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76ers ‘upheaval’ begins with firing of embattled Brett Brown

The 76ers finally dropped the hammer, and more could be on the way. About 24 hours after getting swept out of the playoffs in the first round, the 76ers fired head coach Brett Brown, the team announced Monday. The franchise could experience more “upheaval,” according to ESPN, as leadership and general manager Elton Brand are …

The 76ers finally dropped the hammer, and more could be on the way.

About 24 hours after getting swept out of the playoffs in the first round, the 76ers fired head coach Brett Brown, the team announced Monday. The franchise could experience more “upheaval,” according to ESPN, as leadership and general manager Elton Brand are expected to look into changes in the front office’s structure.

“We are really disappointed and know we let our fans down,” managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement to ESPN. “It’s unacceptable and it’s important that we all hold ourselves accountable. We’re going to be doing a real assessment of how we got here and expect that more changes will need to be made in order to get this organization back on track. This will be a crucial offseason for us and we need to get it right.”

Among the potential candidates to replace Brown are Ty Lue, ESPN reported, with the interested expected to be mutual. The Clippers assistant is also a potential candidate for the Nets job, among others.

Brown had been at the helm in Philadelphia since 2013, guiding the organization through tanking and “The Process,” but he now joins the many castoffs of the rebuild without having led them to the promised land. Rumors had swirled during the NBA’s COVID-19 shutdown that Brown could be in danger of losing his job, so Monday’s news was hardly surprising after the 76ers were quickly knocked out by the Celtics.

Brown finished his 76ers tenure with a record of 221-334, with two trips to the Eastern Conference semifinals.

“In 2013, I was employed to lead one of the most dramatic rebuilds in professional sports history,” Brown said in a statement. “In the past seven years, our players and coaches have evolved and grown, and I have deep appreciation for the 102 players I have coached. … I sincerely wish [Brand], the players, and the next coaching staff my very best in their pursuit of an NBA championship.”

Brand thanked Brown for his part in developing a bevy of young 76ers draft picks.

“I have a tremendous level of respect for Brett both personally and professionally and appreciate all he’s done for the 76ers organization and the City of Philadelphia,” Brand said in a statement. “He did many positive things during his time here, developing young talent and helping position our team for three straight postseason appearances. Unfortunately, we fell well short of our goals this year and I believe it is best to go in a new direction. This will be an important offseason for us as we look to get back on track towards our goal of competing for an NBA championship.”

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