According to a report by Marc Stein of ESPN.com, people within the coaching community believe that the Suns will make Mike D’Antoni a candidate for their head coaching job should it come open in the near future. D’Antoni, who recently returned to the NBA as the lead assistant for the Sixers, took Phoenix to consecutive Western Conference Finals during a solid run as Suns head coach from 2003-08. The 64-year-old went 253-136 in the regular season and 26-25 in the playoffs during his time as head coach of the Suns, and he won the NBA’s Coach of the Year award in his first full season in charge of the team.
D’Antoni recently described himself as “happy as heck” to be back in coaching with the Sixers after a sabbatical that lasted about a year and a half following his resignation from the Lakers in the spring of 2014. The offensive-minded coach didn’t enjoy the same success in L.A. or during his time with the Knicks as he did with Phoenix, and he’s gone a combined 202-290 in regular season games and 0-8 in the postseason at his other head-coaching stops in the NBA. D’Antoni had told Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com back in 2012 that he regretted leaving the Suns to take the job in New York, a departure that Shelburne heard was a mutual decision between D’Antoni and the Phoenix organization.
Phoenix’s recent troubles reportedly put current head coach Jeff Hornacek on the hot seat, though the team decided to fire a pair of assistants instead of Hornacek last week. With the Suns having made significant financial commitments to guards Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, perhaps bringing back D’Antoni, whose offense is geared toward maximizing the production of point guards, can revitalize the floundering organization. But what say you? Would a return to Phoenix by D’Antoni allow the franchise to rise from its current doldrums, or should the organization look to go in a different direction should Hornacek be let go? Cast your vote below and then take to the comments section to continue the discussion. We look forward to what you have to say.
You’re kidding right. We saw him in NY and then LA. The players tune him out. You win championships with Defense something he can’t spell if you spotted him the D
I’m pretty sure he took both of those no depth teams with whiney stars and or old guys to the playoffs.
you guys are DUMB DUMBS i like the suggestion of Mark Jackson or Tibbs
What is up with the NBA teams firing good coaches all the time. Seriously, D’Antoni should have never been fired from Phoenix in the first place and Hornacek shouldn’t be fired either. D’Antoni did reasonably well with the corpses of Kobe and Nash teamed up with professional “I’m growing from this experience but I’ll get a good coach fired” Howard. While we have butt head coaches like Byron Scott running around we have good coaches like Karl, Hornacek and Thibs getting fired for winning. You want to teach Morris a lesson, sit him the whole remainder of his contract. Its what the Spurs would do.