First of all the Sixers must realize that they’re unattractive.¬† Nobody who has other options will be beating down their door for this job.
It’s one of the reasons I believe that former Detroit Pistons tough guy Bill Laimbeer is the kind of coach which the Philadelphia 76ers should hire to mold and lead the team, right now.¬† He knows how to win with toughness and defense.
Laimbeer played for the Pistons when they won the NBA title not because they were the most talented team in the league, but because they were the smartest and the toughest team in the game.
He’s not going to be a nice guy with the players, the media or the fans, but he will make the team better.¬† This team and organization needs a dose of Laimbeer.
The 76ers players might not be thrilled to be coached by Laimbeer because he’s not going to let them go through the motions on the defensive side of the floor.¬† Guys like Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert should be two of the best defensive players in the league.
Sometimes he’ll be sharp with the media.¬† At other times he’ll complain about the fans booing the team but we’ll know he’s cracking that whip on this basketball team and demanding that they try harder and play better.
Unlike a lot of the coaching candidates,¬† the former Piston would take the job because he’s trying to work his way up from being a coach of a WNBA team, then an NBA assistant coach.¬†¬† He won two WNBA championships which means he knows how to communicate with his players.
Truthfully, the Sixers probably won’t win an NBA title until they get a superstar or two on the team, but in the meantime, they need to get tougher mentally and better defensively.¬† They should develop a team mentality which will allow them to win big, if and when they do obtain a superstar or two.
laimbeer is a prick. if they hired him, it would be a new low.
Laimbeer will do well. Coaching these Sixers is like coaching another WNBA team.
I don’t think you will see any “Superstar” type of players coming to Philadelphia any time soon to play for one of the worst franchises of the last 5 years or so in the NBA (only the Knicks,Clippers and Nets have been worse.) for a few reasons.
#1) Basketball is like 4th fiddle in Philadelphia behind the Eagles/Phillies/Flyers/Even Villanova gets more support and positive press.
#2) The Owenership (E Snider) & Front Office are a joke and have no history of success at the NBA level
#3) The local media and fan support has been weak for about 15-20 years now and there is a whole generation growing up not really caring much about following the Sixers or the NBA in general
#4) Let’s be honest, Philly is a “Blue-Collar” type of town,that will support hard-working,over-achieving gym-rat type of players.. not the “Prima-Donna’s” that dot the landscape of young NBA players in todays league. but to win in Today’s NBA you need to have 2-3 of these Superstarts on your roster to be able to compete…
#5) The Owner Ed Snider is a sham..