Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports
When Brett Brown walked up to the podium to introduce himself as the new coach, one word came to mind: honesty. He spoke of patience, pain, a struggle and how at times this season is going to be tough and potentially wear on players and coaches.
The fact is Brown is walking into a tough situation. The Philadelphia 76ers under new GM Sam Hinkie are going through a total rebuild. This is why, according to Brown, getting four guaranteed years on his contract was a make or break proposition for him to take this job.
There is no doubt this is going to take some time for the Sixers. They have traded away their lone All Stars in consecutive seasons in Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday. They are essentially starting over.
The question is, was there ever a better time to hit the reset button than now? The upcoming 2014 NBA Draft is said to be loaded. Most draftniks have it pegged as the best draft since 2003, which included the game’s current best player in LeBron James, as well as Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade.
The Sixers clearly have their eye on perhaps the most-hyped prospect since James in Andrew Wiggins. He is the type of franchise player that can change an organization’s fortunes in the blink of an eye.
The model the Sixers are trying to emulate is that of the Oklahoma City Thunder. They built what looks like a potential dynasty almost strictly through the draft. Superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are both homegrown draft picks, and James Harden was another homegrown player who has gone onto superstardom elsewhere.
The model is clear for the Sixers. They already have a few potential building blocks in center Nerlens Noel and point guard Michael Carter-Williams. The 76ers are in for a few rough seasons to be sure. Hinkie and Brown, however, preach patience. Watching the team lose consistently might tough at first, but the gold at the end of the rainbow makes it all worth it.
