Getty Danny Green of the Philadelphia 76ers
After firing Doc Rivers, the Philadelphia 76ers are looking for their next head coach. There are quite a few options to choose from for the Sixers, but former Sixer Danny Green reveals who he thinks should be the team’s next head coach.
On his own podcast, “Inside the Green Room,” Green explained why he believes former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams should be the next coach in Philadelphia.
“I think Monty can coach Joel (Embiid). We don’t know what’s gonna happen with James Harden. So I think he’s a good fit and (has) a positive attitude. Teach them how to play the right way, unselfish basketball.”
Green also played for some of the available title-winning head coaches during his playing career, like Frank Vogel when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers and Nick Nurse when he was with the Toronto Raptors. Green managed to win titles with both of them, but he believes Williams would be the best option for the Sixers.
Williams played for the Sixers in his last NBA season (2002-03) and was an assistant coach for them during the 2018-19 season.
Sixers’ Insiders’ Views on Williams
In a roundtable for The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 22, Keith Pompey, Gina Mizell, and Marcus gave their thoughts on the prospect of having Williams as the Sixers’ next head coach, giving him a rating between one and 10, with the higher rating indicating how highly in favor they would be of the hire.
Pompey believes Williams would demand the best from Embiid and Harden citing his work with the Suns.
“Known for holding players accountable, Williams will demand the most from Embiid and Harden. The 2022 NBA coach of the year also transformed the Phoenix Suns from a struggling franchise into a 2021 NBA Finals runners-up. Hire meter: 8.”
Mizell echoed a similar sentiment, but mentioned a possible red flag on Williams’ end.
“If the goal is to turn around Embiid’s “shock” that Rivers was dismissed, hiring a coach he already has a bond with would make a lot of sense. Williams is also a culture-setter with Finals experience, though the Suns’ last two playoff exits looked a lot like the Sixers’ Game 7 dud in Boston. Hire meter: 8.”
Hayes believes Williams’ prior experience with the Sixers would not make him a good fit as the head coach.
As a Sixers assistant for the 2018-19 season, Williams witnessed Jimmy Butler’s arrival, Markelle Fultz’s departure, Tobias Harris’ arrival, the beginning of Ben Simmons’ regression, and the Sixers’ quadruple-doink heartbreak in the Eastern Conference semifinal that left Embiid weeping in the arms of Marc Gasol on the court and in the arms of his fianceé in the locker-room tunnel. These experiences leave Williams far too scarred to be effective in Philly. Hire meter: 5
Kevin Garnett Disagrees With Doc Rivers Firing
On the May 19 episode of “Ticket & The Truth,” NBA Hall-of-Famer Kevin Garnett explained why he didn’t think firing Rivers was the right move.
“Today’s owners really understand management in today’s world, especially in sports, no one wants to wait on anything, and they want instant gratification. If they ain’t in two years, you know, and I felt like what Doc was trying to, at least appear to be, trying to establish some culture there.”
Garnett elaborated further on why culture is important and how that pertained to Rivers.
“Joel Embiid being MVP this year, taking another step, being responsible playing. I think having a responsibility to himself playing a lot more, at least it came off like that. Man, so I was mad from the perspective of you gotta give culture a chance to be like something on the stove, man. It’s gotta simmer. It’s gotta turn. It’s gotta curate, man. I just feel like management just gave up too soon.”