TSS Round Table: Brett Brown’s Mid-Year Grade

Feb 5, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown during the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center. The Celtics defeated the Sixers 114-108. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

What mid-year grade would you give Brett Brown and why?

Spencer Layman: I would have to give Brett a pretty high grade. From his play-call execution to his off-court interview answers, Brett has been terrific. I love the confidence he has instilled within his players. He has all the faith in the world in their abilities to go out there and play their hardest. That’s the other thing; Brett gets every last drop of effort out of the Sixers. Even when they are down by 20+, you still see them out there competing. Lastly, for the work he has put in with Nerlens, Brett gets an A+. I cannot wait to see what Nerlens looks like on the court.

Drew Corrigan: I would give Brett Brown a B+ for mid-year. Obviously, it isn’t based on wins, but player development. Players like Hollis Thompson and Elliot Williams have showed real strides from the beginning of the season. It’s no fault to Brett that ET and Spencer are playing like lethargic tortoises right now. The marquee wins we have are amazing, especially the opener against the Heat. Even if we have clearly regressed, the vision is still bright and I believe Brett Brown will eventually bring Philadelphia a championship.

Adam Booth: This team is what we thought they were. So with that in mind I’d give him a B. Its hard to judge when this team was constructed to be bad. A few surprise wins coupled with a few huge losses make me feel like it’s been a push so far. But I haven’t hated what he has done so far.

Curt Jenkins: B+. Brett Brown had done all he can with the hand he was dealt. In August I said that if the Sixers won 15-22 games it’s a solid season. They started out 3-0 and had a tremendous holiday road trip where they played some great team basketball. After a pair of 40-point blowouts he still had the team in tact. He is a no nonsense kind of guy and expects his team to go out and still fight even when the outcome is pretty much a loss. He is grooming Carter-Williams into a leader on the floor and will only get better with time.

Dante Nelson: I would have to give Brown a grade of A. The team is terrible. However, for me, I can see what system Brown has in place for the team. I’m convinced that if the team had much better players, this team would be very hard to beat. He’s made Spencer Hawes and Thad Young into shooters of sorts. He’s done a great job managing this young team and really getting them to play good basketball. Okay, the beginning of the season was obviously better than recent weeks. Overall, I feel like he’s got this team playing at a higher level than I thought.

John Adair: I give Brett Brown an A for the way that he has managed the Sixers to this point. There was no questioning whether or not he was taking over a team in tanking or contending mode when he took the job in Philadelphia. Regardless, Brown has coached the team as if they should be winning night in and night out. He has taken no nonsense from anyone and is regularly going out of his way to develop the young talent on this roster. Prior to the season, nobody had Michael Carter-Williams in the running for Rookie of the Year, only to see him pegged as the favorite from opening night. I think it’s safe to say that the Sixers are in good hands under Brett Brown, especially given his player development background in San Antonio and the youthful talent currently on and set to make its way on to this roster in the upcoming draft.

Emily Gruver: I would have to give Brett Brown an A. His determination has been awesome and the way he has been able to develop these young guys has been very impressive. Just by listening to his press conferences, you can tell this guy wants to win and will do whatever it takes. Oh, and how bout that amazing accent.