Brett Brown Signs 2-Year Contract Extension with Philadelphia 76ers

If there is one head coach in the NBA who can be forgiven for a dismal record, it is Brett Brown of the Philadelphia 76ers. Despite a slow start for the third straight season, the rebuilding franchise announced they signed the coach to a two-year extension on Dec. 11.

This is Brown’s third season with the 76ers, and the team is off to a historically poor start. In fact, Philly started the season with 18 straight losses, which tied the worst start for a single season in NBA history. The Sixers are 1-20 as of Monday and well on their way to a third straight losing effort after they won 19 and 18 games, respectively, the past two campaigns.

While that doesn’t sound like a performance worthy of a contract extension, Brown has not been gifted with a win-now roster. The 76ers have elected to rebuild through the draft the past few years and only have one player (Carl Landry) with more than five seasons of NBA experience.

What’s more, because of injuries, big man Joel Embiid has yet to appear in a game since Philly drafted him third overall in 2014, and Dario Saric—another first-round pick from 2014—is still overseas.

Brown actually addressed the roster situation with ESPN.com’s Zach Lowe: 

"

I do feel the enormity of it from time to time. I wouldn't be telling you the truth if I said that I had thought in Year 3, this was the group I'd be coaching. I didn't realize the roster would play out like it has -- that last year would be almost a redshirt year, with Joel Embiid and Dario [Saric].

"

Given the front office’s willingness to engage in contract extensions, it clearly saw the past year as a redshirt season as well.