It’s looking like the Philadelphia 76ers have two finalists for their head coaching vacancy and that list is Mike D’Antoni and Tyronn Lue. Another candidate was Billy Donovan, but he has decided to take the job with the Chicago Bulls.
When it comes to D’Antoni and Lue, they both bring different aspects to the table. D’Antoni brings an up-tempo small-ball style which would be a weird way to play considering the current state of the Sixers roster while Lue is a guy who knows how to handle superstars and knows how to make adjustments on the fly.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski had Bobby Marks on The Woj Pod on Wednesday to discuss the potential fit of D’Antoni with Philadelphia and they certainly have some questions about it.
Marks said:
The fit is interesting, because you’re going from one extreme to the other. You’re going from Houston where you had Robert Covington as your center and P.J. Tucker as your 4 in a small-ball lineup to the traditional 90’s basketball with Embiid and Horford and Tobias Harris certainly with Ben Simmons there. I don’t know how that fits there. Some of those pieces are not going to be essily moved out. It’s not like you can move Al Horford or Tobias Harris and get a 6-foot-8 wing. That’s not happening, but from a credibility standpoint, he has been there. There is a familiarity with that ownership group, with some of those pieces on that team, from an experience standpoint, that works. As we’ve said, this roster when you look at the Eastern Conference with Milwaukee, Toronto Boston, Philly, Brookyln, we can probably say Philly is 6th in pecking order potentially there. It’s almost like Mike is going to have to change to fit what he would be inheriting there.
Former Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni and Clippers assistant coach Tyronn Lue remain top candidates for Philadelphia's coaching job, league sources say, after a third leading candidate — former Thunder coach Billy Donovan — took the Chicago job
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) September 23, 2020
A guy like D’Antoni has had a lot of success in the NBA, but not necessarily with a roster such as this one. The Sixers are an awkward and clumsy fit for the way basketball is played in 2020, but if D’Antoni would be hired, maybe he can find a way to enhance this roster. There is a lot of talent, it’s just really big for this era of basketball. [lawrence-related id=37758,37703,37629]