Arguably Nurse's best coaching job was the year after that, repeating as the second-best team in the East without Kawhi. But they didn't go as far in the playoffs.
So yeah, it's ironic that a team which desperately needs a coach to get them past the second-round has just hired a coach who hasn't been past the second round in five years, didn't even make the (real) playoffs two of the last three years, and got destroyed by the Sixers themselves the other year. Whereas Doc's biggest flaw wouldn't even exist if he wasn't successful enough to get to those rounds/situations.
But I think Nurse is a good coach. And the Sixers' dysfunction means most coaches can't succeed. Not only was Doc not hired by Morey but he came in half-expecting to do Morey's job (at least in terms of having a strong influence over Brand) and still probably had a direct line to ownership. It's easy to forget the team had no GM at all when they traded away Bridges for Zhaire Smith. At least, now, sink or swim, it's Morey's show and his own pick for coach.
And I'm glad it's not D'Antoni.
In retrospect it's pretty easy to say the Sixers should have traded Simmons for Kawhi, yes!
