(AP)

76ers first-year coach Brett Brown has added personnel to his staff.

The Sixers agreed to terms Sunday with Memphis assistant coach Lloyd Pierce, a league source told the Daily Times. The agreement with Pierce was first reported by Yahoo! Sports.

Pierce becomes the first member of Brown’s coaching staff. Earlier this summer, Pierce’s name was bandied about as one of the Sixers’ targeted candidates to fill their head coaching vacancy. Those reports never really panned out, and Pierce’s name faded out of the rumor mill, though it’s apparent the Sixers had their eyes on Pierce all along.

Brown was hired Aug. 21 by Sixers general manager Sam Hinkie. A day later, he cleaned house and dismissed the holdovers from previous coach Doug Collins’ regime, including associate head coach Michael Curry. At his introductory press conference, Brown said he hoped to have a complimentary coaching staff in place before the end of the month. Hiring Pierce would be a step toward reaching that goal.

Pierce, regarded around the league as an assistant coach on the rise, worked with the Grizzlies from 2011-13. Prior to joining Memphis, he was an assistant at Golden State for one season and a player-development coordinator with Cleveland for three seasons before that.

The 76ers have agreed to terms with Sam Hinkie, who will become their general manager and president of basketball operations, and the team could make his hire official as early as next week, according to a league source.

To make room for Hinkie, and expedite their search for a new head coach, the Sixers have cut ties with general manager Tony DiLeo. According to a league source, DiLeo – who had been with the organization for 23 seasons – will not remain with the Sixers in any capacity.

Hinkie comes to the Sixers on a multi-year contract believed to be at least three years, a league source said. Hinkie had worked with the Houston Rockets for the last four seasons as their vice president of basketball operations while serving as an advocate for analytics within the organization.

The Sixers are believed to have sought Hinkie last offseason before promoting DiLeo. They had to wait until Houston had been eliminated from the playoffs before initiating discussions with him, but negotiations proceeded quickly. Hinkie, according to a league source, was the Sixers' “only target” for the general manager position.

The Sixers have been without a head coach since Doug Collins resigned April 18, the day after the team's regular-season finale. It's believed they have narrowed down a list of candidates to fill the post, but it seemed peculiar that they would allow DiLeo to lead the coaching search while his contract was set to expire July 1. And Sixers owner Josh Harris didn't exactly give DiLeo a ringing endorsement during Harris' end-of-the-year press conference.

With Hinkie in place, the Sixers can move forward in their search. Harris has said he would like to have a coach in place by the June 27 NBA Draft. The reported list of favorites for the job, according to another league source, remain the same: Brian Shaw, Indiana's associate head coach; Michael Curry, the Sixers' associate head coach under Collins; Mike Malone, Golden State's top assistant; and Jeff Hornacek, an assistant with Utah.

DiLeo had been with the Sixers for the last 23 seasons, serving as interim head coach, assistant general manager and vice president of basketball operations among other jobs, before assuming the GM duties last summer.

It was believed DiLeo had spent the season being groomed by outgoing Sixers president Rod Thorn, who would be transitioning into a consultant's role with the team. Instead, DiLeo is out of a job.

(Associated Press)

Well, it's official.

That sentence applies on a couple levels. Here are the more pertinent ones:

• The season is over. Yeah, you knew that already.
• You knew this, too: Doug Collins officially resigned Thursday in a press conference at the team's practice facility, ending his three-year tenure as head coach and beginning his five-year run as an adviser to Sixers owner Josh Harris.
• The Sixers – in case you didn't want to believe it – will look into signing free-agent center Andrew Bynum in the offseason, Harris confirmed. The owner said he and the team have not ruled out going after Bynum, saying the ownership group knows just about everything they need to know about Bynum's bum knees, which is somewhat of an advantage in the negotiating process, Harris said.

Before his presser had ended, Collins made sure to put in his endorsement of
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(Christopher A. Vito)

Andrew Bynum found a new rebounding buddy, but the 76ers' injured center is still engaging only in 1-on-0 workouts.

Bynum participated in post-practice shooting drills Friday at PCOM, with Kwame Brown serving as his rebounding partner. Bynum attempted shots from spots all over the floor, anywhere from under the rim to around the 3-point arc.

Earlier this week, Bynum said he couldn't find a reason why he wouldn't debut for the Sixers before the end of the month.

“I can't wait for that moment he says, 'Coach, I'm ready to go. Put me out there. Let's play,'” Sixers coach Doug Collins said of Bynum. “His activity level has picked up in practice. He still isn't doing anything with the team. It's still 1-on-0, but he is starting to move around a little bit, which is encouraging.” (VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP)


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(Associated Press)

Saturday, Jrue Holiday had a Jrue Holiday-type game, which meant everyone was talking about Jrue Holiday. Understandably, right?

Holiday dumped in a career-best 35 points in the Sixers' 97-80 win over the New York Knicks. With Sixers coach Doug Collins unavailable due to health reasons, assistant coach Michael Curry handled questions about Holiday. Here was one of Curry's replies:

“It's good for the organization to have a young guy that comes in and a young guy that can play with Andrew (Bynum) for a long time. That's good for us,” Curry said. “That's good for confidence and when you're bringing guys in in the future, they want to play with those guys.”

Whoa. Hold the phone here. Curry said what?

To date, no one from within the Sixers' organization has said anything about Bynum long-term. Every question has been answered in the same guarded way, that they're waiting and hoping, praying and finger-crossing, that Bynum returns to the court and debuts for the Sixers sooner than later.

That someone mentioned Bynum in the same breath as the term “long time” is kind of a revelation. What does it mean? Nothing much. It's a postgame quote lauding the play of one star with the mention of another. Does it mean the Sixers have had internal discussions about Bynum returning? You could have made those assumptions long before those words left Curry's lips.

But it's certainly news – or, at the very least, new – that someone views Bynum in that light.

(Christopher A. Vito)

Everybody else had left the court at PCOM, when Andrew Bynum grabbed a ball and – with assistant coach Michael Curry serving as his rebounder – began to take shooting practice.

It's not the first time Bynum says he's taken shots, but it's the first time in front of reporters. Bynum, who has missed the entire season with bilateral bone bruises in both knees, said Monday he's hoping for a return to the court after the All-Star break.

Here's what else he had to say:

Feel good out there?
“Yeah, man. Coming along well. I'm up to running now on the (anti-gravity treadmill), steady at an eight-mile-an-hour clip for 20 minutes, so that's good. I'm incorporating weights. Time to get ready –  ready to play.”

What kind of weights?
“More explosive stuff – stuff for my legs and my upper body.”

How's your touch?
“My touch feels pretty good. My timing I've yet to work on. We've still got quite a ways to go, but I'm making good progress.”

Mentally, does it feel good to be on the court?
“I feel much better, mentally. I wake up today and I'm ready to go and work out, so that's good, versus the alternative of sitting around all day and just waiting. The waiting is over. The motion is good.”

First time shooting?
“Well, first time in front of you guys. I've been on my own, coming back and shooting some shots.”

Did you approach Michael Curry about helping with the workout?
“I came out today and said I had to get shots up. It's part of the stage, and I got a sweat before I got on the court and came out and worked on my touch. I tried to shoot over 80 percent because nobody is guarding me.”

When did running start?
“Running started today. I've been jogging, but running started today. Weights, I've been doing them, but it's more explosive stuff.”

Running?
“Not on the court, but on the treadmill over there. It's starting out with a jog and then running. I haven't sprinted and stopped. Aceleration and deceleration and stuff like that, I'm still working up to that.

Where are you with pain?
“Minimal.”

It's tolerable?
“It's minimal.”

But is it tolerable to work through it?
“I'm not feeling anything is what I'm saying.”

Are you pain-free?
“Yep.”

How good are these signs for you?
“They're the best I've had in a long time, so they look really, really good to me.”

What do you do when you're done – ice?
“We've worked all the way down to just ice, so I'm becoming a regular basketball player again. Just ice.”

Do you feel a weight off your shoulders?
“No, because I'm not back. But I'm headed in that direction. It's all positive.”

Any indication about the next stage of rehab?
“I have to decide when I'm going to start. I think we have it pretty much mapped out, but it's based on me and my body and how I'm feeling. But we're progressing because I'm not feeling anything. We'll continue to do that. I'm fine. I don't get a click. I don't get any pain. It's pretty good.”

What's the next basketball stage?
“I have no idea. It'd still be linear, so probably straight line, going up and down. I'm still running on that treadmill, taking weight off. So the first step would be putting that weight back on.”

So you'll do stationary shooting for the next week?
“I don't know how long I'll do it. It could change every day.”

Do you have a date circled on your calendar for a return?
“I don't ideally have a date. I just want to get back. I think – I'm hoping – around the All-Star break. That's what I'm hoping, but...”

Probably after the All-Star break?
“I have no idea exactly when I'll be back. But that's my hope.”

How did it feel to step back out there?
“I've been doing it – I'm probably not supposed to, but I've been doing it. I don't want to stay away that long. You've got to keep your touch around the basket. The next progression would be to add some movement, some straight-line movement.”

What are you at now? You look slim
“I'm still at 300.”

(Times / ERIC HARTLINE)

Here’s the good news, 76ers fans: General managers around the NBA agree that there are plenty of reasons to be excited about this season’s team.

Here’s the bad news: They think the Sixers are the fourth-best team in their division.

Monday, the NBA released theresults of its annual poll of GMs and assures us that all 30 responded to the 57 questions, ranging in topics from teams, players, coaches, fans and offseason transactions. Below is a recap:

Q: Which team will win the Atlantic Division?

A: Boston (66.7%); Brooklyn (13.3); New York (13.3); Sixers (6.7)

Q: Who is the best center in the NBA?

A: Dwight Howard, LA Lakers (93.3%); Andrew Bynum, Sixers (6.7).

Q: Which head coach makes the best in-game adjustments?

A: Gregg Popovich, San Antoinio (40%); Rich Carlisle, Dallas (20); Doug Collins, Sixers (13.3).

Q: Which one player acquisition will make the biggest impact?

A: Dwight Howard, LA Lakers (70%). Bynum finished outside the top three, but received votes.

Q: Which player is most likely to have a breakout season?

A: Klay Thompson, Golden State (13.3%). Evan Turner finished outside the top three, but received votes.

Q: Who is the best assistant coach in the NBA?

A: Brian Shaw, Indiana (23.3%). Michael Curry finished outside the top five, but received votes.