Oh By the Way, 76ers Still Without a Head Coach – Does It Matter or No?

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It’s a slow news day. The Phillies are off tonight and have drifted deep into no man’s land anyway, the Eagles held another open practice today at the Linc earlier but kept things light, and the Flyers and 76ers are firmly entrenched in their respective offseasons.

That being said, we could probably talk about the Sixers every day right now if we really wanted to because they still have not hired a head coach to replace Doug Collins. It’s been 110 days since Collins resigned on April 18, and Philadelphia is the only team in the NBA that doesn’t have that role nailed down. This situation is pretty much unheard of.

We’re not exactly sure what the hold-up is, either. It’s widely assumed general manager Sam Hinkie could hand the job to Michael Curry, who has been with the organization for a few seasons and ran the Sixers during this year’s summer league. San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown reportedly remains an option as well, as are a few others.

Why one or the other or anybody hasn’t been settled upon yet is anyone’s guess, but that combined with the Sixers’ newfound lack of transparency under Hinkie has been the source of some angst in the media. If the franchise is trying to erase the perception that they are a laughingstock, a long, bumbling, and directionless coaching search isn’t helping any we're told.

Ultimately what talking heads and depressed fans have to ask themselves though is whether it really matters – and not just whether it matters that they don’t have a coach yet, but how much it matters who does finally get named to the post. The Sixers aren’t going to be good for awhile. Will the next head coach even still be here when things do finally turn around?

Not that it doesn’t matter at all, because whoever is here for the next few seasons will be influential in the development of Nerlens Noel, Michael Carter-Williams, and other young, impressionable players. In terms of the grand scheme though, is this hire definitely or even probably going to be the guy who eventually leads the team back to the playoffs? On their next meaningful run?

In that sense, does it matter who the Sixers eventually settle on? Does it matter they don’t have that person now when they're in the thick of the offseason?

Just thinking out loud here, Sixers faithful. Do you think the seemingly neglected coaching search is an issue for the 76ers at all? What do you think the shelf life is on whoever that person is going to be? And is this a situation that should concern the fan base at all?

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