Enough is enough. It’s time for the Philadelphia 76ers to fire Brett Brown.
Since taking the job before the 2013-14 season, Brown is 37-138 at the helm of the Sixers, including 0-11 this year. It’s time. The Sixers must let him go.
But Philadelphia shouldn’t move on because Brown hasn’t won with the Sixers. No one could win with the Sixers. A child adopted by Red Auerbach, Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich and raised from birth to be a basketball mastermind couldn’t win with the Sixers.
The franchise should move on to save Brown from the Sixers. By all accounts, the former Spurs assistant is a good man and a great basketball mind. He is a man who would never quit in the face of a challenge or resign as head coach, no matter how dire things get in Philadelphia. And so the Sixers must kick him out of their facility and change the locks. They must let their caged bird fly.
After being announced as the new Sixers head coach in August 2013, Brown said: “If I was going to leave a situation like San Antonio, it better be for the right one. It’s a privilege to be here.”
Oof.
And: “I’ve always been a fan of Thaddeus [Young]. I see that potential in Evan [Turner]. You pay attention to Spencer [Hawes]. The pieces that are in place are workable pieces. I look forward to working with them.”
Sweet merciful God. It seems the Sixers never told Brown what “The Process” would entail. Young, Turner and Hawes are long gone. The Sixers weren’t going to win anything with that nucleus. But three seasons later, are they any closer to winning anything with their current nucleus? Forget a championship. A single game?
Back in March of 2014 after playing the Sixers in Brown’s return to San Antonio, Popovich said of his protege: “I feel terribly for him, but I don’t feel sorry for him. I feel badly for him because he has to go through it, but I don’t feel sorry for him because he would be angry if he knew I felt sorry for him, because he doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for him.”
In the 20 months since Popovich felt sorry/not-sorry for his friend and former assistant, the Sixers have gone 22-82. Imagine how terribly Popovich feels for him now.
Absolutely everyone feels sorry for Brown. Everyone except Brown himself and the Sixers front office, apparently. Brown is only 54 years old. He still has good years left that he can use to contribute to another NBA team. A real NBA team.
Do it, Sixers. Do it now. Fire Brett Brown. He can be free from his nightmare and you can bring in a worse coach to help you further bottom out. It’s a win-win. In fact, it could be the only two wins you get all year.
Gif of the week
Okafor doesn't want to break 76ers tradition so he turns the ball over after good plays. https://t.co/KvoZy9iMcJ https://t.co/vespp5FcPp
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) November 17, 2015
This is actually a vine, not a gif. But it’s a snippet of basketball video in some digital format – and it’s a video that, in six seconds, perfectly captures the state of the Sixers in “The Process” era.
Alright! Yeah! Something good is happening! We’re finally turning this arou- ... Ahhhhhhh crap.
How much did the LeBron carry the Cavaliers this week?
The usual, which is to say a lot. He’s averaging 31.8 points per game over his last five, 30% of Cleveland’s entire output in that span. But while LeBron is carrying the Cavs, know that he is also carrying the youth of America.
As you may have noticed, LeBron is wearing shorter shorts this year – supposedly to encourage kids to eschew baggy attire and dress in a professional manner. If LeBron takes this to the extreme and begins playing games in dress slacks and loafers, some other teams in the East might have a real shot this year.
Quote of the week
So, my Wife bought me a new toilet for our house. You know, one of those automatic ones. And i’m Hype!!! Yep That’s it, Goodnight! #blessed
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) November 12, 2015
Well, that’s revealing. Based on the first few weeks of the season, I was fairly certain that Steph Curry was too perfect to defecate.
Power rankings
The NBA finals won’t be over for seven months, which is why we so desperately need power rankings now to help us determine the league’s best (and worst) teams.
1. Golden State Warriors (Last week: 1)
At 12-0, the Warriors remain the NBA’s only undefeated team, so they’ll hold this spot until that changes (and probably after, too). Golden State has two tough games coming up this week – at the Clippers and home against the Bulls – but if they can get through those, they’ll tie the 1957 Boston Celtics for the best start in NBA history at 14-0. Then only a game against the Nuggets in Denver would keep them from history. Losing to the Nuggets is unlikely. The thin atmosphere only lets Steph Curry drain threes from farther out.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (2)
The Cavaliers dropped a game in overtime in Milwaukee on Saturday for their second loss of the season, forcing David Blatt to address if his team is complacent. “The players are human beings and naturally there is going to be some ebb and flow in terms of the energy level, the intensity level,” the head coach/LeBron’s towel boy told reporters. “But you do fight against it. More successfully at times and unfortunately less at other times. But you got to keep your eye on the prize and on the big picture as well and be understanding of that.” Here’s Blatt paraphrased: “We’re going to be complacent a lot because we play in a garbage conference and, barring mass injury, we already made the NBA Finals.”
3. San Antonio Spurs (4)
Here come the Spurs! They’ve won five in a row. Of course, the Spurs never went anywhere. The Spurs never will. They are immortal. When the sun burns out, all that will be left is darkness, cold, Tim Duncan hitting jumpers from the low-post and Gregg Popovich smirking at the sun for being stupid.
4. Dallas Mavericks (17)
Do the Mavericks deserve to be this high? No, probably not. But they’ve won four in a row, including their Super Bowl win over DeAndre Jordan and the Clippers. Let them have this moment in time.
5. Chicago Bulls (9)
The Bulls held on for a nice one-point win over the Pacers on Monday night, but lost Derrick Rose to a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter. This may actually be news to you as you are reading this, because Rose injuries have become so frequent now that they no longer are a major story. It’s death, taxes, the Eastern Conference is bad, Derrick Rose got hurt. He’s going to need to blow a hand off Jason Pierre-Paul style to be a top story again.
6. Miami Heat (9)
The new, Mario Chalmers-less Heat are rounding into form and have won four in a row. Could they be Cleveland’s sole competition in the East? It would be so very Cleveland to see LeBron get knocked out of the playoffs by his former team.
7. Atlanta Hawks (3)
After opening the season 7-1, the Hawks have lost more than they’ve won. Maybe they’re just being nice to their fans. It was cruel to get their hopes up last year before the playoffs, only to then play like the Hawks when it mattered.
8. Phoenix Suns (21)
Brandon Knight had his first career triple-double in Phoenix’s 19-point win over the Lakers on Monday night. And, yes, as of this writing, the NBA still recognizes statistics earned against the Lakers the same as those compiled against other teams.
9. Boston Celtics (19)
What is happening here? The Celtics have reeled off wins against the Wizards, Bucks, Pacers, Thunder and Rockets in the past two weeks. How is this possible? How is this possible from a team whose best players are … uhh … Isaiah Thomas … and … Jared Sullinger? Brad Stevens is some kind of wizard. Imagine what he will do when the Celtics roster gets some top-tier NBA talent. He must be removed from Boston.
10. Los Angeles Clippers (5)
The Clippers have lost four of six and now have to play the undefeated Warriors on Thursday night. DeAndre Jordan may want to see if there’s a way he can void his contract and sign with the Mavericks. [*loophole emoji*]
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (6)
Russell Westbrook is averaging close to a triple-double – 26 points, 10 assists and almost 8 boards a game – but he’s simply not a marketable player anymore. It’s apparently Steven Adams time now.
New Thunder billboard just north of downtown OKC pic.twitter.com/fJetguX0cD
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 12, 2015
12. Toronto Raptors (11)
Canada is a wonderful land. They deserve more than the Raptors, the NBA textbook example of a team that will make the playoffs, but do absolutely nothing in the playoffs. At least the Blue Jays briefly gave Canadians some real hope.
13. Indiana Pacers (18)
Paul George takes the second-most shoots in the NBA from 15 to 19- eet, considered the most inefficient shot in basketball by the analytics set because the upside is just two points very close to where a player could’ve earned three. But George told the Indianapolis Star that he is “not a believer of analytics.” You can’t really blame him. Sure, instead of settling for jumpers he could drive hard to the basket, but the risk there is that his leg snaps in half again. Jumpers work just fine, thanks.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (24)
New acquisition Mario Chalmers scored 29 points, 16 in the fourth quarter, to help Memphis beat the Thunder on Monday night. Maybe Chalmers should be considered the one that got away for Miami, not LeBron.
15. Milwaukee Bucks (14)
Believe it or not, Milwaukee is home to an exciting brand of basketball and you should watc- … and, of course, Jabari Parker sprained his foot and is out for the next week.
16. Washington Wizards (16)
The Wizards look to be running in place again as a mediocre team with little long-term hope outside of Kevin Durant deciding to play for them. There’s nothing like pro sports in the nation’s capital!
17. Utah Jazz (12)
Hey, it’s one of the mountain teams that is competitive, but not really a threat.
18. Denver Nuggets (22)
Hey, it’s the other mountain team that is competitive, but not really a threat.
19. New York Knicks (20)
Kristaps Porzingis hit a three-pointer at the buzzer last Wednesday that would have beaten the Hornets … if he had not released it a split-second too late. Not winning the game was for the best, though. Had the shot counted, New York City would have instantly devolved into Porzingsanity. Now the rookie will have a little more air to develop.
20. Houston Rockets (7)
The Rockets don’t deserve to be this high, but Kevin McHale is fighting for his job. Maybe he can print this out, take it to Daryl Morey and say: “Look. The Guardian still thinks we’re a Top 20 team!” And then maybe we’ve saved a man’s job. We can be proud of that.
21. Sacramento Kings (27)
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (10)
23. Charlotte Hornets (25)
24. Detroit Pistons (8)
25. Orlando Magic (23)
26. Portland Trailblazers (15)
27. New Orleans Pelicans (28)
28. Los Angeles Lakers (26)
29. Brooklyn Nets (30)
30. Philadelphia 76ers (29)
