Skip to content
Sixers
Link copied to clipboard

Sixers cuts will hurt, says Brett Brown

Now that the Sixers' exhibition season is over, the team must reduce its roster by Monday.

Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown gestures during the second
half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Auburn
Hills, Mich., Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (Carlos Osorio/AP)
Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown gestures during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Mich., Thursday, Oct. 23, 2014. (Carlos Osorio/AP)Read more

DETROIT - It is the part of coaching that coaches hate most: Cut day. It will be coming by Monday for the Sixers, and head man Brett Brown is no different in his ill feelings.

It is a little different with this group, however, in that after a select few there really aren't many players who are going to make a difference on the team this season or in the future. Brown and general manager Sam Hinkie often talk of "finding keepers," but that just doesn't to seem to be the case with this group.

So there is a pretty large group to choose from when dwindling the numbers down to 15 from the current crop of 20. There is also a decision to be made about 33-year-old veteran Jason Richardson, who hasn't played in a year and a half after major knee surgery.

"I don't know," said Brown, when asked if he thought Richardson would wear a Sixers uniform this season. "I think it's going to be a challenge, no doubt. But I really don't know. I just feel like he's been out of it for a while and it's going to be a really difficult task."

Brown also said the team would have some kind of an announcement concerning Richardson within a couple of days, which probably means he won't be here.

So that leaves 19 players. As much as he impressed in the Orlando Summer League, the quad injury that so limited Ronald Roberts' playing time this preseason probably sealed his fate. The team no doubt hopes to move him on to the Delaware 87ers, their Development League affiliate, and keep an eye on him there.

That leaves questions about who among Malcom Lee, Chris Johnson, Casper Ware and injured Jerami Grant, among others, gets the pink slip.

In a few days, we'll know the players who will be announced Opening Night. Like last year when the team suited 23 players, a lot can change between now and the end of the season.

Game stuff

The 76ers saved their best outing of the preseason for their final one, a 109-103 loss to the Detroit Pistons. For the most part, the passing was crisp, the running was full of purpose and the effort was strong.

Nerlens Noel, who hadn't played in a game since Oct. 14, looked active from the beginning and produced eight points and eight rebounds and five each of blocks and steals.

Henry Sims scored 17, and Chris Johnson 15, while Hollis Thompson and Alexey Schved both added 14. Tony Wroten collected 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists.

"I'm looking forward to trying to tighten up the group," said Brown, whose team finished the preseason 2-6. "The group has been great. Cuts are obviously going to have to be made. It's always hard. For some reason I'm going to find it even more difficult this year because they have done everything that we have asked. They are a great group. They practice hard. They had a training camp that was an 'A'. For whatever reason I just feel bad that this time is on our door, but it's part of my job.

"It's been great coaching them because they work so hard. That is what we're hanging our hat on and it's up to me and the team, some of the leaders on the team, to say let's put our head down and move and try to remember what we're doing. That's just part of the 2014-15 season."

Once again, the three-point line did the Sixers in as Detroit drained 15 of 28. Brown blamed that on the team's lack of interior presence defensively, forcing the Sixers to do a lot of digging when the opposition pushes the ball into the post. That has been leading to too many open threes, and it happened again last night.

Kyle Singler scored 19 for Detroit and Caron Butler added 18.

K.J. McDaniels did not play for the Sixers, probably because Brown wanted to look at the bubble players. Arnett Moultrie, Casper Ware and Malcolm Lee also didn't play.

Seems so long ago

Nerlens Noel could only smile and shake his head when asked how far he's come since his first on-the-court training camp began a few weeks ago. He remembers with disgust his first preseason outing against the Celtics when he fouled out in under 27 minutes, missed seven of nine shots and turned the ball over four times while looking like a fish out of water in the 20-point loss to Boston.

Despite missing four preseason games, the 6-11, 220 pounder is very happy with his progression.

"I made good progress from Boston to the Knicks [12 points, 11 rebounds, four steals in 33-plus minutes]. I thought every game I felt more comfortable in the system and I continued to improve and I want to continue to improve right through the season. It [Boston game] does feel like so long ago and it does feel like I've grown so much from there in a matter of a couple of weeks. When I do have bad games I just have to remember that it's the NBA and that we have back-to-back and three, four or five games in a week."

While wins for the team may be few and far between, Brett Brown has individual goals labeled for each player each day. Noel has his eye on certain things, too.

"Averaging 15 points a game and coming out every night and have a double-double," he said of his goal. "I don't think any night I should not have at least eight rebounds."

Six shots

The team opens at Indiana on Wednesday before going to Milwaukee on Halloween night. They will have their home opener Nov. 1 against the Miami Heat . . . Brett Brown said that Luc Mbah a Moute, a mentor to Joel Embiid, flew to Africa on Wednesday. The funeral for Arthur Embiid, Joel's 13-year-old brother who was killed in a vehicular accident, will be held tomorrow. "We contact him every day and look forward to bringing him back," Brett Brown said.