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It was back in mid-April when the Philadelphia 76ers and head coach Doug Collins parted ways following a season in which the team failed to make the playoffs.
Well, the 76ers have been patient in their search for a new head coach and that’s putting it lightly. Philadelphia has virtually been incomparable to other coaching vacancies thus far, considering not many are aware of who they are exactly targeting. Well, there are a few names and this near-two month delay could have some reasoning behind it.
According to a tweet from ESPN‘s Marc Stein, two assistants may be on the 76ers’ short list:
Some buzz here at Finals that Philly wants to talk to Fizdale when series over. @cagrizblog says Philly also likes Grizzlies’ Dave Joerger
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 7, 2013
The most notable of the two is Miami Heat assistant coach David Fizdale. Could the 76ers be being patient with their search because that’s who they are waiting on? Possibly, the Heat are in the NBA Finals obviously, so Fizdale will be a name that they watch down the stretch here.
Of course a name like Brian Shaw is another one that you could throw into the 76ers’ mix, but at this point it simply appears that other organizations are making harder pushes at Shaw.
Don’t be surprised if Fizdale’s name emerges in Philadelphia following the conclusion of this year’s NBA Finals. It only makes sense considering their patient over the last two months.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
