Felipe M
Had a good, but very long conversation about the future of the NBA with fellow basketball fan, and diehard New York Knicks' fan, Hasan R. The following is our thoughts on the state of the Philadelphia 76ers
Felipe: I've always
like the 76ers, but they're always missing something, I'm just not sure what exactly
that is. But they have up-and-comers JrueHoliday and Evan Turner. They also have some good talent with guys like Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes and Lavoy
Allen to a lesser extent. Not sure
what Jason Richardson can still
bring for next season. However, they’re
getting a new coach and already have a President/GM in Sam Hinkie (formerly
of the Houston Rockets). So I think
Philly’s arrow is pointing up.
Hasan: Totally
counted out the 76ers, but you reminded me a lot of what makes them a threat
going forward. This year was the first in a rebuilding phase anyway with Andre Iguodala gone and if Andrew Bynum actually plays for the
76ers, they have a lethal team. Not exactly NBA championship caliber, but one
that is setting itself up with a good core that should hit its stride in late
2014/early 2015. If they can draft a wing player in the mold of Iguodala, this could be a lethal
team.
Felipe:
Technically, the 76ers have
been rebuilding for a few years now.
Yes, they have made the playoffs, but haven’t had a winning season since
2004-05. And I really don’t see Bynum
ever suiting up for Philly and they would have to be absolutely desperate to
want him this bad. I have to question
his heart and his degenerative knees. And the
76ers didn’t do much when they had Iguodala with the team so I doubt getting
another player in that mold will help much.
I would actually suggest getting a big man (maybe a guy like Cody Zeller as his stock seems to be
dropping) would prove to be helpful, but then again, it depends what kind of
coach they will hire.
Hasan: They have most definitely been rebuilding for a few years and
sadly this last season was a lost one. I understand your concern with Bynum, but my above idea for Philly was
that they DO manage to re-sign Bynum, and that he suits up and then you've got the 76ers
vying for a dynamic wing to pair up with Evan Turner. Then hopefully get some
veteran presence and they may even be able to compete for a low playoff seed
this upcoming season.
That being said, let's think
about what happens if they fail to retain Bynum. Not only does that Bynum trade look
absolutely horrific in retrospect (not like the trade didn't look bad
enough when it was made), but it also means that it's time to tear it all down.
If Bynum is gone the most likely draft pick for them would be Cody Zeller or
even Kelly Olynyk. That also makes their second round picks
extremely valuable because the best way to rebuild is through the draft.
Sadly, it is a bit tough to
really judge this team without a basketball coach because we still aren't too
sure about the style of play they will employ. Holding out against hope that
they manage to re-sign Bynum and go ahead with my earlier idea, if only for the
sheer fun it would be to watch Bynum and Holiday play together.
Felipe: At least we agree on the 76ers needing a new coach in order for us
to gauge which direction they will go in terms of personnel. I definitely have to disagree with you on
Andrew Bynum. His best days are behind
him and I just don’t see him wanting to stay in Philly and Philly would do
itself a favor by looking elsewhere to start another rebuilding project. Luckily for them, their new GM is a statistical analytics guy and hopefully, that will make him see that re-signing Bynum will prove to be a mistake.
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