Larry Brown was at the helm the last time the Sixers had serious success going all the way to the NBA Finals in 2001. Could he be set for an encore performance a decade later?
Brown was granted to permission by his current team the Charlotte Bobcats to talk to the Sixers, according to the New York Post’s Peter Vescey.
And, not only has Bobcats' owner Michael Jordan given Brown the go ahead to return to Philly, but, if Brown was to return he would control the 76ers from “top to bottom,” said Vescey.
Brown denied the rumors to the Philly Daily News.
"I can't speculate on what the Sixers will do, but I'm not coaching anywhere else," Brown told the Daily News.
Reports that current Sixers head coach Eddie Jordan’s days are numbered as soon as the season ends are nothing new. But for Brown to get full control in Philly, general manager Ed Stefanski would also need to be given the boot.
This is just a rumor that only seems to be reported by one source. And, the team wouldn’t confirm or deny anything simply saying, “we don’t comment on rumors.”
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But, the move would make sense for Brown personally since his family still resides in the Philadelphia area, according to the Morning Call.
Brown returning could also make sense for a Sixers franchise in the doldrums of a terrible 27-54 season that will thankfully come to an end Wednesday night in Orlando.
They could certainly use a bolt of basketball genius at the top. Since Brown left in 2003 the Sixers have fallen apart -- seeing six coaches fail to even get the 76ers out of the first-round of the playoffs (Brown won at least one playoff series in four of his six seasons with the Sixers).
Who really knows if Brown is due for a second act in Philly or how much control he would get if he comes back. But, this same franchise tried to remind fans of the glory days of the early 2000s when they brought home Allen Iverson this season.
Maybe they hope Brown could actually turn past glories into future ones unlike Iverson who failed to muster much brilliance during his second act.
In the meantime Brown has lead his eighth NBA team to the playoff this season. The Bobcats are seven games over .500 and ensured of their first playoff appearance in franchise history. No move would be made until Charlotte’s postseason run comes to an end.
