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Mike D’Antoni may be frontrunner for Sixers head coaching job

The Sixers have a talent-filled but chemistry-challenged roster that is in need of a new head coach after they recently parted ways with Brett Brown. Here’s Philly Voice with a look at one of the top candidates: Mike D’Antoni, who recently became a coaching free agent after his contract with the Rockets ran out.

Strengths: His most recent stint as the head coach of the Houston Rockets was another huge success in a revolutionary offensive career, with D’Antoni’s Rockets owning the highest regular-season win percentage (.682) of any team in the Western Conference over the last four seasons. D’Antoni’s arrival ushered in a run of super-powered offenses in Houston, who were scoring healthily before he arrived but took things to another level with D’Antoni. His track record of super-charging players on offense is terrific, and would fill a need for a Sixers team in need of a jolt.

Weaknesses: D’Antoni has had trouble when he has been asked to adapt to personnel that doesn’t fit cleanly into his idea of how basketball should be played. The 2012-13 Lakers, for example, were a disaster of comical proportions. His Knicks tenure, save for a brief renaissance when Amare Stoudemire first signed there, was a complete disaster. D’Antoni and Joel Embiid seem like oil and water, and Ben Simmons only seems to be a fit if he’s unleashed as a downhill rim-running threat, which is not really possible with this roster.

The latest intel: The rumors have been coming fast and furious on D’Antoni, who appears (at least at this moment) to be the frontrunner.

Should Mike D’Antoni get Sixers coaching job?

Mike D’Antoni has reportedly notified the Houston Rockets that he won’t be returning to the squad next season. His contract was up. The Sixers recently parted ways with head coach Brett Brown. Could D’Antoni be a fit? Here’s Philly Voice with some of the reasons why it could work:

If you want somebody to come to Philadelphia and run more pick-and-roll, look no further. D’Antoni’s spread pick-and-roll offense has coaxed the best out of both his ballhandlers and his big men, with rim-running threats like Amare Stoudemire and Clint Capela blossoming under his watch.

Joel Embiid doesn’t seem to fit the mold of that sort of player, but perhaps D’Antoni’s arrival would signal a change of emphasis for Embiid, who could do with a steadier diet of rim runs (and an improvement to his actual diet). Ben Simmons, however, feels like a natural fit as the athletic, downhill forward who can put pressure on the rim to create gaps for ballhandlers. D’Antoni is one of the game’s best stewards of positionless basketball, and Simmons would give him a terrific building block for all sorts of lineup experimentation.

Though D’Antoni has not had the strongest defensive reputation throughout his career — okay, that’s an understatement — the Sixers should be able to play high-level defense in almost any system with Embiid and Simmons as the building blocks. What they need is someone who can make their lives easier on offense, and extract more offensive value out of a jumbled collection of role players, easing the scoring burden on two guys still developing their games.

The Sixers are built around Embiid, Simmons, Tobias Harris and Al Horford. A somewhat confusing mix of players. The team’s offense is what does need the biggest help, as the Sixers were higher-rated on the defensive side of the floor this past season.

It’ll take a clever coach to help these guys take things to the next level. As well as some GM work on the roster, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Allen Iverson’s emotional Instagram post on John Thompson

Legendary former Georgetown Hoyas coach John Thompson has passed away. Here’s Philly Voice reporting on Allen Iverson’s reaction to the tragic news:

Georgetown University basketball coach John Thompson died Sunday night at 78 years old, prompting an outpouring of tributes Monday morning.

Among them was a message from NBA Hall of Famer and Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson, who played under Thompson for two seasons from 1994-1996. Iverson became the Big East Rookie of the Year and helped lead the Hoyas to an Elite Eight in the NCAA Tournament during his sophomore season.

But it went beyond basketball for Iverson, who credits Thompson for saving his life when he was jailed in connection with a 1993 brawl in his hometown of Hampton, Virginia. Thompson defied critics by standing behind Iverson, whose conviction was later overturned due to insufficient evidence.

Iverson’s post:

Sixers reportedly fire coach Brett Brown

The Philadelphia 76ers just finished being swept out of the playoffs, and their first move appears to be a coaching change.

According to ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers have fired head coach Brett Brown. This after the team was eliminated by the Boston Celtics in a 4-0 sweep in the first round of the 2020 NBA playoffs.

The news does not come as a surprise, as the team has struggled to maximize their potential and chemistry all season.

The Sixers were without star guard Ben Simmons in their series against the Celtics. But Boston was without forward Gordon Hayward. And although Simmons is more important to the Sixers than Hayward is to the Celtics, the team simply did not look good. And now, Brown is gone.

Questions certainly need to be asked about the team’s roster. And various roster moves in the past few seasons.

It won’t be a surprise if more big moves are made in Philly, either with big-name players being moved in free agency or additional changes in the front office. At this point, anything is possible.

Sixers look bad in Game 2 loss to Celtics

On Wednesday, the Celtics put up a convincing 128-101 Game 2 win against the Sixers to take a 2-0 first round playoff series lead.

NBC Sports Philly:

The Sixers were up against the odds heading into their first round matchup against the Celtics. No Ben Simmons, a team that failed to gel all year long, and tough recent postseason history against the Celtics? Not ideal.

But no one could’ve predicted the absolutely listless effort they put forth on Wednesday night in the second game of the series.

After taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter, the Sixers were outscored by 29 points in the second and third quarters combined, and looked more like a lottery team than a playoff participant. The Celtics got whatever they wanted, and the Sixers looked helpless.

In the win for the Celtics, Jayson Tatum hit 8-of-12 from three-point range in finishing with 33 points, five rebounds and five assists. Kemba Walker scored 22 points. Jaylen Brown added 20, plus five rebounds.

For the Sixers, Joel Embiid put up 34 points and 10 rebounds. Josh Richardson scored 18. Tobias Harris grabbed 11 rebounds, but shot just 4-of-15 for 13 points.

Al Horford, coming off the bench, was not a factor.

A huge difference was three-point shooting. The Celtics hit 19-of-32, while the Sixers only hit 5-of-21.

Philly is without Ben Simmons, while Boston is missing Gordon Hayward.

Sixers center Joel Embiid has been working on his fadeaway jumper

Sixers center Joel Embiid is already a dominant low-post player, and per the report below he spent some of the NBA play stoppage time working on his fadeaway jumpshot. Here’s ESPN.com reporting:

In addition to his work on passing out of double-teams, Embiid said the other thing he’s been working on during the hiatus since the season was suspended on March 11 was his fadeaway jumper — and he is very pleased about its progress.

“My fadeaways look great,” he said with a smile. “I’ve been working on them the past 2½ months, six times a week, just trying to perfect my game in any ways that I can, and I’ve been happy about that. It is something I’m going to need a lot, especially when other teams double me every single possession. I can’t let that dictate the way I play.

“So, sometimes you have to make the right play, and sometimes pass it, and if I feel like I have an opportunity to be myself and dominate, then that’s a shot I’m going to get. So that’s what I’ve been excited about.”

If Embiid truly has developed a mean fadeaway, it’ll make him even harder to guard, and that’s saying a lot.

In EuroLeague, Brandon Davies signs contract extension with FC Barcelona

Here’s Eurocupbasketball.com reporting on a former NBA player:

FC Barcelona and center Brandon Davies reached an agreement to extend his contract through the end of the 2021-22 season, the club announced Wednesday. Davies (2.08 meters, 28 years old) was already under contract for one more season and this deal will keep him at the club for an additional year. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds in 28 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season, his first in Barcelona.

Davies, listed at 6-foot-10, 240 pounds, played briefly in the NBA between 2013-15, mostly for the Sixers, plus seven games with the Nets, for an NBA career average of 3.7 points and 2.5 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per game.

Sixers sign Ryan Broekhoff

Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand announced on Saturday, June 27 that the team has signed shooting guard Ryan Broekhoff.

Earlier this season, Broekhoff appeared in 17 games for Dallas, posting 4.2 points and 2.5 rebounds in 10.6 minutes per game. In two NBA seasons, both with the Mavericks, he’s seen action in 59 total games, connecting on over 40-percent of his three-point attempts. He’s made a career-high four three-pointers on two occasions, while connecting on three-or-more triples seven times.

Per NBC Sports Philly, “throughout this season, the Sixers have been searching for outside shooting. The team is 19th in made three-pointers and 14th in three-point percentage. February addition Glenn Robinson III missed his first 10 three-point shots after moving from the Warriors to the Sixers and has yet to provide the expected boost in that department. ”

Before signing with Dallas in August 2018, Broekhoff played internationally in Russia (Lokomotiv Kuban, 2015-18) and Turkey (Beşiktaş, 2013-15) between 2013-18. In his final season in Russia, he was named All-EuroCup First Team after averaging 12.3 points per game, while shooting .549 from the field and .506 from beyond the arc over 16 contests. A native Australian, Broekhoff has represented his country in several international competitions since 2009, including the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, at which the Boomers finished fourth.

Prior to his professional career overseas, Broekhoff enjoyed a four-year collegiate career at Valparaiso, where he earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors as a junior, before leading the Crusaders to a 26-8 mark, and an NCAA Tournament berth, as a senior. Over his four seasons at Valpo, Broekhoff notched 11.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game, while shooting .408 from three-point range. The team won at least 22 games in each of his final three seasons as a Crusader.

Broekhoff will wear No. 45 for the 76ers.

Christ Koumadje wins 2019-20 G League Defensive Player of the Year award

Delaware Blue Coats rookie center Christ Koumadje has been named the 2019-20 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year, the NBA G League announced today. He earned the honor in a vote by the league’s 28 head coaches and general managers.

Koumadje (7-4, 270, Florida State) led the NBA G League in blocked shots per game (4.0) and total blocks (133) to go with 11.3 points and 10.9 rebounds in 33 games. He ranked 10th in the NBA G League in defensive rebounds per game (7.1). On Feb. 1, Koumadje recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 20 rebounds and an NBA G League season-high 12 blocks in a 111-103 road victory over the Erie BayHawks.

Behind Koumadje, the Blue Coats topped the NBA G League in blocks per game (7.3), finished second in opponents’ field goal percentage (44.0) and ranked ninth in defensive rating (107.4).

A Chad native, the 23-year-old Koumadje joined the Blue Coats after participating in NBA Summer League 2019 and the 2019 preseason with the Philadelphia 76ers. The Blue Coats are the NBA G League affiliate of the 76ers.

Koumadje appeared in 33 of Delaware’s 43 games this season. The NBA G League canceled the remainder of its 2019-20 season on June 4. The regular season was suspended on March 12 and had been scheduled to conclude on March 28.

Canton Charge guard-forward Sir’Dominic Pointer and Westchester Knicks forward Kenny Wooten finished second and third, respectively, in voting for the 2019-20 NBA G League Defensive Player of the Year Award.