia 76ers are more likely landing spots for Lue than New Orleans despite his Griffin ties.
Adrian Wojnarowski: "I think the (coaching) search is going to start with Tyronn Lue, the assistant with the Clippers."
The Sixers plan for a head coach will focus on LA Clippers assistant Ty Lue, sources said. Lue won a championship in 2016 as the Cleveland Cavaliers' head coach, and his ability to challenge and command the respect of high-level players makes him attractive to the Sixers -- and others -- in this job market.
The search is expected to expand beyond those two candidates, but Lue fits the profile of an extremely limited pool of candidates with championship, playoff and high-profile star coaching experience.
Keep an eye on the following potential coaching candidates, according to sources: 76ers assistant Ime Udoka, Clippers assistant Ty Lue, Villanova’s Jay Wright, and former Grizzlies and Kings coach Dave Joerger.
