2016-2017 76ers
- Thread starter NickleDimer
- Start date
Ish is more than just "more creative" than McConnell. Sixers were 1-31 with McConnell logging big minutes. They're something like 6-9 with Ish with many of those losses of the highly competitive variety. It's really not coincidental. Smith is a much better player and the team looks like an actual NBA team with him in the lineup. Smith can be in an NBA rotation. McConnell is nothing more than a 12th man type.
Because you can't be obvious about it. Plus Towns has a nice personality but Simmons has that marketable quality to him...
that being said, I don't believe the 1985 draft was fixed, I just like saying that and hear how people get so upset about it. Guess that didn't happen here.
if only i'd addressed that
they've played the suns twice since they've gotten smith. they've yet to finish with the league's worst record. he's shooting 40%
he can make you "better" but on a good team he'd be asked to do what mcconnell does which he probably isn't as good at doing and which is probably why the sixers were his 8th team the first f--king time they had him which was in the f--king spring
it was already stupid to have traded two early second round picks for him. offering him the kind of contract actual nba rotation players get would be compounding an error, same as keeping okafor on your roster past the 2016 draft at the very latest
It's pretty clear it was intentional by Hinkie to not have Ish on the roster to start the year because he knew his presence would result in too many unnecessary wins and possibly keep the Sixers out of the bottom 3 - which would in turn defeat the purpose of everything they are trying to do. At 1-31 the organization felt their record was safely buried enough to the point where taking on some wins and improving morale was the right thing to do. It's clear that were Smith on the roster from Game 1 the team would probably be in the 15 or so win range and struggling to stay in the bottom 5.
I don't know the specifics but I tend to believe this team will look totally different next year. I'll be very surprised if multiple major moves weren't made.
If the Sixers somehow get a young PG, then Smith being the guy to pave the way while the younger kid learns/develop is fine.
There is zero chance that Noel, Okafor, Embiid (health pending), and Saric Can all exist on the same team. Someone will be going. Hopefully, Embiid's healthy and Okafor has to go. However, I think they'll get something good in return.
Some of you guys are way too hard on Okafor. He just turned 20 and has actually improved recently. But anyone expecting some fluid athlete to running up and down the court, protecting the rim, then that's not happening.
If the Sixers somehow get a young PG, then Smith being the guy to pave the way while the younger kid learns/develop is fine.
There is zero chance that Noel, Okafor, Embiid (health pending), and Saric Can all exist on the same team. Someone will be going. Hopefully, Embiid's healthy and Okafor has to go. However, I think they'll get something good in return.
Some of you guys are way too hard on Okafor. He just turned 20 and has actually improved recently. But anyone expecting some fluid athlete to running up and down the court, protecting the rim, then that's not happening.
okafor makes the effort defensively. i think he's learned enough to be embarrassed by his father and the boston incidents by now. but he's still too slow to ever be above average defensively at a position where defense is more important than offense. look at how long it takes him to get off the floor a second time compared to towns (who actually plays basketball beyond a handful of possessions wherein he was asked to stop the and1 mixtape center 1 on 1; there are people who legitimately seem to struggle with this)
i thought hinkie offered smith the kind of insulting, player-unfriendly multi-year contract he's known for last offseason. pelicans gave him one year
if they get simmons (they won't but for example), then right away smith is pretty much useless, and right away you don't need much more than a homeless leper's chauncey billups as a starter to stay in front & walk the ball up & make open 3s and then a cheap-ass backup like mcconnell behind, because of how good simmons is with the ball in his hands
smith serves his purpose now, even though i wouldn't have traded actual second picks (rather than the ludicrously protected & essentially made-up second round picks hinkie gives up) to fulfill that purpose. getting rid of okafor would be better than the best of all possible ish smith worlds for noel
i thought hinkie offered smith the kind of insulting, player-unfriendly multi-year contract he's known for last offseason. pelicans gave him one year
if they get simmons (they won't but for example), then right away smith is pretty much useless, and right away you don't need much more than a homeless leper's chauncey billups as a starter to stay in front & walk the ball up & make open 3s and then a cheap-ass backup like mcconnell behind, because of how good simmons is with the ball in his hands
smith serves his purpose now, even though i wouldn't have traded actual second picks (rather than the ludicrously protected & essentially made-up second round picks hinkie gives up) to fulfill that purpose. getting rid of okafor would be better than the best of all possible ish smith worlds for noel
JG, you have more insight on old man Okafor? What's that guy's deal? I've noticed the cameras haven't shown him in stands over last month.
Ultimately, I think some team is going to fall in love with his offensive skills and offer something sweet. Just my gut.
Noel is soooooo much better at center. Even when Okafor's out there he looks as good as he did over last 40 games last year.
If Lakers said, ok we've changed our minds, we'll give you Russell for Okafor, would you?
I'll offer Okafor to Minn for Lavine, Dieng, and their first this year.
Ultimately, I think some team is going to fall in love with his offensive skills and offer something sweet. Just my gut.
Noel is soooooo much better at center. Even when Okafor's out there he looks as good as he did over last 40 games last year.
If Lakers said, ok we've changed our minds, we'll give you Russell for Okafor, would you?
I'll offer Okafor to Minn for Lavine, Dieng, and their first this year.
If we assume, hope, the Sixers fall in the top 2 (they better), they add Simmons or Ingram to Noel, Okafor, Embiid, Saric up front. That is obviously way too many bodies. Simmons or Ingram could log some SG minutes but still - point remains. Someone has to go. But when? How do you trade Okafor or Noel when you dont know if Embiid can stay on the court, let alone get on the court? I have to imagine (hope) Embiid will get on the floor to start the year but how can we trust he wont hurt himself again? We cant. Trading Okafor or Noel before seeing how Embiid's body holds up to the grind of an NBA season is a foolhardy endeavor. It's just too big a risk. And they cant trade Embiid currently because you get pennies on the dollar. You have to hold there. They're almost forced to hold those 3 bigs and see what shakes out. Now Saric is different proposition. If you have Simmons then Saric is wholly movable as both guys are basically point forwards. You then move Saric for a backcourt piece. Would seem logical. However, Ingram and Saric arent redundant so that interjects another dilemma into the mix. They have some major decisions to make.
chukky okafor was wearing a t shirt emblazoned with a cartoon image of his son palming a basketball in a duke uniform every time the broadcast showed him in the stands last year, and he was usually acting like a kid. his twitter handle is still "daddyofapro" as far as i know. he talks shit every time he gives an interview and was heckling brown at the staples center like a little league parent. piece of dogshit
i never liked russell all that much, but that was compared to porzingis. i like him a hell of a lot better than dunn or murray
how dieng lasted so long in a draft that saw sleep apnea and cody zeller went in the top 3 is beyond me
Serious question: Why would anyone watch the Sixers? The guys currently on the team won't even be here when they become relevant again. And watching Okafor just pisses me off.
You only watched 7 quarters. Small sample size to determine that Okafor pisses you off. Anyway, why does he posts you off?
And some of the players will be here when they are relevant again.
When you're a fan, then you're a fan for the highs and mostly lows. Let's face most professional franchises fail much more frequently than succeed.
He doesn't suck. No problem with questioning his game, but he doesn't suck. Plus, it sounds like you haven't watched all that much.
Curious when the 3rd pick came up, who were you hoping they would take?
You wanted either guard (Russell/Mudiay). Obviously, Russell wasn't there. Regardless, what have either of those two done that suggest future greatness? I wanted both guard, too. That was under assumption that Embiid would be playing this year.
Sucks is way overboard. He doesn't defend but we knew that. The guy is still a very good offensive player.
Thing is Hinkie had done a really good job up to that point with drafting, identifying talent. I don't understand how they blew this pick this badly. If he saw Porzingis play how did they miss him? The guy's game jumps out at you.
CW, the guy stinks. He gets 20 and gives up 25. Empty numbers.
CW, the guy stinks. He gets 20 and gives up 25. Empty numbers.
First paragraph is fair 300%, agree. His skills do jump off the page. None of us had the ability to see him play prior to this year.
Again, he doesn't stink. Defense is a team thing. What opposing centers are putting in 25 a night on Sixers. His ceiling as a defender is average, tho.
ADP, in the end I think you'll be happy. I believe that Okafor is guy that eventually gets moved. Probably to team that doesn't want to play that fast.
Sixers damn near knocked off Golden State with a huge 4th qtr. Harrison Barnes with a buzzer beating 3 to win it.
