Eddie Jordan
The Philadelphia 76ers have hired former Wizards coach Eddie Jordan as their new head coach. The 76ers were coached by Tony Dileo this season and posted a record of 41-41. Dileo was not well liked by Philadelphia players and returned to his job in the 6er front office.
The 76ers began their coaching search three weeks ago interviewing the likes of Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis, Boston Celtics assistant Tom Thibodeau, Villanova coach Jay Wright, Dallas Mavericks assistant Dwane Casey, Sixers scout Chris Ford and Eddie Jordan.
Jordan is clearly the best of the bunch having taken the Wizards to the playoffs for four consecutive seasons. Jordan is 230-288 in coaching stints with the Wizards and the Sacramento Kings.
The Wizards owe Jordan nearly $4 million next season and would have to pay the difference on the contract from Jordan's new team. The length of the contract and Jordan's salary were not immediately known.
Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski is excited about his new acquisition.
"I saw firsthand the immense impact Eddie Jordan had in helping the Nets reach two NBA finals and as the head coach in Washington, he consistently put his teams in a position to win on a nightly basis," Stefanski said in a statement. "He embodies all the qualities I was looking for in the next head coach of the Sixers and we are very excited to have him in Philadelphia."
The one knock on Jordan is his propensity to focus strictly on offense. Jordan's teams have never been great on the defensive end, while the current 6er team is very good defensively. How much will Eddie Jordan change the make-up of the 76ers?
One thing is for sure, Jordan is inheriting a team full of talent. Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Thaddeus Young, and Samuel Dalembert are the core players in Philadelphia. That caliber of talent should make Eddie Jordan's job fairly easy in the 2009/10 season.
For more info: Andy Jasner, Philadelphia 76ers Examiner
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