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PHILADELPHIA -- Brett Browns thick, New England accent wouldnt have fit well in Philadelphia when the 76ers and Dr. J were one of the NBAs elite teams, consistently battling Larry Birds Boston Celtics for Eastern Conference titles in the early 1980s. Those days are long over. The Sixers havent won it all since Julius Erving and Moses Malone led them to a championship 30 years. So, theyre turning to Brown to build them into a contender again. "To be here is surreal. I can still see Doc and George McGinnis and trying to take their photos (as a kid)," Brown said after he was hired to replace Doug Collins. The deal was completed earlier in the week, and Brown was officially introduced as the 24th head coach in franchise history on Wednesday. Brown is the eighth coach to lead the Sixers since Larry Brown left in 2003. Collins resigned in April after the Sixers went 34-48, a year after advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. He led the Sixers to the playoffs his first two seasons and left with one year remaining on his original four-year deal. "We went through an exhaustive search to find the right head coach for our organization, one who had a passion for developing talent, a strong work ethic to help create the kind of culture we hope for, and a desire to continually improve," general manager Sam Hinkie said. "Brett has all of that. He also has a wealth of experience as a head coach and a championship pedigree, to boot. We are delighted to welcome him as our coach, and I am invigorated for the two of us to roll up our sleeves and get to work." The 52-year-old Brown was part of three NBA title teams with San Antonio as an assistant and won another with the Spurs when he served in the basketball operations department in 1998-99. He left after that season to become the head coach of the Sydney Kings of the Australian National Basketball League, but rejoined the Spurs in 2002 as the teams assistant coach/director of player development and was moved to the bench as an assistant under Gregg Popovich in 2006. Brown also coached the Australian mens national team from 2009-12, and played a key role in helping Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker develop into All-Stars with the Spurs. "If I was going to leave a situation like San Antonio, it better be for the right one," Brown said. "Its a privilege to be here." Brown inherits a team in total rebuilding mode. Hinkie, who was hired away from Houston, traded All-Star guard Jrue Holiday to New Orleans on draft night for the rights to Kentucky centre Nerlens Noel. Hinkie also drafted Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams with the 11th overall pick in the first round. Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes are Philadelphias main holdovers, giving Brown some talent to develop. "Ive always been a fan of Thaddeus. I see that potential in Evan. You pay attention to Spencer," Brown said. "The pieces that are in place are workable pieces. I look forward to working with them." Asked if he sees any star players on the roster, Brown said: "I dont know enough about the players to give an accurate answer." A year ago, the Sixers were coming off a first-round upset of top-seeded Chicago and were counting on going further in the playoffs after the acquisition of former All-Star centre Andrew Bynum. But things unraveled quickly, and Bynum never played a game in a Sixers uniform because of knee problems. Brown is used to a winning program at San Antonio, so hes not familiar with starting from the bottom. But the Sixers realize its not an overnight process and gave him a four-year contract to turn things around. "You get excited to be a part of the rebuild," Brown said. "We all know the pain of the rebuild is real. There needs to be patience. I have not been a part of a rebuild since I was in the NBA. The rebuild has to be keeping the locker room together." What type of offence will the Sixers have under Brown? That depends on the players and their ability, though Brown has his preference. "We want to go. We want to get out in the open court, and we want to run," he said. "Its easy to say, but its hard to run for 82 games. You have to have a tremendous fitness base." Brown expects his coaching staff in place by Sept. 1. It doesnt appear he has to be concerned with owner Josh Harris moving the team. There had been speculation that Harris may consider taking the team out of Philadelphia after his purchase of the NHLs New Jersey Devils is complete. But Hinkie dismissed that idea. "Josh Harris is more committed than ever to owning the Sixers, the fans of Philadelphia and to keeping the Sixers here forever," Hinkie said. Cheap Cowboys Jerseys . The team said they will announce a corresponding roster move prior to their series opener on Tuesday night in Kansas City. Elite Cowboys Jerseys . -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians says there "were obviously very, very many problems" with the officiating in the Cardinals 24-21 loss at Philadelphia. http://www.officialcowboysnflauthenticshop.com/ . The 25-year-old native of Milford, Conn., has 18 points in 41 games this season. The five-foot-eight 166-pound centre also has 28 points (10-18) in 15 games with AHL Oklahoma City. Connor McGovern Gear . He had spent 16 days on the disabled list before being activated Thursday. He was batting just .203 when he came to bat in the 11th inning on Sunday. Tony Pollard Gear . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL.TEMPE, Ariz. -- A month from his 30th birthday, Antonio Cromartie is coming to the desert to face the challenges of the NFC West. The three-time Pro Bowl cornerback signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals on Thursday, saying he was lured by the teams aggressive pursuit of him and the fact that the team is developing into a contender. "I was looking for a team that was contending," Cromartie said at a late afternoon news conference, "and I found it. Like I said, they are moving in the right direction." Despite Cromarties pedigree, there was no avalanche of interest from other teams when the New York Jets released him on March 9. "I dont know. I really dont know," he said when asked why. "Maybe it was playing into my age, I dont know. Maybe it was playing into my hip. No one knew the outcome of my hip from last year or anything like that. I dont know, but Im happy where Im at." Cromartie was bothered by a hip flexor strain the first 12 weeks of last season but said it improved over the final month. " Right now, I feel like Im 100 per cent," he said. "Ive been running around, cutting and doing everything else. I havent had any problems with it." The Cardinals move is in line with a flurry of one-year deals general manager Steve Keim signed players to in his first months on the job last year. "Just like a lot of the other guys that weve signed in the past, I feel really good about the fact that a guy who has a chip on his shoulder, has huge upside, has all the physical tools and has played at a high level," Keim said, "and now were bringing him in on a one-year deal where hes ready to prove to the NFL and the world that hes still the same kind of guy." Cromartie called his release by the Jets and the relative disinterest from other teams "big-time motivation" for his coming season. "You dont get many phone calls, but its mootivation to come out for one (year).dddddddddddd You are part of a team that is right where it needs to be. It is a team that is committed to winning and also a team that is right on the edge, on the verge of being a Super Bowl championship team and thats what you look for. Im a veteran guy. Im going into my ninth year, and thats what you look for." Cromartie led the Jets last season with three interceptions. He also had eight passes defenced and one forced fumble. He was released by the Jets on March 9. For his career, Cromartie, the No. 19 overall pick by the San Diego Chargers in the 2006 draft, has 28 interceptions, 97 passes defenced, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He has had two interceptions in the playoffs. Cromartie start alongside Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson. Tyrann Matiheu played the nickel corner as well as safety as a rookie last year before going down with torn knee ligaments. Cromartie called that a formidable trio. "When you add all three of us into the secondary," Cromartie said, "it just speaks volumes of what this secondary can be because you have three guys on the back end that have the potential of making an interception and turning it into a touchdown. You have three playmakers on the back end. Thats what you are looking for. You are looking for guys to be a great tandem on the back and be game changers at the end of the day." Cromartie reportedly was interested in returning to the Jets but visited the Cardinals last week. He was named All-Pro after leading the NFL with a career-high 10 interceptions in 2007. He has scored five touchdowns, including a 109-yard interception return that is tied for the longest play in NFL history. Cromartie has missed one game the past four seasons. 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