The Philadelphia 76ers may have stolen the show on draft day by trading franchise point guard Jrue Holiday for top prospect Nerlens Noel, but they still have another move to make before entering the free agent signing period, finding a coach. The team's general manager Sam Hinkie denied a report made by the New York Daily News that claimed the team decided to hire San Antonio Spurs assistant Brett Brown for the vacant head coaching position.
"Nothing of that substance happened," Hinkie said in response to the report following Thursday night's NBA draft. "We had a lot of things going on. That was not part of what happened in the last several hours."
Hinkie claims that he has yet to interview anyone after the team decided to part ways with former head coach Doug Collins, who coached the Sixers for three seasons.
Brown has spent the past seven years working under Gregg Popovich and previously held the title as the Spurs' player development coach. His experience also ranges to the international game, helping Australia's national team place seventh in the 2012 London Olympics.
San Antonio's general manager, R.C. Buford, also denied the rumors of Brown's departure, calling the news "premature".
"I would leave it to the 76ers or Brett to comment," he said, according to the San Antonio Express-News. "To the best of my knowledge, I think people are jumping the gun on the process. But again, I'm not either the 76ers or Brett."
Philadelphia made a major splash during the NBA draft, trading franchise point guard Jrue Holiday and a second round pick to New Orleans for the draft rights to Nerlens Noel and a 2014 first round pick. The move not only gives the Sixers a top prospect in Noel, but also frees up cap space for the upcoming free-agent signing period to a struggling team looking to rebuild.
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