The Sixer Sense
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Can O’Brien and Brown Coach These Philadelphia 76ers?

By Bret Stuter

Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown goes over a play with his team during the third quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 10, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown goes over a play with his team during the third quarter of the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at the Wells Fargo Center. The Milwaukee Bucks won 109-108 in OT. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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Will The Coaches Click?

From the moment Jerry Colangelo convinced Mike D’Antoni to come aboard the Philadelphia 76ers as the assistant head coach, there was not a single person in Philadelphia who believed D’Antoni would remain with the team for the long term. D’Antoni was a long time head coach, enjoyed coaching, and saw an opportunity to return to the NBA radar for the next wave of coaching hires. Brown was a student of D’Antoni’s offensive scheme, and found the chance to talk to the coach who engineered innovations in the NBA a once in a lifetime opportunity.

It worked for both.

But with the arrival of Jim O’Brien, that “coaches chemistry” question needs to be asked once more. Will it work?

I think it will. Brett Brown is more than motivator, he is a politician. He steered new President Bryan Colangelo away from rapid wholesale changes to the team and despite being the head coach hired by Sam Hinkie, has seemed to have succeeded.  Brown has been the face of the franchise, not because he loves the spotlight, but because nobody else in the organization stepped up to communicate.

Even now, under Bryan Colangelo, the authentic information seems to emerge from the interviews with Brown.

Jim O’Brien is the doer.  He has been burned by his outspokenness in the past, and is apt to view this opportunity with the Philadelphia 76ers as a chance to get back into the thrill of building a champion without the politics that goes with it.

EDITORS NOTE: COACHING STAFF UPDATES RELEASED August 4, 2016

While changes are a part of the natural off-season routine, this is a very important group moving forward, as they will ultimately be responsible, and accountable, for the development of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric.

Next: Does T.J. McConnell Fit Into This Sixers Roster?

When the season starts, all speculation will vanish and the team will either play well, or run into another round of questioning what it will take to do so.  If the team finds the success sought for these past three years, the coaching staff is set to keep them on track.  This is just the beginning.