Potential Philadelphia 76ers Assistant Coach Candidates

With the departure of Mike D’Antoni and no Potential Philadelphia 76ers Assistant Coach Candidates, We’ve compiled a list of candidates to aid Brett Brown

Off they go!

The Philadelphia 76ers haven’t even gotten started yet and the coaching staff has already gotten weaker by attrition, as assistant head coach Mike D’Antoni has gone on to accept a head coaching position with the Houston Rockets.

What that means to the Philadelphia 76ers is that the team is back to relying far too heavily upon head coach Brett Brown to fill far too many integral roles with the young and developing team.  It also means that the Philadelphia 76ers will need to compete with other teams for the services of an assistant head coach while other basketball coaching staffs are being assembled.

So we will likely be crossing those two names off the list for the possibility of being hired as the assistant coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.  Another name that was mentioned almost immediately was that of long time friend and associate of Brown, P.J. Carlesimo.   But unfortunately, Josh Wilson shared the disappointing news that he would not be joining the Philadelphia 76ers at this time.   So, that means the assistant coaching role lies vacant, but not for long.

To keep the team moving forward, we’ve accumulated a set of names who would surely be willing to help the Philadelphia 76ers build a championship.  Let’s go down our list:

Next: Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell

Sam Mitchell is linked to Bryan Colangelo and the Toronto Raptors, the head coach who literally directed the team’s remarkable come from nowhere to win their conference with a 47-35 record. Mitchell has been filling coaching positions since 2002, when he began his coaching career with the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach. He was named the NBA Coach of the year on April 24, 2007 for his amazing hand at delivering the Atlanta Conference with the Toronto Raptors with a 47-35 season paired with then general manager Bryan Colangelo.

Mitchell was just relieved of coaching duties of the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he was serving in an interim capacity while head coach Flip Saunders had to take a leave of absence to battle Hodgekin’s disease, a battle Saunders would lose at the age of 60.

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Mitchell would be a strong candidate. His success in the NBA, particularly with young players and building turn around results, would be a tremendous aid to head coach Brett Brown in the upcoming season. He also has history with Bryan Colangelo, history that is both very positive in the year the Raptors won the conference, to very strained when he was fired in the 2008 season when the team fell to just 8-9.

His most recent role as interim head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves did not end well, as the Wolves failed to achieve .500 and ended the season at 29-53.  But the Timberwolves are a vey young team, and the similarities to their roster and what the 76ers will be looking at this season make his candidacy very intriguing.

Next: Sam Mitchell's Interview

Sam Mitchell’s interview

Mitchell is freshly released from the interim role with the Minnesota Timberwolves, a young team with some major attributes whose pieces are very similar to those of the Philadelphia 76ers this season.

Just see what he says about assistant coaching in this interview with the Minnesota Post’s Britt Robinson and you see that he is a talented coach with pretty good ideas of the way to succeed:

"MP: How much of your independent stuff could you put in before the season started? SM: So when that (the date of the head coach’s return) is in your mind, the tough thing is, you start off on the basis of defense because that was just the easiest thing to do. You are stuck by what you implement. When you are an assistant coach — at least my approach to being an assistant coach — I don’t walk in with an agenda. That ain’t my job. My job is to walk in with an open mind and open ears and when coach says, “OK, this is what I want to do defensively, this is what I want to do offensively,” look at those things he wants to do and help him tweak it to fit our team. You don’t come in and do it with your own plays and your own defensive principles. You don’t even think about that. And so when I came in, all I was thinking about was, “OK, since we were so bad defensively last year, let’s just focus on the things we can try to change immediately.” So we put whole-heartedly into the defense. We were trying to get that better because coach (the late Flip Saunders) runs a lot of stuff [on offense] that he likes to run. I ran some of his stuff, a couple of his sets in Toronto, but I ran a more wide-open game as far as pick and roll, because I had shooters. You know, I had Bargnani, Kapono, Parker, Bosh, Calderon — I had shooters. Matt Barnes. What’s the guy from UConn who could shoot? Donyell Marshall. So I had shooters, bigs and littles. So we opened a lot of the game up with pick-and-rolls and pass-and-cut and shot a lot of threes. But you know coach runs a lot of sets. MP: Plus there is less of a variation on how coaches coach defense than offense, isn’t there? SM: No, everybody has different principles. Everybody has a different way of doing things. We did things in Toronto based on our size and lack of athleticism. We trapped and made people keep the ball. Our whole thing was we didn’t let you put us in rotation — we didn’t want to be chasing that ball. Because against good teams, you can’t outrun the basketball. The toughest thing for me this year is that with our personnel, because we’re young and we don’t have shooters — or these guys haven’t developed into good shooters yet — is what can we run? I am constantly tweaking our offense, trying to figure out what can we do to get more scoring. The toughest thing is that our best defensive team is not very good at scoring. But our guys that can score a little bit better — but are not world-beaters at scoring — they make a lot of mistakes defensively. So if you look at the games that we’ve won and games where we’ve been close, it has been our defense that has done it. So when you look at it, what is going to give you a better chance to win? Obviously we need to get better offensively and try to open things up and get a little more flow and try to get some easy baskets. But at the end of the day, our inability, our not being able to shoot three-ball, is really tough because everybody just packs the paint. Everybody just sits on the elbows and the boxes and they take away our penetration. And they make us shoot jump shots. Which is tough on us. That’s why our guys, we have to understand that we’ve got to be able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets. But the tough thing is — some teams like Sacramento, they leak guys out. But they’ve got DeMarcus Cousins down there, getting all the rebounds. When we start trying to leak guys out, then we don’t rebound."

The past experiences would be a nice blend to the skill-sets of head coach Brett Brown.  If Brown is truly “the man”, Mitchell would be wonderful extension of Brown’s leadership – taking the burden of mentoring and developing players and plays and allowing Brown to step into the game management side more effectively.

Next: Jeff Van Gundy

Jeff Van Gundy

Jeff Van Gundy is one of the names in the running for the head coaching position of the Houston Rockets.   With the news that Mike D’Antoni is in with Houston, there is a sense that Gundy  may be interested in getting back into the “NBA groove” and the assistant coaching role with the Philadelphia 76ers would be the perfect opportunity to allow him to do so.

Gundy is a controversial NBA coaching figure – you either love him or you want no part of him.  As a long time head coach, his record ran 430 wins and 318 losses and his team only missed the play-offs in two of the eleven seasons he coached – in 2001-2002 with the New York Knicks where he resigned after a 9-10 start and in the 2005-2006 season where he coached the Houston Rockets to a 34-48 season.  Gundy was also a name tossed around in the vacant head coaching position with the Minnesota Timberwolves as well.

The reason so many run from the man is the controversial past. In May 2005, Van Gundy was fined $100,000 by the NBA for accusing referees of targeting Houston Rockets center Yao Ming. Van Gundy blamed Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for causing the referees’ alleged bias. It was the largest fine handed down to a coach in NBA history and was a major embarrassment to the NBA. Two years later, on May 18, 2007, he was fired from the Houston Rocket’s head coaching position after the team’s game seven, first-round playoff loss to the Utah Jazz. He has not coached since, but has been actively engaged in the NBA as a television commentator.

Gundy has been tied to virtually every head coaching position since leaving the Rocket’s position, but invariably teams turn to other candidates.  His association with the Philadelphia 76ers would place him back into the plus side of head coaching opportunities going forward.

Gundy coached center Yao Ming at Houston, and the Philadelphia 76ers are introducing Joel Embiid to the NBA this season.  That alone is enough of a reason to consider Gundy.  Well that, and his 9 out of 11 play off appearances.

Next: Chris Finch

Chris Finch

Chris Finch is currently the assistant head coach of the Houston Rockets, but for how long is anybody’s guess.  Now that the Rocket’s have hired former 76ers assistant head coach Mike D’Antoni as their new head coach, the team will likely be making wholesale changes to the entire staff.

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That places Finch on the unemployment line.   Finch was linked to the Philadelphia 76ers head coaching job back in 2013, and eventually lost out to the Sixers current coach Brett Brown.  But now that he will most certainly be out of work, he would make another curious combination with Brown going forward.

Finch is an offensively oriented coach, which would be the perfect balance to Brett Brown’s defensively minded bias.  He’s also hails from Reading, Pennsylvania, which makes his potential relocation back to his roots a positive.  He has had international exposure as both a player and a coach. Along with coaching some Euro teams, he oversaw the men’s basketball British national team. Finch’s coaching experience in the US includes a successful stint with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who won a NBA D-League championship under him in 2010.  His most recent run which is likely coming to an end is his tenure of assistant head coach with the Houston Rockets, where he has assisted since 2011.

Next: Chris Finch Interview

Chris Finch Interview

Here are his thoughts about coaching from the Houston Rockets NBA website:

"CF: So what can you apply from what you learned from that experience to where you are right now at the start of training camp? CF: That’s a great question. What you see there is a total dedication to everyone’s craft. Being among all those athletes, you see them getting up early every day, training, eating right, totally dedicated to their moment. And some of those people, their moment comes and goes so quickly: You have a qualification round, and they have to either qualify or they’re done, so four years of hard work can be gone in an instant. Everyone is just laser focused, ready, and all their energy is going to that single moment. Then after they’ve had their chance or success they relax and party (laughs). But it’s all business before that and it’s just an incredibly pure environment from a preparation, readiness and excitement standpoint, and that’s what training camp should be. This is our pure environment and this is where we get to mold and prepare and get ready for the season and figure out who we are. Now Olympic athletes, they know who they are – they just have to do it. But this is our time: We’re away from Houston and all our energy should be going into preparing our team and our players should be preparing themselves for a great season. JCF: I know you believe in freedom on offense and virtually no freedom on defense. What do you want to define this team offensively? CF: I want us to always be on the attack. I want us to look and feel like a herd of horses coming down the floor every single time. I want us to really, first and foremost, put the defense under pressure every way possible and I want to see us share the ball. We want to run and keep the tempo high, but to do that we have to value the right shots and we have to do it unselfishly. JCF: And what are your defensive goals? CF: We need a total dedication to keeping the ball out of the paint; helping each other and making a wall of defenders anytime the ball gets near the paint and then challenging from there out. We really feel like if we do those two things – play with some tempo, space and freedom on offense, and we play with some physicality and sell-out to protect the paint on defense – then we can really take a step forward even from where we were last year. With a younger team, with a less experienced team, those will be challenges but it won’t keep us from making the improvements that we want to make as a team."

While Finch would be a very nice blend, we have more to go.

Next: George Karl

George Karl

Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. Or is it the enemy of my enemy is my ally?  In any case the Sacramento Kings parted way with the ineffective but always outspoken George Karl this off-season.   Karl, as you may recall, was very outspoken about the strategy of former president Sam Hinkie while his own team was struggling.

But Hinkie is no longer in Philadelphia, and George Karl is no longer in Sacramento.  Is this destiny?

Sir Charles In Charge

It could be. Karl is another assistant coaching prospect with nearby roots, originally from Penn Hills Pennsylvania. His coaching record, amassed over a span of 27 years of NBA experience, is 1175 wins to 824 losses. His playoff record is 80 wins to 105 losses. To take this team to the next level, Karl’s name should certainly be considered.

Karl is a passionate coach, and demands 100% from his players.  That has gotten him at odds with star caliber players who do not play up to their potential on all plays.  Karl hammers repeatedly the need to play at a fast basketball pace and wants his players to constantly push the pace and attack the rim with the dribble, while also moving the ball as rapidly as possible. A lot of players would say that’s how they like to play, but it takes excellent conditioning and tons of work to actually pull it off possession after possession.

Karl earned the nickname “Furious George,” which says it all,  and he will use the media to call out players he feels are not giving full effort.  “Respect the game” is one of his favorite phrases.  His style would be a perfect “bad cop” to the “good cop” demeanor of Brett Brown, and the blend could be incredibly effective, particularly in a city of Philadelphia which already sets a high bar for player effort.  Would Karl consider an assistant position at this stage of his career?  Perhaps not, but he would be the type of assistant that the Colangelo family would like to be in place to ensure progress of the team occurs at their already stated rapid pace.

Next: David Blatt

David Blatt

The final name I propose for consideration is that of David Blatt, former head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers whose 1.5 years as head coach was brief, but incredibly successful.  As a rookie head coach, he managed to lead the star studded Cavaliers to the NBA championship, where they fell to the Golden State Warriors 4-2.  In his second season leading the team at 30 wins and 11 losses, he was fired.

General Manager David Griffin tried to explain away the dismissal as some sort of “disconnect in the locker room” and that he was putting the ship back to the surface before anyone drowned, but the reality is that Blatt never won over LeBron James.

Thankfully for both David Blatt and the Philadelphia 76ers, there is no such player with hire/fire coaching power on the Philadelphia 76ers. Also another plus, Blatt wants back in the race as quickly as possible:

"“I don’t see myself not being a head coach somewhere but you never know,” he said. In 23 years as a coach, Blatt has never taken a full season off. I’m going to coach next year. I’m not going to sit out. It’s not in my nature. I want to work,” he said. “I’ll be back somewhere. Could be anywhere.” – David Blatt"

Blatt would be an incredible coup for the Sixers coaching staff, as his offense orientation and international experience would both be huge to the team going forward.  His is the offensive mind which is truly what this 76ers team would thrive under.  This is footage from his tenure of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Blatt’s offense, a version of the famous Princeton offense, and his version was remarkably effective.  His team, the Tel Aviv Maccabi Electra was very effective and you can see the full offense impact in this video against the Madrid team.  It’s a long video, two hours, but oh so worth watching.

Unfortunately, the Sixers inaction has cost them the opportunity to add Blatt to their coaching staff:

The potential of Blatt overseeing an offense with Saric Simmon Embiid Covington and Okafor would have been so ideal for this team.   Toss in a veteran wing with accurate treys, and this ho hum hiring would become an immediate headliner. Now, that will not be the case.

Next: Poll: Simmons Gaining Popularity

Right now, the Philadelphia 76ers Assistant Coach candidates  need to be identified quickly for the benefit of  head coach Brett Brown.  Thereforee, if the team truly is seeking to fast track improvement, there are a number highly qualified candidates to choose from.  The Sixers need to act fast, as we don’t want to allow Brett Brown to assume the full burden of this team to begin another season.