Meet Mike D'Antoni, hot commodity.
The coach, whose career fizzled when he first left Phoenix after the 2007-08 season, is becoming a sought-after name again after joining the 76ers as an assistant last month and helping the beleaguered team win three of its last six games after starting the season 1-30.
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The Suns are said to have serious interest in their former head coach if they decide to fire current coach Jeff Hornacek, according to Pro Basketball Talk, based on a tweet from ESPN's Marc Stein.
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 averaged 58 wins per year during his four full seasons with the Suns, but was lured away by the prestige and money of the Knicks. D'Antoni averaged 34.3 wins in New York his first three years and was fired midway through Year 4 with an 18-24 record.
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The coach then created more waves by becoming Lakers coach as the team bypassed a third stint with Phil Jackson. D'Antoni led a Lakers team with Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to a 40-32 mark in his first year in 2012-13. But Howard and Gasol after that season, Bryant missed the majority of the season with a broken kneecap and the Lakers won only 27 games his next year there.
The Suns are on a nine-game losing streak under Hornacek and have a 12-25 record. Making a change to D'Antoni wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, according to Pro Basketball Talk.
"He wouldn't be a bad hire -- if Hornacek is fired, though that's looking increasingly inevitable," Pro Basketball Talk reported. "The Suns know D'Antoni well, and he knows them. He once said he regretted leaving Phoenix for the Knicks. Most importantly, the Suns' roster mostly seems to fit D'Antoni's up-tempo style."
If the Suns don't pull the trigger, D'Antoni's stock should continue to rise as long as the 76ers continue to show progress.
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