NBA Roundup: Spurs assistant Brett Brown named 76ers head coach
Brett Brown thought long and hard about leaving a winning tradition in San Antonio to start almost from scratch in Philadelphia.
In the end, the 76ers got their man.
Brown was officially named the 24th head coach in team history on Wednesday after a four-month search to replace Doug Collins.
"I'm not a gypsy coach," Brown said. "I like commitment from both sides. It's hard sitting there going through a normal rebuild process. You have to stay focused on what you're here for."
Brown understands the Sixers are rebuilding, but he doesn't plan to continue the losing ways in Philly.
Collins led the Sixers to the playoffs in each of his first two seasons, including a first-round upset of No. 1 seeded Chicago in 2012. But he stepped aside in April after a 34-48 finish.
The Sixers were counting on All-Star center Andrew Bynum to lift them among the elite teams in the East, but knee injuries forced him to miss the entire season and he signed with Cleveland this summer.
All-Star Jrue Holiday was traded on draft day for the rights to Kentucky center Nerlens Noel as part of new general manager Sam Hinkie's roster overhaul.
Brown won four championships with the Spurs, including three as an assistant under Gregg Popovich. He joined San Antonio's basketball department in 1999, left to coach in the Australian NBL for three seasons and returned as an assistant in 2002.
Brown said he wants to run an up-tempo offense and is in the process of evaluating his players. He pointed to Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes as building-block pieces.
Brown plans to put a coaching staff together by Sept. 1. Assistants Aaron McKie and Michael Curry will be considered to stay.
---The Minnesota Timberwolves announced Wednesday that the team reached agreement with center Nikola Pekovic on a long-term contract.
The Timberwolves did not release contract details, but reports indicated that the 6-foot-11 Pekovic received a five-year, $60 million deal. According to ESPN, the package includes $8 million in incentives.
Pekovic was an unrestricted free agent but did not sign an offer sheet with another team and appeared intent on remaining with the Timberwolves.
The 27-year-old averaged 16.3 points and 8.8 rebounds last season in 62 games, all starts.
Pekovic, a Montenegro native, was the 31st overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Timberwolves.
---Veteran forward Al Harrington has joined the Washington Wizards, the team announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the Wizards, but ESPN.com earlier reported that it was a one-year contract.
The Orlando Magic waived Harrington, considered one of the best free agents remaining on the market, on Aug. 2. He played in just 10 games for the Magic last season after miniscus surgery on a knee and a subsequent staph infection. He averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in limited duty.
Harrington, 33, has averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game in 15 NBA seasons with Indiana, Atlanta, Golden State, New York, Denver and Orlando, He was the 25th overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft.
