Some 76ers employees have been told that the team's plan for a new practice facility at the Philadelphia Navy Yard "has been scratched, leaving management frantically searching for a place to build a state-of-the-art facility they can call their own," according to sources cited by Bob Cooney of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. The Sixers currently practice at the gym at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, which "doesn’t provide the intimacy or the updated equipment that most other teams in the league already have." While one source said that the Navy Yard plans "haven’t been officially scratched yet," Cooney reports it is "likely to happen." Sixers coach Brett Brown said, "We are the last team in the NBA to have our own facility. That's a big part of the reason I was attracted to this program. The owners and [President of Basketball Operations & GM Sam Hinkie] have been great knowing the importance of this next step to allow us to better develop our players." Cooney notes while Brown was "quick to point out how accommodating the people at PCOM have been, the offices and weight room players' lounge are areas that are lacking" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 4/15).
