Report: Sixers extend Brett Brown

Entering an offseason that could bring about some big changes for the Philadelphia 76ers (best odds for LeBron James, anyone?), the organization signaled Tuesday night that at least one thing will remain the same for the foreseeable future.

Rather than enter the 2018-19 season with head coach Brett Brown on the final season of his contract, the Sixers have declared their full support that he is the man to guide the team in the next stage of the Process (which, as Joel Embiid will tell you, is never going to end). Brown was currently working under a two-year extension he had signed in December 2015. He’ll now be on the sidelines through at least the 2021-22 season.

With what could charitably be considered a subpar collection of rosters, Brown averaged less than 19 wins across his first four seasons in Philadelphia. You couldn’t go weeks without some segment of the Sixers fan base calling for his firing, up through a difficult December this past season when the team lost 9 of 10 games to fall to 14-18.

You know the rest. The team turned things around, vastly exceeded expectations by winning 52 games, and defeated Miami in 5 games in the first round of the playoffs before falling to Boston. The “fire Brett Brown” proponents went awfully silent until we heard some chirps with Brad Stevens getting the better of him in the playoffs.

In addition to helping guide top talents like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, it speaks highly of Brown’s developmental skills as a coach that undrafted players like Robert Covington and T.J. McConnell are now widely respected role players in league circles. Despite the “losing culture” Process haters loved to label the Sixers with, opposing coaches always raved about how hard Brett Brown had his team playing.

Once the team was ready to compete, J.J. Redick said Brown was the biggest factor in his choosing to come to Philadelphia. Veteran buyout players like Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli opted to come to Philadelphia rather than other playoff contenders, and have been very outspoken about enjoying their time with the team.

Brett Brown was there through one of the most trying times in franchise history, always maintaining a positive attitude and serving as the face of the franchise when management seemed reluctant to answer the tough questions. With his performance in leading the Sixers to the 3rd seed in the East and the second round of the playoffs, Brown showed he’s capable of transitioning the team from bottom-dweller to true threat in the Eastern Conference. Brown deserved the opportunity to continue to see this through and try and lead this team to a title. Now, he’ll have that chance.