Mike D’Antoni has reportedly gotten one major endorsement in his bid to become the next coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Keith Pompey of the Philly Inquirer reported on Sunday that Sixers star big man Joel Embiid has given the team his blessing to hire D’Antoni. Embiid is reportedly happy with D’Antoni’s proposed five-out system. In that system, Embiid would be facing the basket more instead of posting up. Pompey also says that D’Antoni is the preferred candidate of Sixers ownership. General manager Elton Brand is reportedly pushing hard for a D’Antoni hire as well.
The Sixers are looking for a new head coach after firing Brett Brown, the only coach for whom Embiid had ever played. D’Antoni, meanwhile, is in the market for a new job after parting ways with the Houston Rockets.
Some think that Philly’s pursuit of D’Antoni may be part of a bigger plan. In any case, D’Antoni teams have always placed an emphasis on tempo and three-point shooting. That seems to be exactly the formula that Embiid needs around him to thrive.
