Sixers: Ben Simmons’ injury shouldn’t save Brett Brown
The Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t have Ben Simmons’ injury as a factor in determining Brett Brown’s future.
Philadelphia 76ers‘ head coach Brett Brown’s job security has been a hot button issue for the past couple of seasons and entering the playoff series with the Boston Celtics doesn’t change it. One unexpected variable introduced into whether he keeps his job or not is Ben Simmons’ injury.
Simmons is expected not to be available for the playoffs unless the team makes a deep push and without him playing that seems unlikely. Before the season began, the Sixers were expected to challenge for the Eastern Conference title. However, with the team’s inconsistency this season, especially on the road, that has became a less likely goal before the NBA went on its hiatus.
To put it frankly, the Sixers making a deep playoff push seems slim, especially with Simmons missing time. Without a deep playoff push, Brown’s prospect’s of retaining his job this offseason seems unlikely. When general manager Elton Brand is deciding about Brown’s future, Brand can’t let Simmons’ injury impact his decision on Brown.
Why Simmons’ injury shouldn’t matter.
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The easy thing for Brand to do this offseason is to absolve Brown if the team doesn’t perform well in the playoffs because Simmons was unavailable. Let’s face it, Simmons is Philly’s second-best player and most versatile defender, so missing him is a big deal. However, keeping Brown purely because Simmons is out would be a mistake.
When it comes to Brown’s security, it can’t be just how far he makes in this postseason but also how he’s handled the roster the last couple of seasons. Giving him a pass just because Simmons is unavailable would be irresponsible.
Brown needs to be judged on his overall performance with or without his star players and what adjustments he’s made over the years. That includes how he does in the playoffs without Simmons. If he can make it a close series against Boston without Simmons then he has a legit case for keeping his job, but if he can’t then the inverse could also be said.
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Simmons’ injury shouldn’t be a free pass for deciding Brown’s future as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. That decision has to be made independently of that factor.