Brett Brown, 76ers Agree to New Contract: Latest Details, Comments, Reaction
The Philadelphia 76ers may be on a collision course with the worst record in NBA history, but that hasn't affected the job status of coach Brett Brown.
The Sixers rewarded Brown with a two-year contract extension Friday, according to Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, a clear sign they're committed to him—if not "The Process"—going forward. The team announced the move later Friday:
Brown, 54, had one year remaining on his contract. He's 38-149 overall midway through his third season with the team, including a 1-22 mark in 2015-16.
Despite the ugly win-loss totals and general inefficiencies, Brown developed his defense into one of the league's more respected units last season, as NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted:
The extension comes four days after the Sixers hired Jerry Colangelo to a senior advisory role, which many saw as a repudiation of general manager Sam Hinkie. Hinkie has executed the most unrepentant tank job in NBA history, stripping the Sixers roster of all able-bodied veterans in hopes of landing a superstar via the draft.
On paper, it's a smart strategy. The Sixers are not considered a prime free-agent destination, and the easiest way to land a superstar and keep him is via the draft. Outright tanking is nothing new; it's been part of the NBA since well before the lottery was instituted. Tanking over a multi-year stretch in such an obvious fashion, however, has put the Sixers in the national crosshairs.
"When you're building a business culture, you're dealing with human beings," an agent told CBS Sports' Ken Berger. "Especially with athletes, you've got to have a rapport with these guys. It's a culture of communication and transparency, and none of that exists."
The Sixers' culture problem reared its head in a big way when top rookie Jahlil Okafor was involved in multiple off-court incidents that resulted in a two-game suspension. It wasn't long after Okafor's suspension that Colangelo was in place, and the Hinkie master plan was seemingly put on ice.
Although he was hired by Hinkie, none of the bad blood has gotten on the hands of Brown, whom most around the league respect as a smart basketball mind. He was Gregg Popovich's director of player development and assistant coach in San Antonio, and he's become increasingly public in his overall frustration with the rebuilding process.
"I don't even care. I don't even think about it," Brown said when the Sixers were in the midst of a record-setting losing streak, per Jessica Camerato of CSNPhilly.com. "We're trying to grow young kids and grow young players. How many streaks have I been a part of? I'm numb to it. I'm truly numb to it."
Signing Brown to an extension is perhaps more than anything a "thank you" for sticking with The Process. With Colangelo in place and pressure on Hinkie to make some more competitive basketball moves, perhaps Brown won't be as numb in the second part of his Sixers tenure.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
