8. Brett Brown
Whether you’re a Philadelphia 76ers fan or not, you have to respect Brett Brown. Brown studied under Gregg Popovich for nine seasons in San Antonio. He served as the Assistant Coach from 2004 through the 2012 NBA season.
While it is tough to rank Brown based on his win/loss record, what he has been able to excel at is developing players. Through three seasons with the Sixers, Brown has just 47 wins and 199 losses. Brown cannot take all the blame though as this was ex-general manager, Sam Hinkie’s decision to #TrustTheProcess.
It will be very interesting to see what Brown can do this season. This season and next will be crucial in deciding whether or not Brown will be the Sixers coach of the future. This will be the first season without Sam Hinkie and with some real talent on the roster.
It is imperative that Brown leads the Sixers to taking a big step forward this season in order to keep his job. Also, the next season or two may very well cement Brown’s legacy as one of the better (or worse) coaches the Sixers have had.
7. Doug Collins
Doug Collins was a former number one draft pick selected by the Philadelphia 76ers in 1973. He played his entire career in Philadelphia and was a four time NBA All-star in just eight seasons. His playing career was unfortunately cut short due to a tragic knee injury.
Collins coached multiple other NBA teams before becoming the Sixers Head Coach in 2010. He spent three seasons with the Sixers where he finished with an overall record of 110-120.
The Sixers made the playoffs two seasons under Doug Collins and came very close to reaching the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. They were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in dramatic fashion during game seven where Rajon Rondo dropped a triple-double.
What is very impressive is that Collins was able to lead the Sixers that far into the playoffs with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young.
Next: No. 6/5