Should the Philadelphia 76ers move on from Coach Brett Brown?
Flashback: 2018 Playoffs. Boston Celtics. Philadelphia 76ers. The Gardens was raucous.
Seven minutes and 21 seconds to go in the half. Philadelphia 76ers up by a commanding 22-point margin.
Timeout Boston.
…What takes place from here will go down in infamy. The echoes of “what just happened?!” will be heard through the corridors of basketball history for all-time.
Al Horford: shot made. Marcus Smart: shot made. Freaking Greg Monroe… shot made.
Simmons: turnover. Embiid: turnover. Simmons: turnover.
As the Celtics continued to mount their come back, one point was louder than any green clad fan in the arena that night: Brett Brown never called a timeout.
Now, certainly, you don’t terminate a man for not calling a time out, do you? But this sequence, which by the way, began the run that sealed the fate of the 76ers’ season, did shine a glaring light on the fact that Brett Brown was out-coached.
Philadelphia 76ers
Yes, the Celtics were on a run that almost led them to the NBA finals, and maybe they won’t be able to produce that kind of run again. But, if in a position where coaching is the difference between winning and losing for two evenly matched teams… can Brown step up in that moment?
Pedigree
Brett Brown has been a coach since 1988, with significant experience, including time under the great Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, which netted him four NBA champion runs (pun intended).
But this is his first head coaching gig. And most of it has been spent losing. Prior to this season, Brown’s record for the previous four are a very depressing 75-253. 31 percent winning percentage over four years.
And there have certainly been very few stars in the process. Coaching high-level athletes in high-pressure situations as a head coach is different than doing so as an assistant, even of one of the greats.
The present
So, is Brett Brown ready to coach a consistent contender? Is Brown ready to coach a team that is expected to win? Or maybe a change needs to be made?
Currently, and it has been well documented, the Sixers have a void at the General Manager position. Some have even suggested it has led to the lackluster offseason.
But what if Brett Brown were hired to permanently fill the void, and shed his coaching duties to another, more experienced Coach, who is ready to take a young team and mold them into a championship threat for years to come?
Because the question we should all have on our mind, after watching how the playoffs played out is: does Brett Brown have what it takes to make this team into the championship threat they are projected to be?
Remember the Raptors… but only a little bit
All in all, I like Brett Brown. I believe he has the know-how, and capability to continue to work on this team and himself, to get them to the promised land altogether. But we should be weary and remember the tale of the Toronto Raptors, so frustrated with mediocrity, terminated the Coach of the Year and traded their best player away in the wake of a playoff sweep in round two.
All after finishing the regular season with the best record in the East. It’s a stern reminder that sometimes, being good, isn’t good enough.
But I expect better things of Brown and the Sixers.
I expect Brett to work out the kinks, continue building a solid program where players improve, have fun and win. And I expect the 76ers to hoist many a champion trophy under the tutelage of coach Brett Brown and never ever experience anything like Game 2 again.