Philadelphia 76ers: Please just pick a head coach already

Can the Philadelphia 76ers just pick someone already?

For the longest time, it felt like the Philadelphia 76ers‘ head coaching job was vacant in name only.

For what feels like a year – aka a month in 2020 time – Tyronn Lue, the Lakers guard-turned-NBA championship-winning head coach, felt like the odds on favorite to win the Sixers’ spot once the Los Angeles Clippers’ season came to an end – either by a mid-round playoff exit or as the 74th champions in NBA history.

But then… nothing.

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The Clippers were officially released from the NBA bubble by the Nuggets in a gentleman’s sweep on September 15th, and per Keith Pompey, the Sixers did show interest in LeBron James’ handpicked replacement for David Blatt, but the two parties remained notably non-committal, with other teams like the Pelicans also in on the Cavs’ former clipboard holder.

Maybe this was because the 76ers front office, which remains starkly similar to the unit that ended the season a month prior, had other head coaches they wanted to pursue, but for a time, the interest between the two parties felt oddly one-sided.

Maybe that’s because the Sixers really wanted to hire their former assistant head coach, Mike D’Antoni.

While many have suggested that D’Antoni is an odd fit on a team loaded up with bloated contracts paid out to supersized human beings, if Joel Embiid is intrigued by a five-out scheme that allows him to take more spot-up shots facing the basket, who am I to argue with Arthur’s dad? D’Atoni actually has a pretty interesting history with centers and could surely craft something cool if he can find the right pick and roll partner for Embiid.

Welp, that’s it, right? Fans, commentators, and writers can finally start to evaluate the team’s talent based on D’Antoni’s expansive schematic history and create some much-appreciated content to get fans ready for the 2020 NBA Draft and free agency, right?

*sigh* nope.

In a move that very few people saw coming, the Clippers struck again, firing recently-extended head coach Doc Rivers after his team’s early out in the postseason. That’s right, the move that freed up Lue to sign with Philly now may ironically enough be the thing that reunites him with LeBron James in Los Angeles – albeit in the Staple Center’s other locker room. Had the Sixers been sold on Lue, this could spell disaster to the team’s future plans, but apparently, the good Doc has suddenly emerged as the new, new, new favorite in the clubhouse, with his interview already on the books and the final of the team’s current slate.

Which of the three is the best fit in South Philly? Debatable. If you like offense, D’Antoni is great, if you’d prefer a veteran to hold the players accountable. Rivers has 900 wins and counting and made a massive impression on the basketball world with his strong words on racial equality after George Floyd’s death. In a way, Lue is a little bit of both and could provide a younger, more personable approach to the locker room than Brett Brown brought to the table over the last half-decade.

But for the love of gosh, can they please, please just pick someone already?

I mean seriously, the NBA’s new virtual draft combine officially opened up on September 28th and the team doesn’t even know what they’re looking for in a potential draftee. Do they need a D’Antoni-approved lead guard like Nico Mannion, a 3-and-D wing shooter like Josh Green, or a combination forward like Villanova’s Saddiq Bey?

If D’Antoni comes to town, many believe he will ask to have the roster reshaped considerably to fit his scheme, whereas current $180 million man Tobias Harris had his best season as a pro under Rivers in LA, where he played power forward and shot 42 percent from 3. Does the front office really believe they can adequately pick out groceries when they don’t even know what’s for dinner?

Between you and me, Danny Ainge embarrassed Elton Brand in last year’s draft when he forced the former forward into surrendering the 33rd overall pick for Matisse Thybulle‘s services, even if the Sixers ultimately got the better player out of the clearly choreographed trade.

In the NBA, head coaches rarely make or break a team’s fortunes. Steve Kerr‘s 2019-20 Warriors were a mere shadow of their championship-winning counterparts without the services of their three best players. With that in mind, no coach can truly be successful when his organization’s front office can’t even decide on who to hire as their next coach, let alone confidently put a roster together to highlight his scheme’s strengths. While having Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons under contract for a very long time will consistently make Philly a prime destination for premier coaching candidates, the team’s front office has to put said coach in the right position to succeed.

Next. Ben Simmons is better than Colin Sexton, Cavs fans. dark

But hey, you know what they say: Bad things happen in Philadelphia, especially when the gosh darn 76ers are involved.