Here are three Nets head coach options that would be perfect for Kevin Durant.
As the Brooklyn Nets prepare for their first round matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, there are a ton of questions surrounding general manager Sean Marks’ search for a new head coach.
Earlier this week, a report from The Athletic featured a list of potential candidates, and to say that it was underwhelming would be an understatement.
If nothing else, it confirmed that Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, who arrived as free agents last summer but missed most of the season with injuries, will have their fingerprints all over the decision.
While we are fully on board with the Nets retaining interim head coach Jacque Vaughn amid his spectacular showing pre and post-restart, we’re unfortunately forced to accept the fact that Brooklyn will consider all of its options.
Sources: The Brooklyn Nets will start a full head coaching search at end of season to choose who will lead Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and an expected title contender.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2020
New details, candidates on @TheAthleticNBA: https://t.co/eK1BC1D6bu
With that in mind, let’s highlight a few names that would be perfect fit for Durant specifically.
3. Mike D’Antoni
Mike D’Antoni is in the final year of his contract with the Houston Rockets, and there’s honestly no way to know if he’ll be back next season. Reports indicated that both sides were negotiating an extension last summer, but those talks ultimately dissolved leading up to the new campaign.
That leads us to believe that D’Antoni’s future will rest on the Rockets’ performance in the playoffs. With point guard Russell Westbrook expected to miss the beginning of Houston’s opening round matchup against a resilient Oklahoma City Thunder side, he could be out of a job before long.
Assuming that D’Antoni wouldn’t adopt his small-ball philosophy in Brooklyn, we truly think he’d be a perfect fit in what projects to be a frenetic Nets offense that’s comprised of iso-centric scorers in Durant, Irving and Caris LeVert. Just imagine the numbers KD could produce in the 69-year-old’s system, which has helped Houston make the playoffs in each of his four seasons at the helm.
If D’Antoni hits the open market, Brooklyn should absolutely give him an interview.