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Indiana Pacers: Mike D’Antoni makes sense for the Indiana Pacers

By Shayler Neal

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 02: Head Coach Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets in action during the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. New York Knicks defeated the Houston Rockets 125-123. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MARCH 02: Head Coach Mike D'Antoni of the Houston Rockets in action during the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on March 02, 2020 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. New York Knicks defeated the Houston Rockets 125-123. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash: Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports
Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash: Mandatory Credit: Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports /

Mike D’Antoni is an intriguing option for the Indiana Pacers

All NBA coaches that achieve the title of Head Coach in this league have a specific style, with strengths and weaknesses, and thrive in certain systems. Mike D’Antoni, most notable for his time in Phoenix and Houston, is a two-time Coach of the Year award winner and is an offensive mastermind.

Previously working with usage rate monsters like James Harden, Kobe Bryant, and even “two-time” Steve Nash, D’Antoni knows how to get the most out of any offense and score as much as possible, sometimes to the league’s detriment. In fact, the 2017-18 Houston Rockets team he coached scored so much that they won 65 games in the regular season playing virtually no defense, altering the entire landscape of the league and throwing people who cover the league into a frenzy.

This “give up 120, score 130” type of basketball started to become prevalent across the league, and even familiar in Indiana this season, although it was more like, “give up 140, score 130“.

Some may criticize D’Antoni’s lack of a championship ring, but let’s be honest here, there is no available candidate more experienced and proven than D’Antoni. In a tweet from Adrian Wojnarowski this afternoon, it was reported that the Indiana Pacers front office “are expected to pursue a more experienced, established head coach in the process”.

Fans might have some their hopes up for the player-friendly option of a Chauncey Billups, or the beautiful reunion of Frank Vogel coming back home and leading the Indiana Pacers to the promised land, and those sound nice. But I want to make it known that if D’Antoni were to take over this job, the team would be super fun to watch. They would tire out the scorekeeper on a nightly basis and they would be positioned to make a run in the East. Follow me, let’s do some analysis.

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