Brett Brown on 76ers Possibly Benching Al Horford: 'It's All on the Table'

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown did not rule out the possibility of benching veteran big man Al Horford when asked Friday.

According to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Brown said, "It's all on the table." Per Kyle Neubeck of the Philly Voice, Brown added: "If [that] is going to make us a better team, we will do that."

Horford has struggled a bit during his first season in Philly, and the Sixers are in the midst of a tough stretch that has seen them lose each of their past four games.

The 76ers had a busy offseason. They signed Horford and re-signed Tobias Harris, lost JJ Redick to the New Orleans Pelicans and sent Jimmy Butler to the Miami Heat as part of a sign-and-trade that netted them Josh Richardson.

By signing Horford, it seemed as though general manager Elton Brand was giving the Sixers an advantage in the Eastern Conference with the interior combination of Horford and center Joel Embiid.

It hasn't worked as well as hoped, and the Sixers are sixth in the East at 31-21. While Philly is in no danger of missing the playoffs, it is in a position that would require it to go through the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks in order to reach the NBA Finals.

The 33-year-old Horford is a versatile player who has been named an All-Star five times, but he is averaging just 12.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per contest. He is also averaging less than a block per game for the first time since his rookie campaign in 2007-08.

Al Horford slams it home

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Horford's field-goal percentage of 44.4 is a career worst by a significant margin, although he's averaging a career-high 1.5 made three-pointers per game.

If Brown does move Horford to the bench, it would likely give the Sixers more flexibility. While they'd lose Horford's size (6'9") and interior presence, they could make up for it with more speed, athleticism and shooting.

Guard Furkan Korkmaz is arguably the Sixers' best shooter, so giving him more starting minutes could benefit the team. As could starting Matisse Thybulle, who is perhaps the 76ers' best perimeter defender.

Philadelphia acquired guard Alec Burks and forward Glenn Robinson III from the Golden State Warriors prior to Thursday's trade deadline, and both are averaging career highs in points per game. Brown could try one of them in the lineup as well.

The Sixers have no shortage of options and possible combinations at their disposal, and it is clear they need change after their funk caused a tumble down the Eastern Conference standings.