Howard Eskin Tests Brett Brown's Tolerance for Stupidity
God bless Brett Brown. The man has the patience of a saint. Not only was he willing to talk to us idiots on our Crossing Streams podcast, but he also spent the last two years trying to improve and structure a Sixers team that isn’t expected to do anything of note while he’s under his current contract. And on top of all of that, he’s gotta have Howard Eskin talk stupid to his face.
Howard Eskin interviewed Brett Brown on Fox 29 last night, and it’s nearly unwatchable. Not only does Eskin strain to not pat himself on the back when he says “Hi Waldo” to the camera when talking about Sam Hinkie, but he frames questions like he’s the only person to ever ask them.
According to Eskin, Michael Carter-Williams was in the midst of being formed into a superstar when he was yanked out from under the protective wing of Brown by a robotic Hinkie. And then, he says dumb shit like this, which can only be reacted to in one way: “I gotta talk to you about the analytics. I mean, just look at a player, not a computer. I don’t get all this.” Flames. On the side of my face.
I’m really tired of doing this, and I promise this is the last time (maybe), but if Eskin (or someone else like him) is reading, let me explain to you what analytics are good for. Ahem: THEY GIVE YOU MORE INFORMATION AND MORE INFORMATION IS ALWAYS GOOD.
Is that simple enough? Cool.
But the most problematic thing about this interview (you can watch it after the jump if you want to) is that Eskin talks to Brown like he’s being held hostage to coach a team under an evil dictator (Hinkie). He tells Brown that he’s heard that he’s not in the draft room with Hinkie. Brown tells him he’s totally wrong. Eskin says he’s been told by people “inside the organization that he’s right,” before half-heartedly saying “but I’m gonna believe you.”
It’s this “blink twice if you need help” behavior that really belittles not only Brown’s worth as a coach, but as a person. He’s not a child. Eskin and others act like poor Brown is being held prisoner by something he didn’t sign up for and is being brainwashed into helping a madman achieve financial gain. It’s like they see Hinkie as a bumbling Doctor Evil, but cast themselves as James Bond because he was definitely more handsome and cooler than Austin Powers. Let me set this straight for you: Coaching a team in a rebuilding phase isn’t easy, and it isn’t ideal. But the job Brown is doing with what he’s got is nothing short of remarkable, and to be honest, he really seems to be enjoying himself. He doesn’t need your saving. Hinkie isn’t some robot overlord. Get a new angle.
Full video after the jump, but it’s only worth watching for Brown explaining analytics to an idiot at around the 5 minute mark.
