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Cooney: Veterans making impact on young Sixers

THE CAROUSEL of players who have whirled in and out of Brett Brown's coaching world with the 76ers would make anyone's head spin. For a man who came from the model of stability in San Antonio for 12 seasons, Brown has had more than 60 players, sent out 17 or so different starting point guards, a horde of players who came, played, left and were never heard from again.

THE CAROUSEL of players who have whirled in and out of Brett Brown's coaching world with the 76ers would make anyone's head spin. For a man who came from the model of stability in San Antonio for 12 seasons, Brown has had more than 60 players, sent out 17 or so different starting point guards, a horde of players who came, played, left and were never heard from again.

What Brown never has had is a big crop of influential veterans - players who have been through the NBA and knew what it meant to take young players under their wings and walk youngsters through the rigors of an NBA season. Of all the obstacles that have been presented to the coach over his three-plus seasons, this might have been the most difficult to overcome.

During Brown's time with the Spurs as director of player development, the one phone call he could always count on would come in early August, usually just over a month after the team had completed yet another long playoff run. On the other end would be Tim Duncan.

"Do you have 10 guys ready to play?" the future Hall of Famer would ask. For all the wins, all the championships, All-Star appearances and other accolades bestowed on him, Duncan was taught immediately how to approach the NBA game by teammate David Robinson. The procession of leaders on San Antonio's roster helped grow newcomers and rookies into valuable additions at an amazing rate.

Such guidance is showing itself more and more with this Sixers roster and has played a big part in the team's recent success, as the Sixers won for the seventh time in nine games with Wednesday night's 94-89 victory over visiting Toronto.

Guard Gerald Henderson creates the perfect blend of leading by example and voicing his opinion when needed.

Mired in a shooting slump over the six prior games, Ersan Ilyasova spent more than an hour shooting by himself after practice Tuesday, just trying to get himself into a comfortable rhythm. No other players were on the court and Ilyasova wouldn't have cared if there were, but players noticed him.

And while Sergio Rodriguez is still sort of a youngster in terms of NBA experience, he is a 30-year-old who is a legend in Spain and an MVP of the Euro League.

"We have so many young players on this team, so many, that it takes time for them to learn the league and for us new players to learn them," said Rodriguez, who has admirably accepted his current role as backup to point guard T.J. McConnell. "We've been working very well together the whole year. We not only have to adjust to what coach wants, but learn each other, also. Being a veteran and having Gerald and Ersan, it helps to make the changes easier."

When Nerlens Noel was recovering from knee surgery during his first season, none of the veterans among the 23 players on the roster that year was there long enough to help him through the frustrations of redshirting a whole season. Joel Embiid had to be reprimanded his first season out after foot surgery, because he wasn't following the team's rehab guidelines. Think that would have happened if someone with the leadership abilities of Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker were around? Neither does Brown.

Jahlil Okafor found himself in more off-the-court trouble last season than he cares to talk about anymore out of embarrassment. Funny how quickly he grew out of his shaky behavior once Elton Brand joined the team just after Christmas a season ago.

Croatia's Dario Saric has a wealth of overseas professional basketball experience, but at only 22 years of age, he is a puppy when it comes to life in the NBA, or America. Having someone such as Ilyasova, also a foreigner (Turkey) and someone who plays the same position, is invaluable to Saric's growth.

"It helps a lot, especially with someone like Ersan who has been around for, like, nine or 10 years in the NBA," Saric said. "For a rookie like me, it means a lot. He can give advice during the game, during the practice, the locker room. Not just advice in basketball, advice in life. Europe is a very different lifestyle. Here, you have to practice and take care of your body. You can't practice and then go downtown. You need more rest, because the season is long, so many games. Sometimes you need time for yourself."

And when Saric isn't sure where to go, Ilyasova, Henderson and Rodriguez are there to advise.

"Just look at the league. You need veterans," said Brown. "When you study the league, it's a guards' league. It's a point guard league and a 'two' guard's league, and maybe some 'three,' but it is a guard's league, with the impact they have nowadays. That is our two positions that have the least experience.

"The veterans, Ersan and Gerald – at a 'four' and Gerald coming off the bench – they provide, all over the place, global leadership. We had something happen in Milwaukee (Monday) that, for the first time, I felt in a completely genuine way, they got on each other. There was a disturbance on the bench. When a team can communicate like that, generally, and nobody gets their back up or offended and life moves on, you're making movement, you're making progress.

"Gerald and Ersan, the veteran influence, is creeping into our guys, and they're very, very important and have played a large role in our recent, albeit brief, success lately."

Finally.

cooneyb@phillynews.com

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog