Taking a closer look at Brown’s coaching abilities
CAMDEN, N.J. >> Another woeful 76ers season has passed, and with that, there are all of the accepted questions. All the accepted questions but one.
It’s not any question about the players, or the ownership, or the general manager. It’s not about the draft, or free agency. It’s not about the color of the goofy alternate uniforms. No, all of those will be addressed, either in the press or at a fashion show. It’s that other question that keeps being tabled, even if for every dignified and sensible and polite reason. Everyone knows the one. Go ahead, then, let it out: That Brett Brown … um … what do you think?
That one. That’s question.
“The bottom line is we’ve got a relentless coaching staff,” Bryan Colangelo said, “that is all about developing talented the players and bringing them along and making them more suited to play NBA basketball.”
That was the basic story the other day at the training center, when the Sixers ran Colangelo and Brown in front of microphones to explain another 365 days of a never-ending culturebuilding process. That was the story with the last general manager, too. And that’s been the story as Brown has gone 75-253 in his four seasons in charge of coaching and fronting for the together-we-build diversion, maybe even in that order.
Wait a minute … 75 and 253?
Technically, that figure should startle, with the .229 winning percentage being the worst of any head coach in NBA history with at least four seasons of experience. But to borrow a phrase favored by Brown, the topic has never been a fair question. The Sixers never gave him a chance to compete as they endeavored to build a winner by acquiring favorable
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drafting position by losing with substandard professional players.
Yet while Brown should not be judged by his record, he has had four years to reveal his style, tendencies and abilities. And that makes these questions relevant, even if his record is largely insignificant.
Does he know talent? Yes. Brown showed this season an ability — and the courage — to identify and utilize players based not on their reputations or salaries, but on their skills. He tired early of Sergio Rodriguez, benching the $6.8 million point guard in favor of 20152016 walk-on T.J. McConnell. And while he had to be delicate about it given that the organization once dumped an entire season for his rights, Brown all but slid Jahlil Okafor behind former Richaun Holmes, a second-round draft choice.
With Robert Covington, once picked up on waivers, McConnell and Holmes are important pieces in the Sixers’ rebuilding … pieces that Brown identified.
Does he get full effort from his players? Yes. In the case of Joel Embiid, who so often crashes to the floor in his passion to win that he invites health risks, it may even be too much. If Okafor proves a failure, it will be because of his defensive indifference, and Brown will have to answer for that. But though the Sixers tired at the end of another hopeless season, they rarely allowed a 50-50 ball to go un-chased.
How about his O’s and his X’s? The buried truth about coaching is that there are only so many of those to be scribbled. In the NBA, where a panel of scouts at every game monitors every play, play call and trend, there are not many blackboard secrets. To wonder if a coach who has reached the NBA level knows how to design an effective sideline inbound pass is ridiculous. They all utilize the same concepts. But by midseason, Brown and the Sixers were exhausting opposing defenses and coaches with a simple passing, cutting almost position-less game. It was impressive, even during losses.
Is he contributing to the progress? Some. The Sixers went from 10 wins in 2016 to 28 this season. That’s progress enough … for a while.
Is he a communicator? Yes. He understands the market and the press and clearly, patiently explains his every move. It’s a simple, reasonable way to behave. It’s amazing how many coaches, however, don’t understand that.
For those reasons, it’s understandable how Brown can enjoy such job security. Indeed, the irony of his situation is that the lack of talent he has been asked to coach has not given him a bad job but one of the best in the history of coaching Daily Times at any level. He hasn’t been required to win. Beautiful, huh?
“I think that he way we play is a good reflection of who he is and what he brings to the table in terms of his desire to succeed,” Colangelo said. “And I can’t overlook the commitment he has made to this program. As the talent level increases and as the expectations and mentality of the group increases, it’s really exciting to see that we have a coach who understands it and cares as much as he does.”
Somebody, though, will be blamed for sputtering of a rebuilding program about to hit Year 5. Already, the losing has cost Sam Hinkie a job. If Embiid and Ben Simmons are healthy next season, there will be higher expectations from the fans. And if those are not met, Brown has to realize that Colangelo still has a fire-thecoach card to play before the blame hits the executive level.
At some point, even for the best coaches, there can be one woeful season too many.