There was some criticism surrounding the Sixers process in hiring a coach before the 2013 season. Analysts and fans alike said the team was moving too slow in its effort to hire Doug Collins’ replacement. I was never really bothered by how slowly they moved- I just wanted them to get the right guy- but after a few days in August had passed even I was getting worried. It was all moot in the end as the Sixers hired Brett Brown to be the team’s head coach just a few days later. The team had to convince Brown to take the job as he was also being offered the opportunity to become Gregg Popovich’s lead assistant in San Antonio. Brown wanted to be a head coach, but was worried about job security in the Sixers rebuild so the team’s front office had to make sure they could convince Brown that he had time to develop players and turn the team around. The Sixers gave Brown a 4 year contract and then the rebuild was officially under way.
It is now year three of the rebuild and Brown has shown some real coaching ability despite an abysmal win-loss record. The players who have stuck around have improved mightily and Brett has shown himself to be a solid defensive coach. The pinnacle of that success came last year when the Sixers finished 13th in the NBA in defensive rating despite a deeply flawed roster. Brett has his flaws as a coach (the offense isn’t always top notch) but I think he is a really good NBA coach who could do great things with an improved roster.
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So why would Brown’s job be in jeopardy if he has performed well in his time here? The answer is that I’m not sure that Brett will want to stick around once his contract is up. Sure, Brown signed up for a rebuild but I’m not sure he knew it would still be this bad. I certainly didn’t think the team would be this much of a work in progress at this stage of the rebuild. Brett Brown, like most Sixers fans, probably expected the team’s roster to be farther along but injuries and lottery balls have hurt the team’s chances at short term success in terms of wins and losses. The chance at Andrew Wiggins turned into 2 injured seasons of Joel Embiid. Waiting for Dario Saric to come over is hard for a coach with minimal talent on the roster. Three draft picks that we expected to convey have rolled over into this season. The Sixers haven’t been actively trying their hardest to win in the short term, but luck hasn’t been on Brett Brown’s side.
And just think about what Brown has had to endure on the court in his first 3 seasons as the coach. His first year saw the Sixers tie the NBA record for the most consecutive losses and his second team tied the record for most consecutive losses to start a season. This year hasn’t been much better as the team is currently sitting at 0-10. The Sixers are the first team ever to start 0-10 in consecutive seasons. It would be impossible for all of this to not weigh on Brown psychologically. You see a different demeanor from him this year as opposed to last year. He seems more defeated in his postgame pressers with the media. It has become difficult for the coach to sustain being satisfied with moral victories. It would weigh on any other coach the way it has Brown and throughout all three years of the rebuild, other coaches have marveled at the job Brown has to do with this team. Just this week, Brown’s old boss Gregg Popovich said that he wouldn’t last a month as the Sixers coach. And while I think that might be a tad dramatic, it just goes to show that this job can’t be an easy one to do every day. It is a grind for Brown and I’m not sure Sixers fans understand that.
All this is to say that I can see a scenario, where if things don’t improve, Brown won’t have any interest negotiating an extension with the Sixers this offseason or when his contract expires after next season. He may want to try his hand with another team as a head coach or even an assistant. Maybe he just wants to get away from all the losing and takes a year off before returning to the NBA as a coach at which point the Sixers could not just wait for him. If any of the above scenarios happened, that would be a big blow to the Sixers. The team might be able to find another good coach, but it might be hard to attract anyone else remotely qualified to this situation after 4 years of losing. Even if they were able to get another good coach, it would be a real disappointment to lose the culture and relationships with players that Brown has built during his tenure as head coach. I think it would be a real step back for the team.
Luckily for Sixers fans, it isn’t all doom and gloom. I think there is still a really good chance that Brown sticks around long term. He may not love every decision the team has made during his time here, but I think he is invested in the players and doesn’t want to leave them after putting so much work into their development. Secondly, NBA head coaching jobs are hard to come by. There are only 30 spots in the league and most guys don’t get a second chance, especially guys with Brown’s terrible winning percentage. While NBA general managers would be smart to not put much credence into that number due to the context of the Sixers rebuild, another team hiring Brett Brown would have tough job selling the idea to their fans and players. Brown would be taking the risk of never getting another chance to be an NBA head coach if he decided to leave the Sixers. Lastly and most importantly, I just expect the team to get better this season and before the start of this season. I am on the record as saying that the team will vastly improve once the injured players return. Before next season the team is expected to add Dario Saric, four first round picks and maybe even some free agent signings to go along with the improved members of the current team. None of that is set in stone at this point, but the Sixers have a pretty sizable chance of improving before Brown’s contract expires. Now none of the above reasoning can or should completely qualm worries of Sixers fans about Brown leaving. It is a definite possibility considering how hard of a job this. It may not be the most likely scenario, but the Sixers may need to start preparing for life without head coach Brett Brown.
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