Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: Looking at 5 possible head coaching candidates

By Sam Wagman

CINCINNATI, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats is seen after the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on February 22, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OH - FEBRUARY 22: Head coach Jay Wright of the Villanova Wildcats is seen after the game against the Xavier Musketeers at Cintas Center on February 22, 2020 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 23: Assistant coach Ime Udoka of the San Antonio Spurs talks to Jakob Poeltl #25 during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 23: Assistant coach Ime Udoka of the San Antonio Spurs talks to Jakob Poeltl #25 during the game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on November 23, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Ime Udoka, Sixers Assistant Coach

It is definitely a possibility that the replacement for Brett Brown could come from inside the building. Udoka hails from the same coaching tree as Brown did, of Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs, and recently came over to the Sixers organization a little over a year ago.

With Udoka, the team’s top assistant and defensive coordinator this past season, the Sixers would essentially be betting on Udoka to be the next Nick Nurse, who took over the Toronto Raptors from the fired Dwayne Casey and promptly went on to coach them to a title in his second season (while beating the Sixers on the heartbreaking buzzer beater, by the way) with Kawhi Leonard leading the way. Even without Kawhi this season, Nurse has admirably led the Raptors to being a top 5 NBA team.

The argument against Udoka is simple: he has no head coaching experience. It would seem a little risky to go and hire him knowing this fact when the team is in a prime championship window, one that is rapidly shortening. The team may also want to move on from the memory of Brett Brown, and this would go against that by hiring his direct disciple.