Gregg Popovich may not smile much, but that doesn’t mean the San Antonio Spurs’ locker room isn’t the happiest place on Earth.
It is.
At least to Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown.
In a phenomenal feature for The New York Times Brown speaks candidly on the trials and tribulations of coaching through Philly’s extensive, seemingly unending rebuild. And while he admits to Michael Sokolove that the job is hard, he doesn’t regret leaving the comfy confines of San Antonio—even if his previous gig still invokes memories of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, spinning teacups and all that ideal stuff:
Brown told me that, like every coach, he hates losing. Close losses keep him up at night. The team’s overall record bothers him less. “I knew what I was getting into when I left Disneyland,” he said, referring to his 12-year tenure as an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, the defending champions and perennial winners. “What we’re doing here is we’re looking to become great. We’re trying to figure out how to build this thing, and it’s a process.”
Writers sometimes ask Brown if he thinks the team will want a different kind of coach when it gets good. This question bothers him, because of its implication that he should worry. “I absolutely love coaching this team,” he said in one of our conversations, “but believe me, I’ll be fine no matter what happens.” He and his wife own a beach house in Australia between Melbourne and Adelaide, not far from his in-laws’ cattle ranch. There’s a pub, a deli and a gym. “We’ll end up there,” he said. “I love to fish. I’ll be very happy.”
No, Disneyland isn’t Disney World. But you get the point. Brown’s 12-year stint with the Spurs, during which time they won three NBA championships and a league-best 70.7 percent of their regular-season tilts, was fun.
Personally, I’m not so sure Coach Pop would appreciate the comparison. Visions of the Spurs splitting cake and extravagant brunches amid Disney characters are now floating through my head. Playing for, and coaching with, the Spurs is clearly like one big, happy hug*.
(*No, it’s not.)
Back to business, though.
You really start to appreciate how much Brown wants to carve out a head-coaching career for himself when everything is put in this context. He left a great situation. An unparalleled situation. A safe situation. Now he’s stuck in the throes of a thorough rebuild that, following this season’s trade deadline, honestly and truly has no end in sight.
To go from contending and winning championships to building something from the ground up has to be tough. But through and through, Brown doesn’t seem downtrodden or overly worried. Perhaps he’s that confident in Sam Hinkie. Or maybe memories from his time in Disneyland help get him by. Whatever he’s doing—on an emotional level, that is—it’s working. He comes off as a blindingly bright spot amid dark times.
For that, he deserves a trip to Magic Kingdom, as well as all the chicken fingers and churros he can eat.
