Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Brett Brown

Sixers’ Head Coaching Search Primer

August 8th, 2013 at 8:03pm CST by Alex Lee

We asked you earlier today which team in the Eastern conference made the best coaching hire this offseason.  Missing from that list was the 76ers, who have mulled over their list of candidates for nearly four months now.  There is word that their search will come to an end at some point this week, so while we continue to wait for an announcement from the team, let's round up the latest on all of the names that have been linked to the Philly job throughout the offseason:

  • Kenny Atkinson, Hawks assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 17. Atkinson, who was with the Knicks last season, is rumored to be in line for a second interview, so he appears to be in the mix. 
  • Brett Brown, Spurs assistant: Interviewed at some point after June 24. Brown is one of the favorites for the job, and is also rumored to have a second interview.  Brown was apparently interested in the Celtics' post, but it is unknown if the same can be said for the Sixers' job.
  • Michael Curry, Sixers assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 10. Curry has long been considered a leading candidate for the job but nothing concrete has surfaced on him since around the time of his interview. 
  • David Fizdale, Heat assistant: Interviewed after July 16, if ever. The Sixers received permission to interview Fizdale, but there's been no word since. He is a longshot at best.
  • Adrian Griffin, Bulls assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 16. Griffin was rumored to have landed a second interview with Philly, but we heard tonight that he is no longer being considered for the position.
  • Melvin Hunt, Nuggets assistant: There is no confirmation that Hunt even interviewed with Philly, but multiple reports put him on their radar. It would be a shock if he was still a candidate.
  • Jay Larranaga, Celtics assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 12. Larranaga did enough to earn a second interview with Philly, but seems to be one of the longshots of that select group. It is worth noting that multiple reports have indicated Larranaga made a strong impression.
  • Ed Pinckney, Bulls assistant: Interviewed at some point after July 16, but we haven't heard much other than that the meet did, in fact, happen. Pinckney does not appear to be a realistic candidate.
  • Quin Snyder, Hawks assistant: If Snyder was interviewed, it was at some point after July 17.  He does not seem to be in consideration any longer. 
  • David Vanterpool, Blazers assistant: Interviewed on July 29. While no second interview has been confirmed for Vanterpool, he is still being seriously considered according to several reports, and has even recently been tabbed as the frontrunner. 

We know that Atkinson, Brown, Griffin and Larranaga either had or will have a second interview with the team, and that Curry, who coached the Sixers summer league squad, is also considered one of the frontrunners.  Sam Hinkie has has kept the media in the dark throughout the offseason, so the best anyone can do, reporters included, is guess.  My money is on Brown, who was rumored to be the guy on draft night and seems tailor made to work with Hinkie.  But again, at this point, it's anyone's guess.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On Sixers’ Coaching Search

August 7th, 2013 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

If it seems like we've been following the Sixers' coaching search for most of the year, that's probably because, technically, we have. It's been 111 days since the team officially confirmed Doug Collins wouldn't return as the head coach, but the search for his replacement may finally be coming to an end. A source tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe that things will "all play out [this] week" (Twitter link).

A Monday report indicated that at least four candidates – Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin, and Jay Larranaga – would receive second interviews with the 76ers. Griffin, at least, has sat down for his second meeting with the team, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein, who tweets that the Bulls assistant interviewed with Philadelphia for three hours on Tuesday.

It's not clear whether any of those other candidates have been interviewed for a second time yet, or whether their meetings are scheduled for later this week. However, Stein adds in a second tweet that while Brown and Michael Curry have long been considered the frontrunners for the job, Griffin and Larranaga aren't going down without a fight.

Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool is still rumored to be in the mix for the Sixers' opening, along with those five aforementioned contenders. I'd imagine that if he receives a second interview as well, the team would delay its decision until at least next week, rather than accelerating the process and announcing a hire this week.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Four Coaches To Get Second Interviews With 76ers

August 5th, 2013 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer will meet this week in New York with Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin and Jay Larranaga, giving those four their second interviews for the team's head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Another candidate, David Vanterpool, may join them for what would be his second interview, as well. Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry also remains in the running for the job.

A report this weekend named Vanterpool, a Blazers assistant, the favorite to land the job, while many other recent dispatches put Brown, an assistant with the Spurs, in the lead. The Sixers have been without a coach since Harris confirmed in mid-April that Doug Collins won't be back on the sidelines. New GM Sam Hinkie put the coaching search on the backburner shortly after that, but he's been deliberate even as he's reached out to candidates.

Wojnarowski mentioned Vanterpool, Brown, Curry and Celtics assistant Larranaga among the contenders last week, while a report earlier in July suggested the team had narrowed its choices to Brown and Curry. Atkinson, an assistant with the Hawks, has largely been off the radar aside from the report last month that he would get his first interview. Griffin, a Bulls assistant, interviewed with the Pistons earlier in the offseason, a couple months before the Sixers showed interest.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Pekovic, Adelman, Johnson, Sixers

August 2nd, 2013 at 11:21pm CST by Chuck Myron

Timberwolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders remains optimistic that the club will soon re-sign Nikola Pekovic, and tells Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that he's trying to explain the thought process behind the team's offer to the big man and his camp. Saunders stopped short of confirming that coach Rick Adelman will be back for this coming season, but echoed owner Glen Taylor's comments from last month, saying that he's optimstic that Adelman will return. There's more from Minnesota and other NBA locales in tonight's roundup:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Wall, Monroe, Sixers, Humphries

August 1st, 2013 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Let's round up a few Thursday items from around the Eastern Conference….

  • John Wall's five-year extension with the Wizards is fully guaranteed, with no player or team options involved, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall spoke to Monumental Sports Network about his new deal, and the additional pressure it will put on him over the next few years.
  • According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the Pistons don't seem overly enthusiastic about signing Greg Monroe to a maximum-salary extension. If the team "falls in love" with a frontline of Josh Smith and Andre Drummond, Monroe could be dangled at some point, Lowe suggests.
  • Monroe, Paul George, and Larry Sanders are among the Eastern players who could follow in Wall's footsteps and sign lucrative long-term extensions this offseason, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes.
  • Spurs assistant Brett Brown continues to be a frontrunner for the Sixers' head coaching job, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). A report last month indicated Philadelphia would likely choose between Michael Curry and Brown, who Pompey calls "the preferred candidate."
  • The Knicks would be interested in Kris Humphries if he's bought out by the Celtics, but that appears unlikely at this point, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
  • The Hawks have yet to make a final decision on where Lucas Nogueira will play next season, but it still looks as if he'll return to Spain, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Brett Koremenos of Grantland speculates that if Gigi Datome has success with the Pistons, it could inspire other NBA teams to look more closely to Europe for inexpensive outside shooters.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Latest On Sixers’ Coaching Search

July 29th, 2013 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

As Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported earlier this afternoon, Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool became the latest candidate to interview for the Sixers' head coaching opening, meeting with the team today in Philadelphia. According to Wojnarowski, Vanterpool has emerged as a "serious candidate" for the job.

The Sixers' search has lasted about three and a half months so far, with GM Sam Hinkie moving deliberately and interviewing several potential candidates. However, Vanterpool appears to be receiving legitimate consideration, alongside other contenders like Spurs assistant Brett Brown, Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga, and Sixers assistant Michael Curry. Wojnarowski writes that Brown and Larranaga have made "strong impressions" on the Sixers during the process.

A report earlier in July suggested that Philadelphia will likely choose between Brown and Curry, leading to speculation that perhaps the team's extended search is simply a means of gaining intel on rival teams. However, if Vanterpool is being seriously considered for the job, it would appear Hinkie and the Sixers aren't simply going through the motions.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Atlantic Notes: Pierce, Garnett, Sixers, Knicks

July 18th, 2013 at 1:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Three new Nets were formally introduced at a press conference in Brooklyn today, with Jason Terry obviously receiving a little less attention than longtime Celtics Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. While Pierce appeared emotional about leaving Boston, both veterans spoke about having a great opportunity to compete for a title with the Nets, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com details. Here's more on Pierce and Garnett, as well as a few other notes from around the Atlantic Division:

  • According to Pierce, he initially had to talk Garnett into waiving his no-trade clause to complete the deal, with the two teammates speaking on the phone for an hour and a half. Pierce added that he hopes to become a general manager someday, and that if he were Danny Ainge, he would've accepted the offer the Nets made (Twitter links via Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com).
  • Pierce also said that he never spoke to Ainge about keeping the Celtics' core together and attempting one more run, but noted that it would have been tough to make the necessary improvements to return to title contention (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
  • No matter how many candidates the Sixers bring in, and they've been linked to plenty, Michael Curry and Brett Brown still appear to be the frontrunners, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein, Brown is expected to receive the last interview that the team conducts (Twitter links).
  • Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com adds Austin Daye and Quincy Douby to the list of players who have worked out for the Knicks in Las Vegas (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Josh Newman of SNY.tv hears that the Lakers and Sixers are also expected to take a look at Douby this month (Twitter link).
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: 76ers, Rondo, Stevens, Copeland

July 4th, 2013 at 8:36pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As we continue further into the offseason, the 76ers remain the only NBA team without a head coach. When asked today if the team had begun interviewing head coaching candidates, GM Sam Hinkie was quick to avoid much comment, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Pompey points out that their head coaching search might not conclude until after the summer league, and that Michael Curry – one of the candidates for the job – is leading their summer league roster. He also writes that Spurs assistant Brett Brown could still figure to be another candidate, along with other NBA assistant coaches – David Fizdale of the Heat, Melvin Hunt of the Nuggets, and Chris Finch and Kelvin Sampson from the Rockets – who were at some point tied to the job as well.

Here are some more news and notes out of the Eastern Conference:   

  • A source close to Rajon Rondo says that the 27-year-old point guard is approaching the Celtics' hiring of Brad Stevens with an open mind, tweets Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
  • Washburn wonders if Stevens would considering bringing his former assistants from Butler – namely Matthew Graves (who was recently named the coach of South Alabama in March) and Drew Cannon – onto his coaching staff in Boston, noting that there may be an update on Cannon tomorrow (Twitter links).    
  • Bob Finnan of The News-Herald confirms that Cavaliers assistant general manager David Griffin reached out to forward Chris Copeland and his agent yesterday. Finnan isn’t sure that the team would look to sign him with Clark now on board, but notes that the team does have the flexibility to sign both players.
  • Eric Pincus of Hoopsworld speculates that Brandon Jennings could be a candidate to play the upcoming year on a qualifying offer for the Bucks and become an unrestricted free agent next summer (Sulia link). 
  • With the market for small forwards drying up, the Cavs had to overpay a little bit in order to secure Earl Clark from free agency, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. Though with Cleveland holding a team option for Clark’s second year,  Lloyd adds that the team still has a chance to keep some flexibility next summer.
  • Jan Vesely would still like to remain in the NBA once his contract expires with the Wizards after this year, according to his agent Alex Raskovic (hat tip goes to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando via Twitter). 
  • J. Michael of CSN Washington thinks that it would be wise for the Wizards to pass on a possible reunion with Antawn Jamison. 
  • In addition to Maz Trakh, John Loyer, and Bernard Smith, the Pistons are expected to add another assistant coach to Maurice Cheeks' staff on Sunday, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. 
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Brown, Granger, Brooks, Cavs

June 29th, 2013 at 12:02am CST by Chuck Myron

It's been a relatively quiet post-draft night around the NBA, but such inactivity won't last long. Teams can negotiate with free agents from other clubs starting Monday, and we'll likely find out the destinations for most of the top available talent in the week ahead. Here's what we know now:

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Atlantic Notes: Brown, Shaw, Celtics, Knicks

June 24th, 2013 at 6:38pm CST by Zachary Links

After a strong interview with the Nuggets, Spurs assistant Brett Brown has drawn the interest of the Sixers and led them to ask for – and receive permission – to interview him, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  Brown met with Nuggets officials on Sunday and emerged as a significant candidate in the search process, according to league sources, making him a hot commodity this summer.  Here's more out of the Atlantic Division..

  • Brian Shaw's agent told A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com (on Twitter) that his client has yet to hear from the Celtics.  However, he added that "there would be interest" if the C's called.
  • The Knicks are seeking cheaper alternatives with Jason Kidd gone and Rasheed Wallace retired, tweets Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.  Quincy Douby will be brought in for a workout tomorrow following Shawne Williams' audition today.  Douby, who has spent a good amount of time overseas, is no stranger to the New York area thanks to his starring role at Rutgers.
  • Brazilian prospect Alexandre Paranhos is working out for the Nets today, the Sixers tomorrow, and the Knicks on Wednesday, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0