The Sixer Sense
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Philadelphia 76ers Curious Hire Asst Head Coach Jim OBrien

By Bret Stuter

May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown represents his team during the NBA draft lottery at New York Hilton Midtown. The Philadelphia 76ers received the first overall pick in the 2016 draft. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers President of Basketball Operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College Of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Another Comeback Kid?

This hiring has all the fingerprints of a Bryan Colangelo, rather than Brett Brown, decision.  JIm O’Brien likes veterans, and he’s being brought on to whip a team of rookies, one and two year veterans into shape.

This almost feels like a bad cop to head coach Brett Brown’s good cop.

Ian Levy of SB Nation wrote an incredibly well-crafted and data-packed evaluation of Jim O’Brien back on April 28, 2010.  In this expose, he looked deeply at the career of Jim O’Brien and tried to measure, objectively and statistically, how effective the performance of O’Brien had been over the course of his career with three separate NBA teams.

The results of the analysis were as surprising to Levy as they are to me:

"When I started collecting stats for this post I expected all the numbers to reinforce my own conception: That Jim O’Brien was a terrible coach and should be fired before next season. The truth is apparently more complicated. In his three years in Indiana he has been working with below average teams in terms of talent. Despite that he has gotten the Pacers to play hard and on occasion play really well. They have started each season badly, but never quit on him and finished each season strongly. O’Brien has also had a hand in changing the perceived culture of the organization from one of gun toting-thugs to hard working over-achievers. Except for a few poorly chosen comments to the media this year, he has been professional and positive about his team and their situation. I also understand, with the teams current financial challenges, how unpalatable it would be to let him go now and pay the salaries of two head coaches next season. Despite the positives, I think he has not done everything the job required of him. Their has not been sufficient development of young players. There is still too much disorganization and chaos on the floor, especially on the offensive end. Too often tactical advantages and opportunities are passed or ignored. In my heart I don’t think he is a coach who is can lead the Pacers to a championship and I don’t want to waste even one more year floundering for the sake of finances or stability. – Ian Levy, April 28, 2010, SB Nation"

In the end, it’s all about the chemistry – the mix of encouragement and discipline.  Perhaps this will cover both sides of the street, where the track of Brown will be a “mencshe” and O’Brien will take on the role of drill sergeant.

Next: A 2004 Interview