The Philadelphia 76ers had the worst possible experience in the NBA bubble. Now that their season is over, it’s time for the Sixers to find a new head coach
The NBA bubble couldn’t have gone worse for the Philadelphia 76ers. They landed in Orlando with hopes of redeeming their disappointing regular season, and things got worse from there. The Sixers had an unimpressive seeding games period, lost Ben Simmons for the season and then were swept from the playoffs in the first round by a Boston Celtics squad that barely had to break a sweat.
It was a brutal end to the season, and a torturous way to bury the last vestiges of The Process. The final touch on the desecration of what Sam Hinkie built (or had begun to build, more accurately) came on Monday, less than 24 hours after the Sixers had been eliminated from the playoffs: Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Sixers’ owner Josh Harris, head coach Brett Brown was fired.
There was little doubt that at least an Eastern Conference Finals berth was required for Brown to save his job this season, and a four-game sweep made it fait accompli that the deed would be done.
At least one sportsbook has put out odds for Brown’s replacement:
Without wholesale changes, Brown’s dismissal is little more than a scapegoating. From the sounds of it, general manager Elton Brand will remain in place for a “reorganization” of the front office. His walking papers should have been issued in the same breath as Brown’s, but they weren’t, and now Brand will be operating to save his own job.
As the saying goes, once you wait long enough to fire a general manager that he makes decisions to save his own job, you’ve waited too long.
The Sixers have waited too long and there’s surely going to be a price to pay.
Be that as it may, let’s take a look at four possible candidates to replace Brett Brown as the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers.