Multiple league sources don’t expect executive vice president of basketball operations Alex Rucker to be back next season. Brand has received a lot of criticism for the Sixers’ shortcomings and poor decisions. However, Rucker has been heavily involved behind the scenes in a lot of the decision-making, according to sources. Philly originally hired him as VP of analytics and strategy in October 2016 after seven years as the Toronto Raptors' senior analytics consultant.

Sources have said assistant GM Ned Cohen and VP of strategy Sergi Oliva were also involved in the decision-making. Oliva had a lot to do with determining the Sixers’ rotation and substitution patterns based on the analytics, according to sources. He was an integral part of the coaching meetings and presented the coaches with an analytics sheet to consult during ames.

Time will tell who the Sixers opt to let go, or if they will re-assign Cohen, Oliva or others in their front office. But a change is definitely coming.

Squire wrote:Blame the analytics guy

The one thing we do know is the Sixers relied too heavily on analytics during The Process and failed to live up to their lofty expectations.

However, you can’t blame Brown for the team’s reliance on analytics to make questionable draft picks, trades, and free-agent signees, which have set the franchise back.

Squire wrote:Blame the analytics guy

joe table wrote:Everyone nationally seems to realize/ respect how good he is. Credit to him for putting in the work on that ends - remember the nrtv at LSU about how he couldn’t defend? Though no one really could have predicted he would turn into a lockdown perimeter defender at that point

Source tells @TheAthletic that Billy Donovan, who has parted ways with OKC, is expected to be a candidate for the Sixers’ opening. Clippers asst. Ty Lue, as has been reported, also among the candidates.

Billy Donovan's name has been floating around as a potential Sixers head coaching candidate this month, per sources. But the first order of business for Philadelphia is to get its front office situation sorted out.

phillychuck wrote:What, exactly, is Billy Donovan good at doing? My impression is that he's along for the ride most of the time, but I may be totally wrong.

phillychuck wrote:I think it's a mistake to go the "established coach with a championship pedigree" route, though. Most of those guys do NOT do anything particularly well. If you're Elton, interview the brightest young minds sitting in the #2 and #3 seats, and ask them--what can you do well that will help this team?

I have almost zero hope this will happen.

So Lue and Donovan might be the best we can hope for. And pray they have some young assistant(s) in mind who can scheme things up and develop players.