For the fourth time in the past five years — and the third year in a row — the Philadelphia 76ers lost in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Not even reigning MVP Joel Embiid was enough to get them over the hump.
Unsurprisingly, that was the end of Doc Rivers’ tenure in charge of the team. His teams have underperformed way too many times, and it became evident that he had already maxed out with this organization.
So, now that the Sixers are back in the market for a new coach, there should be plenty of options and candidates looking to draw Xs and Os for Embiid and James Harden. Here, we’ll take a look at three that make sense.
NBA Rumors: 3 Potential Coaches For The Philadelphia 76ers
3. Mike Budenholzer
Mike Budenholzer — Getty Images
Mike Budenholzer immediately became one of the prime coach candidates available. He’s a championship-winning coach with a strong pedigree around the league, and his regular-season résumé pretty much speaks for itself.
On the downside, Coach Bud has been outcoached in the playoffs way too many times already. He’s elite at developing a defensive identity and an unselfish offense, but he’s not much of an improvement when it comes to making in-series adjustments.
2. Sam Cassell
Sam Cassell — Getty Images
Sam Cassell has been waiting for his turn to take the reins for quite a while now. He’s been an assistant coach for the past 14 years, and he’s been a top assistant in the organization for three years straight.
Cassell could give them a sense of continuity while also shaking things up a little, and sometimes that’s all it takes for a team to get over the hump. Of course, he doesn’t have any experience as the main guy, but he’s earned his stripes already.
1. Mike D’Antoni
Mike D’Antoni — Getty Images
Mike D’Antoni had the best version of James Harden and made him even better. He turned him into the elite playmaker he is nowadays, and he would be a no-brainer choice if they intend to keep Harden around for at least another season.
D’Antoni is one of the best offensive minds in the game. He’s a proven, bonafide coach, which is more than we can say about most of the guys that are still available at this point in the year. It’s a bit of a gamble but one that could pay off immediately.
