Brett Brown is one of the most positive people you’ll ever come across, but every man has his limits. Deep down, Tuesday night’s 105-87 loss to the Atlanta Hawks had to really
grind his gears.
Mike Budenholzer, someone the Sixers head coach spent over a decade with on Gregg Popovich’s bench, also left San Antonio two summers ago. Today, they are in polar opposite situations. While Brown is still amassing losses for the sake of player development and Ping-Pong balls, the man that goes by Coach Bud is:
• Coaching the best team the Eastern Conference by four games, a 30-8 squad that is also winners of its last nine contests.
• Seriously staring at a chance to coach in the NBA Finals. The Hawks pass the “Top-10 offense, Top-10 defense” test (6th, 4th), and furthermore, Bud’s team is 10-2 against the juggernaut that is the Western Conference. Heck, right now the Hawks look like a plain ol’ title contender.
• Receiving unanimous praise from writers and ultra-successful gamblers alike:
• Winning in a manner that is reminiscent of the organization both coaches came from. Like the Spurs, nobody on the Hawks plays heavy minutes (Paul Millsap leads the team with 33 MPG). Like the Spurs, the Hawks pass extremely well (67.8 AST%, highest in the NBA). Like the Spurs, the Hawks shoot the eyes out of the ball (.386 3P%, second to only Golden State).
The Hawks resemble San Antonio so much that they have been given a new nickname: Spurs East. In case you are still wondering exactly what the lay of the land looks like, here is an illustration.
Brown, who has only won 26 games combined over two years, very well could be a good coach. We just don’t know for sure yet because his team’s talent level is so low. Listening to him at last night’s post-game presser, I didn’t get the sense he cared about any of the credit, praise, or accolades Budenholzer is deservingly receiving. Brown just seemed like a guy who wanted to see his team play good basketball.
“We talk a lot about our inability at times to score, and the pass is still something personally that just drives me to not get much sleep,” Brown said. "It just haunts me because I know the ripple effects of team stuff and the importance of sharing the ball is everything. We need to get better at that.”
Brown is far too hard on himself. The Sixers actually assist on 60% of their field goals, good for 8th in the NBA. They do sport a 91.2 offensive rating, which is the worst mark in the league by a wide margin, but that futility isn’t due to a selfish mindset. It’s because they don’t have anyone who can shoot the ball.
On the contrary, it’s actually quite impressive how together Brown’s team plays on a consistent basis. Unfortunately for the Sixers coach, his franchise big man is currently in a suit and not collecting triple-doubles like Al Horford did on Tuesday night. His team makes the extra pass and doesn’t knock down the shot.
“It reminds me a little bit of San Antonio when you could take a bunch of people out and still have one or two really good players in,” Brown said after the game, talking about his old friend mimicking their old team. “You know, the system moves. I give them credit. They pass the ball, they play together, they’re a good team.”
For now, Brown has to keep collecting losses while showing his young players the ropes around the NBA. He’s done a fine job so far this season. Seven wins at this point should be considered an achievement.
Regardless of what you think of Sam Hinkie’s plan, Brown is a guy that’s easy to wish good things happen to. All he wants is for his team to execute at a high level, and for the near future, that's just not possible.
