As expected, the Philadelphia76ers decided to fire head coach Brett Brown after suffering a sweep in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Brown Out, No More Patience for the 76ers
What many predicted a while ago, happened today, as Philadelphia decided to end its cooperation with the Australian head coach Brett Brown. This news was delivered first by Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN’s NBA insider.
“The Philadelphia 76ers fired coach Brett Brown, sources tell ESPN,” he wrote on his Twitter account, setting the social networks on fire.
Apparently, a 0-4 loss in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics, was the last straw for the management, which is already looking to make radical changes in its organization. According to several sources, all the persons tied with basketball operations might be removed pretty soon, including GM Elton Brand.
For now, there aren’t any indications who will be on the list for the departure. The same sources are suggesting that franchise leaders explore options for the massive restructuring of the roster which could include a trade involving Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons.
Philly played without the latter one against the Celtics, which is why they encountered numerous problems on both sides of the court. Brad Steves cleverly used 76ers’ problems exploiting Simmons’ absence.
Philly’s chances of reaching the second round weren’t that big, but nobody expected to see a sweep, especially with Embiid, Harris, and Horford healthy and ready for playing. Last year, this team had a seven-game thriller against the Raptors in the semis, ended with Kawhi’s magical corner shot, which sent Toronto into the next round. Before this season started, the goal was to go at least one step further and reach the conference finals.
However, the Sixers didn’t meed the expectations, and they had massive oscillations in their game, which would eventually result in finishing sixth in the East. That was something devastating for the entire crew, and when adding that Simons couldn’t play, losing to Celtics was a logical outcome.
Tyronn Lue and Jay Wright Possible Replacements
Brown spent seven years in Philly, where he came from San Antonio. Back in Texas, he was the assistant and the director of player development. He would win four NBA titles with the Spurs as an assistant to Gregg Popovich.
The first three years of his stint were humiliating with the 76ers posting 47 wins combined, in 2016 just 10. Philly reached the conference semis twice with him in charge.
As possible replacements, the media highlight two persons, the current LA Clippers assistant coach, Tyronn Lue, and Vilanova Wildcats’ head coach Jay Wright.
Lue won the 2016 NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he spent two years. He was also a two-time champion as a player in 2000, and 2001.
On the other side, Wright is the two-time NCAA champion in 2016 and 2018, as well as a two-time NCAA Coach of the Year. He’s been doing wonders with the Wildcats, not only posting excellent results but also producing top prospects for the NBA.
