The Indiana Pacers have been conducting an extensive search for their next head coach following the shocking move to fire Nate McMillan. Quite a few candidates have been interviewed, but there are a couple that have been talked about a lot more than others. Those names would be Chauncey Billups and Mike D’Antoni.

Both Billups and D’Antoni have been reported to have mutual interest with the Pacers about the coaching opening. However, the Philadelphia 76ers and D’Antoni seem to be in serious discussions about their opening.

Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Billups has become a major “factor” for the Pacers in their search. He would fit that mold that the Pacers have looked for in head coaches in the past.

Billups was a great player in his time and many believe the Pacers would be a perfect landing spot for him. He has expressed interest in becoming a coach and Indiana would give him quite a bit of talent to work with.

Indiana has hired plenty of coaches in the past with no head coaching experience. Former players seem to be of major interest to the Pacers. Names like Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas are two of those names.

Kevin Pritchard is said to be looking for a potential program builder, which is exactly what Billups would be. He would be coming into Indiana as a first-time head coach and a brand new coaching style. No one would know what to expect from a Billups-coached Pacers team.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the Pacers end up doing. Chauncey Billups is a name to keep a close eye on, as is Mike D’Antoni. However, it seems like Billups might very well be the front-runner for the job right now.

Expect to hear more news about the Pacers’ coaching search in the near future. Billups could very well be the next man up in Indiana.