God Save Brett Brown. Not in the way that he needs literal saving, but in the way that he deserves a national anthem written about him.

Brett Brown was doing media this morning after Bryan Colangelo saw his shadow, popped back inside his collar, and admitted to a couple more weeks without Embiid. On the WIP Morning Show – worth a listen just to hear Brett Brown say “Angelo, how ya doin” in his Bostralian accent – Brett talked about coaching a team when you don’t know who is abvailable from game to game. “That’s the fluid nature, quite frankly, of my time in Philadelphia,” Brown said.

For years, Brown has coached a revolving door of players – over 60 in 3.5 seasons – who come and go, sit and start, play and get hurt. Most recently, “stay home because of trade talks” was added to the chamber. Through all of that, the team is improving. The Sixers just became the second team in NBA history to double the previous year’s win total by the All-Star Break:

Brett has coached in the trenches with a smile on his face while Bryan Colangelo (and Sam Hinkie before him) cut off and swapped his supplies. After the game, all Brett talks about is growth, pride, and heart. He’s like a hard-ass coach who you don’t wanna piss off wrapped inside an inspirational throw blanket.

“I will [use Okafor tonight],” Brett said, “and I appreciate to the outside world it would seem bizarre.” Oh Brett, it is. This situation should have never existed. The logjam should have been cleared under Hinkie and it shouldn’t have gone this far under Colangelo. I have always had a strong opinion that “Poor Brett Brown” is a bullshit narrative, because he’s not a child and he’s not complaining. But oh my God, what the hell is he supposed to do with this? “If I didn’t coach such good young players and people,” Brett continued, “this could never work…The trade talks advanced, we chose not to play him, the trade talks fell down…and I’ll put him in the game.” He’s just picking up the pieces.

As Max and I said on the most recent The Stepover, there’s no coming back from this. You don’t leave a guy off the team plane because he’s going to be traded – after already sitting him for that same reason – not deal him, and then bring him back into the fold. It’s unprecedented. And the rotation with Okafor wasn’t working before, so how will it now? All of this, and we haven’t even discussed Joel Embiid, though Brown stated “our intention is we’re gonna play him…after the All-Star Break” this morning.

“Poor Brett Brown” is insulting to the man. He’s accomplished more with this team than many others would have, developing players who seemingly had no business wearing an NBA uniform into legitimate players. He doesn’t need your pity, but he deserves your respect.