Mike D’Antoni is already back on an NBA sideline, this time with the Philadelphia 76ers.
This time next year, he could be back with the Phoenix Suns.
Relations between current Suns coach Jeff Hornacek and team ownership isn’t great. The peeps upstairs canned half of his coaching staff, and the roster has imploded amid injuries, faulty schemes, bad investments and Markieff Morris. Though the Suns may not make a change mid-season after losing Eric Bledsoe for the year, along with any chance of making the playoffs, Hornacek’s exit seems to have become a matter of when, not if.
And when the Suns ultimately move on from Hornacek, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein is hearing they’ll turn to a familiar face:
Fresh 2016 NBA bench rumble: There is active buzz in coaching circles that Mike D'Antoni will be on Suns' list if/when that job comes open
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) January 4, 2016
D’Antoni spent nearly five full seasons helming the Suns after taking the reins midway through the 2003-04 campaign, before leaving for the New York Knicks ahead of the 2008-09 crusade. During that time, Phoenix established itself as one of the foremost offensive authorities, championing the pace-and-space tenets that have become almost universally synonymous with current attacks and making two Western Conference Finals appearances in the process.
Hiring Mike D’Antoni would jive with what the Suns have continued valuing since his first go-round. They like to play fast and small, and unlike his flawed opportunities with the Los Angeles Lakers and Knicks, D’Antoni would inherit a roster that, while imperfect, provides him with many of the pieces his offensive blueprint needs to thrive—including, and most importantly, two above-average floor generals in Bledsoe and Brandon Knight.
