Why Mike D’Antoni Is Not the Right Choice for the Sixers

As the Sixers continue to look for a replacement for Brett Brown, more potential candidates have been entering and dropping out of the race.

Villanova men’s head basketball coach Jay Wright has dropped out of the race just as former Thunder head coach Billy Donovan and former Rocket’s head coach Mike D’Antoni have been added.

The more alluring name of the two would be D’Antoni based on his playoff pedigree, his resume of coaching star players, and his connection to the 76ers in that he was an assistant coach here during the Brett Brown era.

With that said, is Mike D’Antoni truly the right choice?

Let’s begin with the simple answer, no, he is not.

Mike D’Antoni certainly has coached plenty of star players in his years as an NBA coach. That fact alone, however, cannot be the reason to hire him over some of the other candidates. D’Antoni’s ability to maintain a star player or star players, cannot be the reason the Sixer’s front office hires him.

What the Sixers need is a true, long-term head coach who has been to the NBA Finals and can lead a (mostly) young team there. The Sixers do not need a head coach who could work in the short-term.

Let’s also examine Mike D’Antoni’s most recent head coaching job, to the one required by the Sixers. D’Antoni was the coach of the Houston Rockets just this past season. Any casual NBA fan could put on any Rockets game and see exactly how they play basketball: small ball, lots of three-pointers, and no defense. There is no team in the NBA that is closer to the exact opposite of what the 76ers are than the Houston Rockets.

This 76ers team needs a leader who can instill tough, team defense schematics, as well as a free-flowing offense that could generate multiple looks.

The 76ers do not need to take a million three-point shots a season because they, currently, do not have the players for that type of play-style to be efficient.

This is not meant to be an anti-Mike D’Antoni rant. Mike D’Antoni is a very highly-regarded head coach in the NBA and has stuck around because of it. However, this is an anti-Mike D’Antoni to the 76ers rant. Is it possible that a solid coach like D’Antoni and a solid team like the 76ers could possibly come together to make something greater than the sum of their parts? It is.

Is it also possible that, when looking at both sides, one could see how this is not a great fit? Absolutely.

Do you think Mike D’Antoni should be the next Sixers’ head coach?

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