Philadelphia 76ers Brain Trust
By Bret Stuter
Mike D’Antoni
Brett Brown is to Sam Hinkie as Mike D’Antoni is to Jerry Colangelo. Mike D’Antoni is an offensively minded NBA coach who was on the rebound after a rather disappointing time as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He is also credited with the call for Ish Smith to join the Sixers. In any case, the fact that you are not seeing Mike D’Antoni in the headlines more is a good sign.
He appears to be content.
His impact is the offensive side of the ball, and his strategy there was already on display. He is the king of the fast break, of ball movement, of attacking the basketball court from many angles. When he arrived, the Philadelphia 76ers offense had plummeted to a league worst 91.1 points per game. The Philadelpia 76ers now stand at 95.1 points per game, and are rapidly improving – averaging 98.8 in the last ten games.
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The challenge with the rapid turnaround is the fact that other NBA teams will jettison their coaches and take a run at D’Antoni, based on his current impact with these Sixers. But the bond of Colangelo and D’Antoni may be made of stronger stuff. To secure a long term from D’Antoni, the team may give some audience to D’Antoni’s wish list of players. What might that list include?
He loves ball control, players who can pass and move quickly. He loves athletic players. In fact, his ideal player types are already slotted to arrive in the form of Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. For now, few microphones point at D’Antoni for his thoughts regarding the direction and upside of the Philadelphia 76ers. But it may be that direction and upside that ultimately gives him reason to remain with the team.
From so low to so high is an experience few are blessed with in this lifetime. It may very well be that he wants to be part of history in the making. In the end, it may be that this is the loudest statement any of the four basketball minds can make.
Stay and see.