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It has been just over three weeks since Randy Wittman was let go as Wizards head coach. It may also not take very long for him to make a lateral move because the Indiana Pacers fired their head coach Frank Vogel earlier Thursday after a 45-37 regular season and first round loss in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.
According to Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star, Wittman is an early candidate to replace Vogel.
VERY early but here's a surprising list of names I'm hearing of possible #Pacers candidates: D'Antoni, Jackson, Shaw, Wittman, Woodson.
— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) May 5, 2016
Of the coaches on this list, Philadelphia 76ers associate head coach Mike D'Antoni is the flashiest name given his past success as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns while former Golden State Warriors head coach Mark Jackson (I assume that's him) is also a big name on the list. I think Wittman is at least as good of a name (if not better) than Brian Shaw or Mike Woodson.
I'm not exactly sure if Wittman will ultimately get this job as the coaching carousel figures itself out. But it would be a nice homecoming for him if he did.
Wittman is an Indianapolis native and has a long history there. He was a star player at Ben Davis High School and was one of the top high school players by the time he started college. Wittman was also an All-American for the Indiana Hoosiers where he won a national championship in 1981 under Bob Knight's program. As an NBA player, Wittman played for the Pacers from 1989-1992 to finish his playing career. And finally, he started his coaching career with the Pacers in 1992-1993 as an assistant.
If Wittman is indeed a serious candidate to be the Pacers' next head coach, I certainly wish him the best of luck and hope he gets the job where he can continue his career back in his hometown.