By: Brandon Apter, managing editor 
A CBS Sports report from mid-April mentioned that with Bryan Colangelo at the helm, Brett Brown's future in Philadelphia could be in jeopardy, specifically if associate head coach Mike D'Antoni gets offers for head coaching jobs elsewhere. That doesn't seem to be the case though, as the Sixers granted D'Antoni the permission to interview for the Houston Rockets head coaching vacancy. ESPN reports that D'Antoni spent Wednesday in Houston speaking with the Rockets brass in what is likely to be a broad, deliberate search for a coach.
D'Antoni has a 455-426 record as a head coach and has spent time over 12 years with the Suns, Knicks, Lakers and Nuggets. He and Colangelo family have a history though. D'Antoni and Jerry Colangelo have a relationship that dates back to early in the 2000s, during his stint with the Phoenix Suns, where he went 253-156 as head coach. Colangelo was also the chairman while both of them worked on the USA Basketball staff.
The ESPN reports also names Jeff Van Gundy and recently fired Frank Vogel as leading candidates for the job. Houston has already interviewed Sam Cassell, the assistant coach for the Clippers, and Rockets assistant Chris Finch. Interim head coach for the Rockets, J.B. Bickerstaff, withdrew his name from consideration after taking over for Kevin McHale 11 games into the season. Houston fired Kevin McHale in what was the first season of a new three-year deal.
While the Sixers are sure to want D'Antoni to stick around, it may not be the wisest decision to keep him if it comes at the cost of Brett Brown. D'Antoni's experience and coaching with the fast-paced offense and defense the Sixers want to achieve is very valuable, but hopefully Brett Brown's job isn't at risk because of that.
