Brown on key Sixers

DURING HIS SESSION with the media yesterday, new Sixers coach Brett Brown had some interesting things to say about some of the players he has inherited. Here's some of what he said:

On Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes: "The team has been in the gym since Sept. 9, led by Spencer, Thaddeus and Evan. I'm proud of what they've done so far. They are enjoyable to talk to and I have empowered them. I look at them the way we used to look at Timmy [Duncan], Tony [Parker] and Manu [Ginobili]. When I go into a room and I see veteran players and especially because they're healthy, I'll look at them and put my arms around them because I want their opinion on a lot of different things. They know the lay of the land. They deserve to be heard. I think their leadership is something we want to cultivate and help them with. I've found those three to be good people and curious about the way we're going to take the program. I look forward to coaching them. I think they know that we are sincere in trying to help them get better."

On Nerlens Noel: "We bultry to include him as much as possible. When you go into a room with all these people and you say, 'OK, what's the development plan for Nerlens Noel?' You have all these people sharing ideas and constructing a road map. It's easy to motivate people who are playing. It's really hard to take a 19-year-old kid out of Boston and all of a sudden paid a lot of money and put into the city of Philadelphia and make sure that we help him to stay on track and help him in what it takes to be a pro and the long path that's ahead for him. I look forward to him traveling and being with the team and being in the film sessions . . . When I see him, I see a wide-eyed kid, bouncing, competitive, can-be-what-he-wants-to-be player. Now you feel the weight and the responsibility to develop him and give him all that you can. I feel like there's a real freshness in his face and a spark in his personality. I think he has a chance to be really special."

On Arnett Moultrie, Lavoy Allen and Kwame Brown: "As we speak, Lavoy is injured, Arnett Moultrie is injured, Kwame is injured. There is a shortage of bigs. Our medical staff will talk more on that later."

On Turner: "He has a lot of areas that he really can blossom. He is a talent and I think that the weight of the city at times and the expectation, like they would anybody, can drown you if you let it. It's important that we don't pay attention to what you write and I hope he's not caring about what goes on on Twitter. We're going to come into a gym and find some way to find a passion for the game again, to enjoy playing the game again. That comes through putting in the time and being with the people that want you to improve, that have a vested interest in your career, that want to see you be as good as you can be, to put you on the right road map and tell you the truth as to what is going on. Everybody talks about whether he's a three-point shooter, a 'three' man or a 'four' man. To me, he's a generic player and a good player and we hope to improve his perimeter game, but most of all we hope to help him find a real joy to play again, a real passion to play again. He's been excellent to talk with, excellent in the gym. You can see emerging signs of him being a leader. He's young [24]. People sometimes forget that."