Sixers in good hands with Brett Brown as interim GM

By Christopher Kline | Jun 8, 2018

PHILADELPHIA, PA - MAY 07: Philadelphia 76ers Head Coach Brett Brown fields questions after the Eastern Conference Semifinal Game between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers on May 07, 2018 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA. (Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Philadelphia 76ers will move past the Bryan Colangelo era with Brett Brown in charge.

Thursday, Jun. 7, 2018 was the day. The day the Philadelphia 76ers finally cut ties with Bryan Colangelo, whose connection to alleged burner accounts was too much to overlook.

From leaking sensitive information to criticizing Joel Embiid, the accounts left Colangelo’s reputation in shambles. While he was not directly in charge of establishing the accounts, his opinion and reckless handling of information likely contributed to some of the statements made.

Despite reports that the team considered keeping him on board, there was no good way forward with Colangelo at the helm. Without credibility, there’s no reason to believe potential draftees or free agents would want to meet with Colangelo. Given the importance of this offseason, the Sixers simply couldn’t risk missing out on important opportunities.

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Now, Brett Brown will play an expanded role in shaping the outcome of those opportunities. Opportunities like signing LeBron James or Paul George. Opportunities like adding a top-10 pick to an already-competitive roster.

The Sixers have named Brown the interim GM, putting the head coach in charge of basketball operations until a new GM is found. Some would support Brown taking over the role full-time, but he rejected the idea of a long-term promotion.

Nonetheless, simply having the head coach leading the decision-making process, even if for a short period of time, is valuable. Brown is far and away the best basketball mind in the organization, embracing analytics and outside opinions in an attempt to formulate the most successful on-court product possible.

Brown, despite some postseason struggles, remains one of the best coaches in the league. He built the Sixers’ culture from the ground up, cultivating a group of players that genuinely enjoy playing with one another — all while maximizing their talents on the court.

Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons are the most natural fit, but staggering minutes allows them both to spend time heading the offense. His defense-first approach made the Sixers one of the best defensive teams in the league last season, with both Embiid and Robert Covington getting All-Defense honors.

He has also set up a successful offensive system, embracing pace and allowing Simmons to blossom as one of the best playmakers in the league. The Sixers are set to become one of the best teams in the league for the next several years, and Brown is a major reason why.

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He’s the one that, alongside Joel Embiid, sold J.J. Redick on coming to Philadelphia last summer. He has the basketball smarts and charisma needed to convince draft prospects and free agents to buy into the Sixers and this organization.

This is, again, the most important offseason in recent memory for the Sixers. They have a legitimate chance to add the greatest player of this generation, if not all-time. Brown might not be the GM when the LeBron interview rolls around, but giving him such a prominent voice in the organization is the best thing to come out of this Colangelo fiasco.

Brown has been through a lot since taking over the Sixers’ coaching staff in 2013. From years of tanking, to Sam Hinkie’s forced exit, to Bryan Colangelo’s Twitter incident, he has been through one heck of a five-year gauntlet.

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