Why Monty Williams Might Be a Long Shot to Land 76ers Job
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When the Philadelphia 76ers ended the Doc Rivers era after season three, the team fired up a search for a new head coach, targeting a list of six candidates.
One of the names on the Sixers’ radar is former Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams.
Not long before the Sixers parted ways with Doc Rivers, the Suns decided to move on from Williams after they fell short to the Los Angeles Lakers during the Western Conference Semifinals.
Williams’ firing was surprising, considering he was just named the NBA’s Coach of the Year in 2022. When Phoenix cut him loose, it ended a four-year run.
Back in 2019, Williams joined the Suns after spending one season with the Philadelphia 76ers as a key assistant on Brett Brown’s staff. At the time of Williams’ hiring in Phoenix, the Suns were on the brink of playoff contention.
The following year, the Suns totally turned things around. After finishing the 2020-2021 season with a 51-21 record, Phoenix made an incredible playoff run, which ended with them being crowned the Western Conference Champions before they fell short in the 2021 NBA Finals.
Over the next two seasons, the Suns would remain playoff contenders but struggled to get past the second round each time. With the Suns making key changes from ownership down to the roster throughout the year, Williams found himself cut out of the equation a few years earlier than expected.
With a Coach of the Year nod and an NBA Finals appearance under his belt, Williams was expected to be a notable candidate for a couple of the Eastern Conference contenders in search of a new leader, including the Sixers.
However, there’s been some speculation that Williams could take some time away before picking up another job following his run with the Suns.
Here’s the latest on Williams via Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.
“Many around the league expected Williams would draw strong consideration from Milwaukee after he was terminated in Phoenix, and there were numerous figures in the NBA’s coaching ranks who expressed surprise at his absence from the Bucks’ final group. Williams was also recently pursued by Detroit for the Pistons’ job, sources said, which must have factored into a slowed result between Lee, Collins and Ollie. At this moment, it appears Williams is more likely to take the next season off, with three years and $21 million remaining on his Suns deal, than to return to the sidelines in a new situation.”
While Williams’ return to Philadelphia shouldn’t be ruled out entirely, it seems he might be a long shot to land with any team at this time.
The Detroit Pistons made a strong pursuit for Williams, according to Marc Stein. Per a report, Williams was presented with a “big-money offer” from the rebuilding franchise, which did not sway the veteran head coach into thinking the job was right for him.
It seems it’s nothing against Detroit and the state of the franchise, though. After what was likely a difficult season due to major changes happening throughout the year in Phoenix, Williams seems to need a year off to re-group before picking up another opportunity.
He shouldn’t be crossed off the Sixers’ list just yet, but the other five candidates on the list, Nick Nurse, Frank Vogel, Mike Budenholzer, Sam Cassell, and Mike D’Antoni, all seem to have a better chance of landing the job in Philadelphia at this time.
