Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Something is happening with the Philadelphia 76ers and the logical conclusion is that the NBA is behind some recent big changes.
Adding Mike D’Antoni as an assistant to head coach Brett Brown is a pretty strong piece of evidence to support that. Even though Brown said all of the right things about D’Antoni on Friday, the facts are there is no history between the two men and NBA head coaches usually add assistants who are friends or are someone they have worked with in the past.
D’Antoni is now associate head coach and the implication is that the NBA put him there to keep an eye on things. The league is unhappy with the Sixers’ constant trend of tanking and, though that may be hard to change, the message has been sent. Add D’Antoni into a new mix that includes hiring Jerry Colangelo as chairman of basketball operations means a new direction might be in store for the team.
Gone could be the days when the team continually trades immediate draft choices for assets in later years and arriving could be the days when the Sixers actually use those picks to help them become immediately competitive. It’s about time because the franchise has become an embarrassment to the league and the city.
If current GM Sam Hinkie does not like the new direction, Colangelo could slide right in as GM and, if Brown objects, D’Antoni is available. D’Antoni coached the Phoenix Suns from 2003-2008 under Colangelo. He compiled a 253-156 record with the Suns. After missing the playoffs in his first season, Phoenix made the playoffs the next four seasons under D’Antoni.
Something is up with the Sixers and there will be changes, whether they like it or not.
