In an interview with Mark Jackson, former NBA star and current Boston Celtics assistant coach Sam Cassell weighed in: “In my opinion, it’s between LeBron and MJ. I played against both. It ain’t hard for me at all; Michael Jordan in my aspect.”

Cassell, however, was quick to clarify that his stance is not meant as a slight to James. “That’s no knock on LeBron. I don’t think we’ll ever see a Michael Jordan-caliber ball player ever… I don’t think we’re gonna see another LeBron James either.”

When asked to elaborate on why Jordan stands above the rest, Sam highlighted what made MJ truly special: “What I’m saying is… the hardest thing in our league is score, and the thing I tell our young guys around here, how he scored, he scored so easily at times,” Cassell explained. “That’s what separated him, in my opinion, more than anybody in our league; he didn’t exercise a lot of dribbles, he didn’t.“

Cassell’s perspective carries weight

Sam Cassell’s authority on this topic is rooted in his personal experience. He had the opportunity to face both Jordan and LeBron during his playing career. As a youngster with the Houston Rockets, Cassell won back-to-back NBA titles while Jordan was temporarily retired from the league. Later, with the New Jersey Nets, Cassell experienced firsthand how dominant Jordan’s Chicago Bulls were when his team was swept by them in the 1997-98 season.

Toward the end of his career, Sam crossed paths with a young LeBron James, who was already making waves with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2008, Cassell and the Boston Celtics knocked out LeBron’s Cavs in a grueling seven-game series en route to his third and final NBA title.

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 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 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 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.