The BroadCast: 10/1/2018 ~ A Pre-Season Sit Down with Brett Brown

I think one out of he's put in the work to his own renowned pregame running routine and get out and have fresh interests me a lot quiz and as I get older, I feel like I needed even more. We cover some good ground, focusing on a lot of the cultural elements that have helped trigger the Sixers turner Brett Brown on this episode of the broadcasts. Yes, Yes, very excited to have an interview with Brett Brown on this episode of the podcast. Before we get to that,

reminders per usual about our feed. If you are not yet a subscriber, you can head two of course Apple podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, SoundCloud, tune in any of your other favorite podcatching platforms type in Sixers podcast Network and that will take you to our spots. It is amazing that we are I mean, really, all things consider, it is pretty amazing that we are talking about Brett Brown being on the cusp of his sixth season with the seventy Sixers.

Everyone knew that when Brown was hired back in August of twenty thirteen, there was a view for the long game that was involved. But for everything that Brown has battled and endured here, he is I think one hundred percent totally deserving of the opportunity that's in front of him, which is to have the legit chance to coach the seventy Sixers to not just one, but perhaps multiple and a perfect world championship runs. No doubt about it. He's

earned it. And there has been so much more than just x's and oh's that have gone into the last five seasons for Brett Brown, and those are going to be some of the things that you'll hear us talk about over the course of this conversation, which we had the chance to record right after the Sixers preseason opener against Melbourne United. Here it is we have the great privilege and fortune of being able to talk about a preseason game being in the book seventy six Ers First

Games against Melbourne United. What were some of your general takeaways from exhibition game number one? I mean just from the big pitch of personally to play against the team that I used to coach with and to have several of the coaching staff and a few of the players the coaches that I've coached, whether it's out the London Olympic Games or junior basketball when they're fifteen years old. They reminded me of when I took him out to

dinner the night before. The connection that I have had personally with the Australian basketball fraternity, the city of Melbourne, the fact that we have Ben Simmons, you know, our starting point got Australian, Jonah Bolden, you know, somebody that we drafted and is not in the program Australian. And you just can't make that stuff up. And so that that in itself was a unique environment, stuff that is

incredibly rare. That opportunity was very rare to then go play your first game and watch a new team, you know, play, and watch Marquel play and watch you know, Mike Muscala come in, say, and play in front of our fans against a team that I used to coach. It was a good night, you know, a good start to what is always a long season. But I would have left feeling like a defense really has a chance, I think to be elite, and I get really excited watching Marquel

folks play. Follow up on some of that stuff in a bit. But it's interesting because, especially now with changes that were made a couple of years ago, preseason schedules trimmed down to four games, where you guys actually have more practice sessions than you do actual games. So when you guys make evaluations on anything pretending to the team, how does weight get distributed to what you're seeing in practice versus what you might see in a glimpse in

a game. I have said publicly, and I'll say it now again that the gym is going to speak to me. I come into the season, certainly with preconceived ideas, and you're talking about a practice gym. Yeah, I am. I think the gym is going to speak to me in practice, and you know you're gonna feel things, you're gonna see things, and you have to come into it with a mind. I think where you take your preconceived ideas where I'm going to grow him, I'm going to play him. I

think these two guys can coexist. Well, I can run this play for you know whomever, those types of some of the odds, and then the gym speaks to the coach and the coaching staff, and always somebody stands out, somebody disappoints, something doesn't feel right that you thought was going to feel right over the summer. And so the gym speaks to me, and by and large, I like to reward what I see and deviate from my preconceived ideas. That's competition. Competition needs to be rewarded, or to me,

it's when stuff starts to unravel. And so the environment that we have to be able to do that is small. There aren't many opportunities in the NBA life where you can have multiple practices or multiple preseason games and then deliver a team to opening Night against the Celtics. You've got to have some you know, quick decisions and justification of why you're doing stuff. In my mind where ultimately I want to get to a as much as I

cannot rhythm to how I sub this team play. This team called plays for this team, etc. But practice is

the starting point for the base of those decisions. There's a lot that we could talk about in respect to Marquelle faults, but in the limited time we have, you said something going to that first game against Melbourne and a really elaborate answer about the decision to start him and bring JJ Reddick off the bench, and it sounded like, as much as anything, we know what he can do offensively, but the defensive part of what you saw from Marquel

that was something that stuck out in your mind. Can you give us some more details on what you observed at the end of last year with him defensively and then what he's shown up to this point that made you feel like that was the appropriate decision to make. I first think that he is a willing defender. It's not pulling teeth. The NBA defense is incredibly different than anything he experienced in college or DeMatha or in high school. And so it starts with like, are you a willing participant?

Are you a willing defensive player? Will you let me coach you defensively? And he will? And yes he can, and yes he does, and take that mentality and then you like Drake his body in his length, his wingspan, and his height into that formula, and I think he's got a chance to be so much better than others might have thought pre draft. You know, they was known more of a sort of a water bug type, you know, elusive, open court, get wherever he wants to go, big wiggle,

big game, you know, type of player. And I'm seeing something that can be transferred defensively as much as all those other notions that people had, you know, when they decided he was going to be the first player chosen in the NBA draft. And that's what I liked the most. His mentality. He combined that with his body and he

knows that's where I see the world. That's where I've bread is butted from a defensive perspective, and you throw that into a mix in the length with Joel and Ben Simmons and Cub and Dario as an example of a group that I started, that's a long team. You know, you start measuring finger tip to finger tip with their wingspans and stretching them out. I think somebody said they got to know almost thirty five feet, that's a lot of length, and that part of the game, that part

of him excites me. Was there any point last year when you wondered, questioned if he perhaps just from a mental unconfident standpoint, would be able to get back to what seems like a really good and healthy place that he's in right now. I think we'd all be lying if we, you know, didn't wonder like, where will this end up? I've always felt like he was going to end up being fine. How soon I didn't know. And the work that he put in this summer, and the man out was that he put in in one hundred

and fifty thousand shots. They say, you know, he shot this summer, and so that deliberate practice all day, every day from June, July and August. It's clear he feels good about himself. I think born out of he's invested time, he's put in the work, and for him to come back and do some of the things that I've seen this year, if anything, shows how confident he is, like he really is not shying away from anything, not shots, not a foul shot, not a free throw line, not anything.

And I think that that mindset that I see excites me as much as you know, him making some free throws or making some pull up jump shots. I like his mindset because he's not backing down from many of these environments. Do you think having fun, which it seems like he's doing, and trusting the network of people around him. I mean, are those two factors, from what you've seen over the course of your career day as big as anything to unlocking what someone might have within himself. I

think it is that for all of us. I don't care how old you are, and anytime you can come into a system and a program and a family where you feel respected, you know, you feel um, that you're part of something that's you know, a little bit bigger than you, that it has clear cut rules. It's not um, you know, anything that can be sort of taken for granted. It's to be respected. The environment, the role protected U that is to the environment that we've tried to create

since we've all been together. And I think that that Marquel coming in at this stage of all of us, after six years, he's coming into a very I think, a competitive, caring environment that I think can assist him as he moves through the NBA at a very young age. This is gonna say, I'm really really lazy, but I've

been ramping my brain. We've we've had about a week and a half worth of media sessions, and I feel like there's been so much that's been asked about Ben Simmons and Joe ellen Bead and what's next for them. Are there things that like we as the media aren't asking that that you're reviewing is really important? Things to Joe Allen, Ben, that you think might be under the radar that are important and critical to the next steps

that they're taking. What are some of those things? And your I mean, the main thing is the growth of those few that you've mentioned to me as leaders. And you know, I can get into coach speak and talk to you about, you know, putting them in more pick and rolls. I can get into defensive coach speak where we can talk about how well we switch or keeping Joel at the rim. I can do that, and it's

all true. But what immediately comes to my mind is the notion of growing leaders and everybody leads in different ways, continuing to remind them that this is the a city, this is the program, and help me, help you, help me,

help you down deep. I know that everybody wants to be coached, everybody wants discipline, everybody wants some level of law and order and to to to build offense around program in a good way and let them lead from those sort of parameters and embrace the city, and embrace the new guys coming into the team, and find ways to you attract free agents and have it be a

desirable destination. It's all there. We get everything, you know, an unbelievable city and incredible practice, facility of growing program, a clear cut way how we want to play the sport, offensive defensive style of play. I think that the culture that we're building is something that is attractive and real and all those types of things. Other things that interest me the most when you talk about the growth and

development of those two. Is it something that the media, you know, I don't know how you couched your question. Is it something that they speak about or you know, haven't really discussed Maybe as much as I think they could, I don't really can't. I think that it is something for me that that interests me, maybe more than anything, all these foundational elements of a sustained successful program, something that you've had handed over the parts of the last

six years. There probably was no one better to steward this team during the offseason months than yourself. I don't know if relief is the right word, but are you very much eager to be just focused back on coaching at this point that that is really your day to day at this stage of the season. You can use relief. It's relief the apokay, So are you relief to just

get back. I wanted nothing to do with with, you know, the continuation of a general manager role of responsibilities, because I know that that for me, I can't do both. You know, I do not want to have that type of bandwidth or multitasking. I want to coach basketball. And to look back, the sumone was very unusual. It completely changed the rhythm beat of a coach's like mentality and normal calendar lifestyle with your family, and it changed. It was different for me that some of them, more so

than any I think coaching year I've ever had. And so to look in the rearview mirror now and and end up where we have ended up with Elton Brand as that general manager and the growth of Alex Rucker and the empowerment in the office of Ned Cohen and you know, pivot and Mark evershly out into more of a role that that I think he's going to be amazing at with trying to help us, you know, identify and obviously still draft and all those things, but dig

into like how we building our program and free agents and all that stuff, and connecting with the team that we have now on the court, those four I'm fans of, and to end up as we've ended up, to drive into this office and see those people running our organization and to have the support of owners and Josh and Blitz,

Josh Harrison, David Blitzer. We're in a good place. We're in a really good place with people that are competent in can and understand the history of what we've all been through and the culture that we're trying to continue to grow. I'm thrilled we've ended up where we've ended up. And as far as my role in it, you just trying to help the team and help the organization in that three month window, and I hope that I did that.

People might say, well, this is a really easy question for the digital reporter who's employed by the seventy six ers to ask. But you just mentioned the patience factor of ownership, and that's not something you look at any professional sport and you really don't see that a lot. How much do you think that just you having time, how much more has that allowed you and this organization to do and accomplish. I mean, you cannot connect the dots of culture and impatience. It does, it doesn't, It

doesn't work. Culture cannot exist with impatience, especially when you dismantle the program and try to build it back up as we have. And there is a routine that we all seek. Everybody wants the comfort of a of a routine of familiarity doesn't mean the complacency. And so to try to grow habits and in a comfort level of how we work and where do I park and there's my locker, and you know, here's the style of play,

and here's some of the familiarities. Who are the players that we're running in corporate knowledge and continuation like that matters, and so you don't just click your heels and like, oh, let's let's you know, we have a culture and here takes time. And any team that I've ever studied or

been a part of this won championships has that. That's the only reason I do my job is we want to win a championship and bring a championship here to the city of Philadelphia, and you know, it can't happen in my estimation, my opinion, unless you have a base of culture. And to Josh Harris and David Blitz's credit, you know, we've been quite linear on how we've tried to grow this and how we see the world, how we signed contracts and have thoughtfully trying to build the team.

You know, the draft is always a challenge. Sometimes you'd get it right, sometimes you don't. And I just think that there's a very disciplined approach and how we tried to grow it. And it's probably as grateful an area that we're talking about for me that then our owners have stayed focused on the discipline you have to have if you really want to end up at some point with the championship. I can turn myself pretty likely because I get some glimpses and insights into the different cultural

touch points that you guys have built. And one thing is just the messaging around the training complex of the Philly Hard Philly Edge Philly Reel. Can you tell us where the inspiration for that message and came from? Was it based on if you think are certain examples of players who have passed through this team of the course of its history. Where did that come from? I mean it was it was they allowed me to do this, and so these are my words, and it's just words

that I use all the time. It's how I speak to my staff, to the play this to the media. And again to Josh and Dave David Blitz's credit, they allowed me to signage up the building and really give thought to how we message the building and how I speak to the team can be displayed in the building and if you came into a film session. It features on all of our films and in the past, and we will continue to do this this year. I will, you know, go to Joel as an example. What's Philly

hard mean to you? You know, Hey Ben, what's Philly edge mean to you? Marquel? What's Philly real? Like? What's authentic? What's real to you? And I think that those words mirror the city, like I want to play to the spirit of the city, our style of playing, how I try to act, you know, as the head coach and speak to my team. I hope those three words mean something. If you walked around a building, you would see, you know, Allen iverson stepping over somebody on a hard You got

Charles Barkley, you know, into the whole edge. There's a picture of him with a rebound. You can see there's an edge to you know, his style of playing who he is. And then there's like this authenticity a reel with Julius Irvin, you know, walking down I think it's Broad Street and looking like dark only could look like and you know, the authenticity. And we could have chose that word, but we went real, you know, I could

I could have chose attitude. We could have gone to some other words, but we went Philly hard, Philly edge, and Philly real. And that's how I see our program. That's how I see in the city. You know, I think it replicates the characteristics of the city of Philadelphia. Continuing along the cultural touch point lines. The day that we're recording this year a family day, so we see the families of everyone coming in through here. There's I think there's Hey, well there's at least hey, I don't

know if there's hay rides, but there's moon bounces. There's catering spread set up to bring everyone together like that before the season starts. How does that help the vibe or had a team. I mean, there are there are six things that we've started since we've all been together, and this is one of them. You mentioned coach to coaches, you know, that's one of six. Here here's the second of six things that, as I said at the beginning,

can live through the ages. It doesn't matter who the GM is, who the coaches, they are things that can live through the ages. That's how you form a culture.

When there's a rhythm to a calendar. There's annual events that you just never let go of, and you just keep doing them and doing them better, and all of a sudden it's ingrained and how you think and how you act and how you welcome, in this case, families, and this is a fifth annual family day and girlfriends, wives, children, mums and dad's friends are welcome to the facility on

a day, a special day, a single day. And we were lucky to have a fantastic day and to be able to look out across the river and see the skyline of the city of Philadelphia and have this amazing practice facility, you know, behind it, and to look out there and see several hundred people you know, and enjoying the day and interacting with each other and meeting people

that matters to us. And so the Family Day is an annual event that we started a while ago and it's continue to grow and we're excited to go down in about twenty minutes and get into it. A couple of mixed bag things before you ramp up. You're a car share a lot during the summer. You got a lot to do. Can we talk about your car? Can you describe to the people the car you drive? I envisioned Brett Brown going through the Australian at back terrain.

So I am so lucky that we have a relationship with a fantastic Jeep dealership and so every six months, you know, I have the opportunity to sort of design a car. And the guy that helps me do it, my good friend Dave. He he's got he's got a youthful approach to like how he likes to build things, and oftentimes I've got to tame him down and reminded

him that I'm you know, I'm fifty seven. I'm the head coach big tires and stuff that blinks and you know, stuff that's a little bit out there isn't my style. And so somewhere the the the the design of my car, you know, is something that I love. It is a Jeep that I've driven Jeeps for twenty five years, and this actually happens to be one of my favorite. I had a chance this year to take it deep into the woods of Maine. It was me, my dog in a fishing rod, and off we went. This is true.

My wife deserves a lot of credit for allowing me to take off for a few days. But the Jeep is my preferred car. It has been for twenty five plus years, and I'm like it. Work with a tremendous Jeep dealership to help me craft these types of vehicles over the years. Your pregame runs, how does that ritual? Where does that bring you? What are some of the music artists you listen to? Where does that take of

your pregame runs? I mean I have run repetitively for probably probably eighteen years, like as a habit, you know, and just to get out and have fresh air. Interests me a lot. It clears my head. I think better. I feel like you're not worth less when you started getting sort of out of shape a little bit, and you know, as I as I get older, I feel like I needed even more and weather does not intimidate me. We've run in snow and rain and you know, clouds

and sun. I need fresh air. I really love fresh air. And it's it's been a routine of mine for a long time, and it's just part of my rhythm to my day and my own personal habits that I try to stick to. And you do feel at times you miss it for whatever reason, and you don't feel as as good as you used to when you can knock out a good run. I have a more vested interest in this next question as a relatively recently meant to father. But how do you keep balance? What would you say

to people about keeping balanced? It seems like that's something that you have. I'm sure it's it's harder at times than you make it look, but that seems like something you've been able to achieve. I mean, for me, it's like I live a very basic life. I and me that here in the gym, with my team, or with my children and my family, and it's it's how I like to live. It's where I feel like I can be most productive and you know, fulfilled the things that I like doing the most out of life, and it's

almost that simple. I'm lucky that I have a little want to be Philly Street Ball of point Guard four team, which keeps me always interested in still coaching basketball. I got two beautiful daughters. I have a wife, Anna, that I've been with for you know, since she was twenty years old, and so I've been married or with her for you know, almost twenty eight years. And I met her traveling on a great Barrier reef in Australia and

we've been with each other for a long time. She really runs everything I enjoy the She is the sort of brains behind a lot of like the domestic stuff, and allows me to coach. Come in here and coach my team, our team, and that's my world. It's a simple world, but it works for me. Last way to bring it all full circle, You've built all this stuff, the cultural aspects. The team is having success. So now

with increased scrutiny, attention expectations. I mean, you've lived through a franchise that's one multiple titles, how do you preserve that? Ask that question differently? So you've been through the last couple of years. You have built all of this up, the cultural elements, the team is now having success. It seems like everything is in a good place with increased scrutiny on the team, attention people whose individual prominence might

be rising. How do you preserve the goodness that you and this team have created and making sure that that carries through as you guys, how to reach your goal of a title. I mean, my answer is quick, and it's something that I think entirely that the discipline of how we do kind of everything needs to always grow. It needs to always have a credible solidarity, It needs

to be consistent. Oftentimes as success comes in, either from a team or individuals, you know, stuff is a tendency maybe to get a little bit loose, maybe standards aren't

as tight. I think the whole opposite. I think now is the time that that we just keep things nice and tight and real and you know, accountable and down deep, I know that that's what our play is need and want, you know, And so my mindsets as the coach of the team as we start winning games and more expectations, is I want to make sure that we keep offense around our program and the discipline within the program of how we treat people, how we play offense and defense

and hire and contracts and retain the whole thing where there is a very sort of not negotiable, expected fantas and respectful way we care for people and we get at the end of the day, you're gonna win games. But it's more to that for me in regards to

the pitfall. So some of the areas that you're going to be aware of as our program grows in stature and the individuals within our program, you know, attain more notoriety and success and I will help them, but it needs to come with with a discipline amongst all of

us within. I think what's growing to be a special lugging who better the breadcram himself to give insight on that special feeling that is built around the Sixers And so awesome that he has had the chance to see this through Brown going into this year the fourth longest tenured head coach in the NBA, and that says something not just about his persistence, but as he said as well, the patients of Sixers ownership to give him a chance

to build upon and carry out his vision. Huge thanks to Brent for taking more than just a couple of minutes to talk. Thank you as always for listening. Be on the lookout in your feeds. In the coming days. We're gonna have a couple episodes at least, that's a plan to bring to you from China. Big trip for the seventy sixers and two games against really intriguing Dallas Mavericks team in Shanghai and then in Shenzen on Friday

and Monday, respectively. So we'll talk to you from half a world away in the South Pacific next time here on the broadcast see