Joel Embiid on Brett Brown Firing Rumors: 'I Just Thought It Was Bulls--t'

There have been rumors for much of the 2018-19 season surrounding the job security of Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown, but superstar center Joel Embiid is standing behind his coach.

"I just thought it was bulls--t," Embiid told reporters Monday regarding the rumors, per Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice. "He has done a fantastic job."

"I don't think he should have anything to worry about," he added. "Amazing coach, better person and obviously I got a lot of love for him. If there was someone to blame, put it all on me."

"It's hard when you have five guys that score the ball," Embiid continued. "It's hard to put it together. At the end of the day it comes down to the players ... He's an amazing coach and a better man."

He wasn't alone in his defense of Brown—Jimmy Butler and JJ Redick also spoke highly of the head coach:

And Embiid—who struggled throughout the series, dealing with a knee injury, illness and Toronto's suffocating defense, led by Marc Gasol down low—was quick to take the blame for the Sixers failing to win Game 7.

"I take it all, you can put this loss on me, you can put it all on me," he said. "Don't just put it on the coach or anybody else. ... I love when you guys or anybody else talk s--t, I see it all."

Toronto Raptors vs. Philadelphia 76ers - Game Highlights

Brown, 58, has spent the last six seasons as the team's head coach, guiding the organization through the controversial "Process" rebuild. After winning just 75 games in his first four seasons, Brown led the Sixers to 52 wins a season ago and 51 wins this past year. 

And while the Sixers boasted a ton of talent and high expectations coming in, 2018-19 has also been quite the ride in Philadelphia.

There was the bizarre Bryan Colangelo burner-account controversy and subsequent firing. Markelle Fultz continued to struggle with his shot's disappearance before he was ultimately traded. First-round pick Zhaire Smith barely played after breaking his foot and later having a serious allergic reaction that left him hospitalized and set back his recovery period immensely. The team made two midseason trades for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, essentially having three very different teams and identities throughout the season. Embiid struggled through injuries late in the year. 

Brown had a lot on his plate, in other words, but through it all general manager Elton Brand maintained that he had high expectations for the team. 

"I'd be disappointed for sure if we don't get to the Eastern Conference Finals and do well," Brand said in February after Harris was acquired ahead of the trade deadline, per Keith Pompey of Philly.com.

A few unlucky bounces, on a Kawhi Leonard game-winning shot Sunday night, ended the Sixers season short of the Conference Finals. That has left Brown's future in Philadelphia up in the air, but the fact that he received several votes of confidence from his players on Monday—including from the face of the franchise, Embiid—is a positive sign for the head coach.