Brett Brown: Sixers not there yet, but will be at some point

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- With a roster full of guys who have barely hit their 20s, Brett Brown feels like part coach, part father, as he told me today his "kids", are a good 3 to 5 years away from having a chance to win on a regular basis.

"I'd be lying if I said it isn't hard, it's very hard, but I find great sort of comfort in the excitement of what I know is being built," Brown said.

Construction is on the ground floor.

Their top draft pick, Joel Embiid, who Brown couldn't believe fell to them at 3, may not hit the floor this year because of a foot injury and the coach knows it'll be another tough season for the fans to swallow.

"I hope that when you really study and see where we're going, the disappointment of losses will be trumped by the weight of the direction," Brown said.

One step that way is Nerlens Noel, who, despite rehabbing his knee for more than a year, appeared to be the real deal in the summer league.

"He just recently turned 20 years old and he hasn't really played a lot of basketball lately, but he has also has gone from a high school, to Kentucky for a year, to the NBA, and I look forward to sort of wrapping my arms around him and helping him grow," Brown said.

So you'll notice a theme of growth, which is why it'll be awhile before you see a grown up, like Lebron James, signing with the Sixers.

"I feel like if we're all again big boys and honest, this program isn't there right now. So we have to look inside and fix what we have and what we can control and at some point soon we'll be there," Brown said.