Philadelphia 76ers Aren’t Rebuilding Alone

Nov 23, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Sam Mitchell talks with guard Zach LaVine (8) in the third quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Target Center. The Timberwolves win 100-95 over the 76ers. Mandatory Credit: Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers Aren’t Rebuilding Alone

When the Philadelphia 76ers travelled to Minnesota to take on the Timberwolves, the first meeting of first pick of the draft center Karl Anthony-Towns (KAT) and third pick of the draft center Jahlil Okafor, there was more in that meeting than meets the eye.

Brian Seltzer, of Sixers.com, was one of the few to catch on. But catch on he did. It was the first meeting this year of head coach Brett Brown with another head coach whose team is led by youngsters and is rebuilding with the draft, Timberwolves’ head coach Sam Mitchell,

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The paths of the two teams are similar: both teams had modest records in the 2012-2013 season. But when the Sixers plummeted the following year, the Timberwolves actually improved to just under .500. The following year, in the 2014-2015 season, the Timberwolves had fallen to the worst team in the NBA. How did they plummet? They accelerated a rebuild by trading their top asset in Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a player the Sixers had their eyes on, Andrew Wiggins, the top drafted player in the 2014 draft. In the 2015 NBA draft, they were able to secure the top draft pick, and proceeded to draft the top player KAT.

The meeting was something Brown looked forward to, and not simply as a chance to finally win a game this season.

"“It’s always education. We have the youngest team in the history of the sport, or the least experienced. Now how do you navigate life with 82 games, and help these guys learn how to have a championship routine. And the ‘routine’ is the word I talk to them about the most. We talk often about building a moat around our program, and keeping stuff tight and real and staying tight within our group. We have to stay together. And so life as a 20-year old, and teaching these guys how to navigate the NBA is a responsibility I enjoy, and one I need to be good at. I hope that I am.” – Brett Brown as interviewed by Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com"

For his own team, Sam Mitchell added his perspective regarding the trials of coaching a youthful NBA basketball team.

"“You got to put it in perspective. They’re not going to learn every single thing about being a pro in one month or two months. It takes time. It’s not easy to do. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s hard managing your life at 19 or 20, with 23 hours, or 22, or 20 hours of free time every day. I mean, what do you do with your free time? A lot of that is learning how to be a pro, how to get yourself ready to play.” – Sam Mitchell as interviewed by Brian Seltzer of Sixers.com"

The Sixers are actually partially to blame for the Timberwolves more rapid rebuild. When the Cleveland Cavaliers traded for Kevin Love, it was the Sixers entering the field with Thaddeus Young as the final piece to a complicated trade. In return, the Sixers received Alex Shved and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, neither player with the team this season. But the Sixers did receive a first round draft pick from the Miami Heat (1-10 protected). That asset remains on the books and is likely cashed in this draft.

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So for one night, two teams met on a basketball court. Two head coaches shook hands at the end and exchanged pleasantries. The Minnesota Timberwolves had finally won at home, and the Philadelphia 76ers were still in search of a victory. But for one night, Brett Brown was not alone. He was standing across the basketball court from a man who knows the path he is walking on. You see, the Philadelphia 76ers aren’t rebuilding alone. But we are rebuilding everything.

Minnesota merely redid the upstairs.