There is a lot on the line for the Philadelphia 76ers when the NBA does resume the 2019-20 season in Orlando. The Sixers will now get their chance to see if their team is truly built for the playoffs after all of the moves they made in the summer of 2019.
If they don’t fulfill the goals that management set out to achieve with those moves, then a change at the coaching position could be on its way in the upcoming offseason.
Coach Brett Brown has been under a lot of scrutiny this season due to the struggles the team has had, but the front office has been patient in an effort to see what the team can do in a playoff setting. This roster is big and it can be awkward in today’s style of play in the NBA, but the overall belief within the organization is once the game slows down in the postseason, then they will be able to use that size and length to an advantage.
One Eastern Conference executive believes that this is Brown’s last shot to prove he can be the guy to lead this team. Philadelphia will look at Brown before they look at the duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid or Al Horford.
According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, one executive says:
“It depends on the playoffs,” an Eastern Conference executive said. “[Losing in the] first round, Brett is gone for sure. Conference finals? He may get to stay. I think ownership/management is most likely to fire Brett and keep the core together than do anything significant with the roster.”
Brown has been on the proverbial chopping block for a few seasons now. The team has come up short in the semifinals for two straight seasons and it seems as if the Sixers have taken a bit of a step back in the 2019-20 season due to them entering the resumption of the season as just the 6 seed after the high expectations.
The Sixers will not only be competing for a championship when the 2020 playoffs begin, but they will be competing for Brown’s job beyond this season. [lawrence-related id=33080,33072,33059]