76ers Could Fire Brett Brown, Elevate Mike D'Antoni

[RealGM Wiretap]

If Mike D'Antoni receives an offer to become head coach from another team, the Philadelphia 76ers may be tempted to fire Brett Brown to keep him.

D'Antoni was hired mid-season as an assistant coach.

Bryan Colangelo has become general manager of the 76ers and hired D'Antoni with the Phoenix Suns.

During the season with the 76ers struggling, Brown received an extension.

The Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards are two teams who figure to pursue D'Antoni.

Via Ken Berger/CBS Sports

[Future Coach]

If the Wizards are serious about playing at a faster pace and shooting more from the outside, like they forced Randy Wittman to fail at trying, they might as well make an offer to Pringles.

[Rasto]

Oh my god, please don't. Mike D'Antoni would be horrible for the Sixers.

..If not for Steve Nash, I doubt anyone would actually be interested in hiring MD.

[The_Hater]

If anyone knows how BC operates, he's going to keep Brown around for 1.5-2 years and then fire him. He always wants to have a scapegoat coach handy and if he fires Brown before he starts, that will count as one scapegoat before he even gets started. He tried to fire Casey in Toronto as his 3rd scapegoat in his tenure, that was vetoed and he was subsequently let go a few months later.

[The_Hater]

Oh my god, please don't. Mike D'Antoni would be horrible for the Sixers.

..If not for Steve Nash, I doubt anyone would actually be interested in hiring MD.

You do realize that most of the modern NBA offenses, including those used in Golden State and San Antonio, are all hybrids off the system D'Antoni first introduced in Phoenix? In other words D'Antoni is the architect of the modern NBA offense. Popovich and other coaches give him credit for this all the time. I just don't get why fans think he's a bad coach with this and the success he's had with in on his resume?

As it is, D'Antoni is already in Philly as an assistant coach. So if you think he would be horrible for the Sixers then he's already spreading his disease around the organization right now.

[Rasto]

Oh my god, please don't. Mike D'Antoni would be horrible for the Sixers.

..If not for Steve Nash, I doubt anyone would actually be interested in hiring MD.

You do realize that most of the modern NBA offenses, including those used in Golden State and San Antonio, are all hybrids off the system D'Antoni first introduced in Phoenix? In other words D'Antoni is the architect of the modern NBA offense. Popovich and other coaches give him credit for this all the time. I just don't get why fans think he's a bad coach with this and the success he's had with in on his resume?

As it is, D'Antoni is already in Philly as an assistant coach. So if you think he would be horrible for the Sixers then he's already spreading his disease around the organization right now.

There is a big difference between having someone on as an assistant coach or a head coach.
Besides, D'Antoni's coaching stints since Phoenix implies that he isn't very good at running any system that doesn't employ several shooters and playmakers. That is understandable, it is great having many shooters and playmakers. But Philly has neither. They need a coach who can develop the young players, and I don't think D'Antoni is good at coaching anything but variants of the ssol-offense.

Both in New York and LA, he looked weak and overwhelmed. Never seemed to truly have the respect of his players.

[Att]

I wonder if this report is coming from the 76ers offices. It's very Colangelo of them to prepare the audience for such a move. Anyway, BB is a goner is Philly. It's just a matter of time.

[The_Hater]

Oh my god, please don't. Mike D'Antoni would be horrible for the Sixers.

..If not for Steve Nash, I doubt anyone would actually be interested in hiring MD.

You do realize that most of the modern NBA offenses, including those used in Golden State and San Antonio, are all hybrids off the system D'Antoni first introduced in Phoenix? In other words D'Antoni is the architect of the modern NBA offense. Popovich and other coaches give him credit for this all the time. I just don't get why fans think he's a bad coach with this and the success he's had with in on his resume?

As it is, D'Antoni is already in Philly as an assistant coach. So if you think he would be horrible for the Sixers then he's already spreading his disease around the organization right now.

There is a big difference between having someone on as an assistant coach or a head coach.
Besides, D'Antoni's coaching stints since Phoenix implies that he isn't very good at running any system that doesn't employ several shooters and playmakers. That is understandable, it is great having many shooters and playmakers. But Philly has neither. They need a coach who can develop the young players, and I don't think D'Antoni is good at coaching anything but variants of the ssol-offense.

Both in New York and LA, he looked weak and overwhelmed. Never seemed to truly have the respect of his players.

All offenses work better with more shooters and playmakers. Why? Because D'Antoni was the one that started the pace and space era.

Either way, the roster you see today in Philly will almost certainly be very different next season. There might be as few as 3-4 players from this years roster returning. Neither you nor I know exactly what players he'll be coaching but it stands to reason that if they hire D'Antoni to coach, they would find players that fit his system.

As it is, Philly has tried to play a similar type of system the past 3 years when they've been among the league leaders in pace every season, the problem is they were playing with too many d-league players to be successful. If you're playing with a d-league roster, Brent Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich. It wouldn't matter, that would still be a very bad team.

[Chuck Everett]

Firing the coach is stupid until the organization puts more than 2-3 good NBA players on the floor. Time to start using those picks on guys who will at least be able to play as rookies.

[Rasto]

You do realize that most of the modern NBA offenses, including those used in Golden State and San Antonio, are all hybrids off the system D'Antoni first introduced in Phoenix? In other words D'Antoni is the architect of the modern NBA offense. Popovich and other coaches give him credit for this all the time. I just don't get why fans think he's a bad coach with this and the success he's had with in on his resume?

As it is, D'Antoni is already in Philly as an assistant coach. So if you think he would be horrible for the Sixers then he's already spreading his disease around the organization right now.

There is a big difference between having someone on as an assistant coach or a head coach.
Besides, D'Antoni's coaching stints since Phoenix implies that he isn't very good at running any system that doesn't employ several shooters and playmakers. That is understandable, it is great having many shooters and playmakers. But Philly has neither. They need a coach who can develop the young players, and I don't think D'Antoni is good at coaching anything but variants of the ssol-offense.

Both in New York and LA, he looked weak and overwhelmed. Never seemed to truly have the respect of his players.

All offenses work better with more shooters and playmakers. Why? Because D'Antoni was the one that started the pace and space era.

Either way, the roster you see today in Philly will almost certainly be very different next season. There might be as few as 3-4 players from this years roster returning. Neither you nor I know exactly what players he'll be coaching but it stands to reason that if they hire D'Antoni to coach, they would find players that fit his system.

As it is, Philly has tried to play a similar type of system the past 3 years when they've been among the league leaders in pace every season, the problem is they were playing with too many d-league players to be successful. If you're playing with a d-league roster, Brent Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich. It wouldn't matter, that would still be a very bad team.

Well I'm not going to disagree with any of those points, but I've never seen anything from D'Antoni that makes me consider him a good coach for developing players. My point was that D'Antoni works well with one certain kind of roster, and Philly is not close to that kind of roster. I know they have an abundance of draftpicks, but I am worried, because of the track record of BC, JC and D'Antoni, that they will start dealing too many picks for so-so players with low ceilings.
They should probably bundle some of the picks and a big man in trades, but I preferred Hinkie and Brown being the architects (now I'm hoping for JC and Brown).

[The_Hater]

There is a big difference between having someone on as an assistant coach or a head coach.
Besides, D'Antoni's coaching stints since Phoenix implies that he isn't very good at running any system that doesn't employ several shooters and playmakers. That is understandable, it is great having many shooters and playmakers. But Philly has neither. They need a coach who can develop the young players, and I don't think D'Antoni is good at coaching anything but variants of the ssol-offense.

Both in New York and LA, he looked weak and overwhelmed. Never seemed to truly have the respect of his players.

All offenses work better with more shooters and playmakers. Why? Because D'Antoni was the one that started the pace and space era.

Either way, the roster you see today in Philly will almost certainly be very different next season. There might be as few as 3-4 players from this years roster returning. Neither you nor I know exactly what players he'll be coaching but it stands to reason that if they hire D'Antoni to coach, they would find players that fit his system.

As it is, Philly has tried to play a similar type of system the past 3 years when they've been among the league leaders in pace every season, the problem is they were playing with too many d-league players to be successful. If you're playing with a d-league roster, Brent Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich. It wouldn't matter, that would still be a very bad team.

Well I'm not going to disagree with any of those points, but I've never seen anything from D'Antoni that makes me consider him a good coach for developing players. My point was that D'Antoni works well with one certain kind of roster, and Philly is not close to that kind of roster. I know they have an abundance of draftpicks, but I am worried, because of the track record of BC, JC and D'Antoni, that they will start dealing too many picks for so-so players with low ceilings.
They should probably bundle some of the picks and a big man in trades, but I preferred Hinkie and Brown being the architects (now I'm hoping for JC and Brown).

He has been given a rebuilding situation full of young players once, with the Knicks, and he created an overachieving team. David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson and Gallianri all improved. Chris Duhon overachieved and Landry Fields had is one shockingly good, rookie season under MDA. Heck if we go back to Phoenix he was molding a young Stoudemire and Marion and was responsible for showing everyone what a young Boris Diaw can do as a PF/C. Atlanta had been playing him on the wing prior to that.

I think it's dangerous to paint anyone with a single brush and in this case I don't thing the evidence agrees with your conclusion.

[Rasto]

All offenses work better with more shooters and playmakers. Why? Because D'Antoni was the one that started the pace and space era.

Either way, the roster you see today in Philly will almost certainly be very different next season. There might be as few as 3-4 players from this years roster returning. Neither you nor I know exactly what players he'll be coaching but it stands to reason that if they hire D'Antoni to coach, they would find players that fit his system.

As it is, Philly has tried to play a similar type of system the past 3 years when they've been among the league leaders in pace every season, the problem is they were playing with too many d-league players to be successful. If you're playing with a d-league roster, Brent Brown, Mike D'Antoni, Phil Jackson, Greg Popovich. It wouldn't matter, that would still be a very bad team.

Well I'm not going to disagree with any of those points, but I've never seen anything from D'Antoni that makes me consider him a good coach for developing players. My point was that D'Antoni works well with one certain kind of roster, and Philly is not close to that kind of roster. I know they have an abundance of draftpicks, but I am worried, because of the track record of BC, JC and D'Antoni, that they will start dealing too many picks for so-so players with low ceilings.
They should probably bundle some of the picks and a big man in trades, but I preferred Hinkie and Brown being the architects (now I'm hoping for JC and Brown).

He has been given a rebuilding situation full of young players once, with the Knicks, and he created an overachieving team. David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson and Gallianri all improved. Chris Duhon overachieved and Landry Fields had is one shockingly good, rookie season under MDA. Heck if we go back to Phoenix he was molding a young Stoudemire and Marion and was responsible for showing everyone what a young Boris Diaw can do as a PF/C. Atlanta had been playing him on the wing prior to that.

I think it's dangerous to paint anyone with a single brush and in this case I don't thing the evidence agrees with your conclusion.

Hmm.. I know this is not how arguing on the Internet is supposed to work, but I kind of see your point. I'd still prefer Brett Brown, but you do have a point concerning D'Antoni. They'll need a very good defensive minded assistant coach, but a lot coaches come with such caveats.

[The_Hater]

Well I'm not going to disagree with any of those points, but I've never seen anything from D'Antoni that makes me consider him a good coach for developing players. My point was that D'Antoni works well with one certain kind of roster, and Philly is not close to that kind of roster. I know they have an abundance of draftpicks, but I am worried, because of the track record of BC, JC and D'Antoni, that they will start dealing too many picks for so-so players with low ceilings.
They should probably bundle some of the picks and a big man in trades, but I preferred Hinkie and Brown being the architects (now I'm hoping for JC and Brown).

He has been given a rebuilding situation full of young players once, with the Knicks, and he created an overachieving team. David Lee, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson and Gallianri all improved. Chris Duhon overachieved and Landry Fields had is one shockingly good, rookie season under MDA. Heck if we go back to Phoenix he was molding a young Stoudemire and Marion and was responsible for showing everyone what a young Boris Diaw can do as a PF/C. Atlanta had been playing him on the wing prior to that.

I think it's dangerous to paint anyone with a single brush and in this case I don't thing the evidence agrees with your conclusion.

Hmm.. I know this is not how arguing on the Internet is supposed to work, but I kind of see your point. I'd still prefer Brett Brown, but you do have a point concerning D'Antoni. They'll need a very good defensive minded assistant coach, but a lot coaches come with such caveats.

Just so you know, I prefer Brown too. I think he's an excellent coach caught in an impossible situation. Just keeping the Sixers out of the league cellar for 2 of the past 3 seasons was incredible.

I only defend MDA because he seems to take a lot of flak for a guy who had enormous success with the Suns and revolutionized the game overall. Thibs created the the same revolution for NBA defenses as MDA did for offenses and everyone thinks he's a genius.