1. Brett Brown
In many ways, Brett Brown deserves to be the Philadelphia 76ers’ head coach. He suffered through the Process and earned the right to reap its rewards. Brown filled in nobly when Bryan Colangelo was forced to resign as general manager. He is an affable and approachable coach who is well-liked by players fans, the media and the owners.
But when it comes to the games, his decisions are often baffling.
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Brown still gets heat for his performance during the playoff series against Boston that ended the 76ers’ season. In Game 2, the Sixers watched a 22-point lead evaporate during a Celtics run that Brown just watched without ever calling a timeout or making a substitution.
ESPN‘s Stephen A. Smith accused Brown of blowing the series against Boston by losing three games with bad coaching.
It is universally accepted in basketball circles that Brown was out-coached by the Celtics’ Brad Stevens in the series, though to be fair, everyone is out-coached by Brad Stevens in the Eastern Conference.
Still, Brown was never a head coach before he took the 76ers job. Yes, he has learned from legends like Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and Rick Pitino at Boston University. But his record with the Sixers is 129-286, for a winning percentage of .311.
Yes, it is unfair to hold the tanking years against him, but not the Boston Celtics playoff series and not the slow start to this season.
Brett Brown may have been the perfect coach for the lean years. But now, with budding superstars, the 76ers need a superstar coach to lead them. It pains me to say that’s not Brett Brown.