Sixers coach Brett Brown is a former Spurs assistant, and he has the support of Gregg Popovich and members of the San Antonio roster as Philly endures a 24-game losing streak, observes Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
“It’s not easy for Brett,” Tony Parker said. “They’re trading everybody and their first-round pick [Nerlens Noel] didn’t even play, so it’s not a fair situation.”
Brown’s connection to the Spurs coaching tree, a popular source of sideline bosses among league executives lately, is at least one reason why the Sixers seem highly unlikely to cut ties with him after just one season, as the Bobcats did with Mike Dunlap last year. Here’s more from the Atlantic:
- Brad Stevens believes that for players, specialization is more valuable than a broad repertoire, as he tells Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe, who looks at the coach’s plan for his first full offseason with the Celtics.
- Nets trade deadline acquisition Marcus Thornton is experiencing a renaissance in Brooklyn, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com examines.
- Henry Sims has benefited similarly from a trade last month, transforming from afterthought in Cleveland to a starter for the Sixers. Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News looks at what the big man has shown in his expanded playing time.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson has endured his share of criticism this season, but he deserves more credit than he’s receiving for New York’s recent eight-game winning streak, opines Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.