Nearly four months after the position was vacated, the 76ers have finally found their next head coach. Brett Brown, formerly an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, has accepted a 4-year contract offer fr0m the Sixers. He will be the team's 8th head coach in 10 years.
On paper, the hiring makes a lot of sense for this Sixers team. Brown has been under the wing of future Hall of Famer Gregg Popovich for the past 7 seasons, so he has been learning from the best in the business. Even before he was an assistant under Pop, Brown was the team's director of player development. He was given the task of grooming a young Tony Parker and a younger Manu Ginobili. The Sixers would love to see similar developmental success in their young core of Michael Carter-Williams, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, and Nerlens Noel.
Another trait about Brown that made him an attractive candidate for the Sixers is his experience as a head coach. Brown coached in the Australian Basketball League for 9 years, and his success there is what caught the eye of the Popovich, who eventually hired him to be a member of his staff. Brown was also chosen to lead the Australian Men's National Team in the 2012 Olympics. He was the Sixers' only candidate with this kind of experience, and this may very well be what separated him from the other candidates.
Brown, in taking this job, knows of the struggles that this Sixers team will face this year. They are thin on experience and talent, a recipe almost assured to fail. However, they do have youth. Their core is very young, and that could be the light at the end of the tunnel in this situation. Both MCW and Nerlens Noel have untapped potential, and the fact that the Sixers could potentially have 2 lottery picks in next year's stacked draft is promising indeed. This year may end up being a "try-out" season in order to see who Brett Brown wants to move forward with on this roster. With that being said, the Sixers could be in for a quick turnaround. After this season, if the Sixers play their cards right, we could be looking at a playoff contending team with a young core for the future. Can Brett Brown be the leader of this team for years to come?
Today starts his journey.
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