Report: 76ers looking to hire Mike D’Antoni as associate head coach

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly in talks to bring Mike D’Antoni in as the team’s associate head coach, according to a report.

D’Antoni is in talks with coach Brett Brown and new chairman Jerry Colangelo, who is the driving force behind the move, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The timing of this is rather curious, with Brown having just agreed to a multi-year extension on Friday. A move like this is inevitably going to look like the installation of a coach-in-waiting. The timing of that extension, however, has apparently eased those fears, and as Wojnarowski says, this appears more like a chance for D’Antoni to re-establish himself with the ultimate goal of another head coaching job.

D’Antoni will also bring more experience to Brown’s staff, which Wojnarowski reports was a concern.

Whatever the case, it appears as though Colangelo wants the Sixers to be a legitimate NBA franchise as opposed to a perpetual tank-fest.