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Sixers’ Elton Brand: ‘I owe it to this city to deliver on our goals’ | Off the Dribble

“We can get over this hump,” Brand added. “It’s time to get better, and that time starts now.”

Sixers general manager Elton Brand
Sixers general manager Elton BrandRead moreYONG KIM / Staff Photographer

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Happy Friday, folks!

I hope this is the start of beautiful and relaxing weekend for y’all. I know relaxing will be the first thing on my mind this evening. A brother needs to experience a little #DownTimeFlow to recharge for tomorrow.

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— Keith Pompey (offthedribble@inquirer.com)

Brand pledges to deliver on goals

Elton Brand began Tuesday’s media availability on Zoom with a statement.

You knew the general manager was going to praise coach Brett Brown, whom the organization fired the day before. You knew he was going to acknowledge that the Sixers had a failure of a season. You knew he would say it was unacceptable.

But Brand took it a step further.

“We owe it, I owe it to these fans,” he said. “I owe it to this city to deliver on our goals.”

Brand still believes in the young core of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. He’ll spend the offseason trying to find ways to complement them.

“And we can get over this hump,” he said. “It’s time to get better, and that time starts now.”

The Sixers were swept in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Boston Celtics.

Starting five

  1. A decision on a new Sixers arena at Penn’s Landing is coming soon. It won’t be long before the 76ers know if their proposal to build a basketball arena at Penn’s Landing gets a green light.

  2. What Philly leaders are saying about a potential new Sixers arena at Penn’s Landing. The idea of a basketball arena on the waterfront — with potential city and state tax breaks to help finance it — has elicited strong reactions both in support and opposition.

  3. The NBA playoffs will resume as players look to use their platforms to fight racism. Wednesday’s and Thursday’s NBA playoff games were postponed, and action will restart Saturday.

  4. Historic NBA player boycott in wake of Jacob Blake shooting reinforces this: Black Lives Matter. What happened in Kenosha was every Black NBA player’s nightmare. The players are sick of thinking that every time they see a cop, hear a siren, or see flashing lights, “Is it my time? Will they kill me next?”

  5. Sixers coaching target Ty Lue seeking $7 million per season. Lue is the prime candidate for the 76ers’ coaching job. He’s also a candidate for the New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets jobs.

Tough loss for Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard was the most unstoppable player in the NBA bubble. The All-Star point guard was the main reason the Portland Trail Blazers had earned the Western Conference eighth seed and are facing the top-seeded Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

Well, he left the NBA bubble Thursday to have his injured left right knee further examined in Portland. The injury occurred in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 135-115 victory in Monday’s Game 4. Lillard was averaging 37.6 points, 9.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds before the injury. He had scoring nights of 51, 61 and 42 points.

The Lakers lead the series, 3-1.

Passing the rock

Send questions by email or on Twitter (@PompeyOnSixers)

Question: Is Dave Joerger being considered as head coach? He’s better than both Mike Brown and Tyronn Lue. — @Black_Cape on Twitter

Answer: What’s up, Tavon? I hope you had a great week and will have an even better weekend.

As for Joerger’s being considered, there’s a push for him to get an interview. It’s tough to judge how talented he is. He took over a loaded Memphis Grizzlies team and had success during his first three seasons in the league. However, he suffered two first-round exits during those seasons. The Sixers need a coach who can make a splash in the postseason.