tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1 2015-06-24T14:17:06Z All Sixers, all the time. Movable Type 4.32-en tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1.21352 2015-06-24T13:57:28Z 2015-06-24T14:17:06Z

Sam Hinkie will take center stage tonight for his third draft at the helm of what he has single-handedly turned into the laughingstock of the NBA. He'll most likely have the opportunity to take a guy who could elevate the team a bit in the near term and provide a building block for the long term...or he could kick the can even further down the road and ensure yet another top pick for next summer...and the summer after that...and the summer after that. Rinse and repeat.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
Sam Hinkie will take center stage tonight for his third draft at the helm of what he has single-handedly turned into the laughingstock of the NBA. He'll most likely have the opportunity to take a guy who could elevate the team a bit in the near term and provide a building block for the long term...or he could kick the can even further down the road and ensure yet another top pick for next summer...and the summer after that...and the summer after that. Rinse and repeat.
]]>
Nothing has changed for me concerning this draft. D'Angelo Russell should be the pick, and he should be the starting shooting guard from day one. I'd get Russell accustomed to running off screens, let him handle the ball some of the time, groom him to be the SG of the future, then go after someone like Mike Conley as a free agent next summer. But what I'd do never happens, so we'll have to wait and see.

Enjoy the draft, this is the only night of the year where you can honestly say what happens matters for this sad franchise.
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1.21351 2015-05-19T19:56:14Z 2015-05-19T20:05:08Z

Two years of putrid basketball have led us to this point. I'm drained of hatred and vitriol, left with some vanilla flavor of apathy. The Sixers could wind up with three picks in the top 11, or just one, outside of the top five. They could stockpile another big man, they could add a guard who fits, a guard who doesn't fit, another Euro who will never fit. Tonight is about endless possibilities, certain disaster, plausible deniability and ROI all at the same time. Sit back, enjoy, and don't too wrapped up in it. That's my best advice.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
Two years of putrid basketball have led us to this point. I'm drained of hatred and vitriol, left with some vanilla flavor of apathy. The Sixers could wind up with three picks in the top 11, or just one, outside of the top five. They could stockpile another big man, they could add a guard who fits, a guard who doesn't fit, another Euro who will never fit. Tonight is about endless possibilities, certain disaster, plausible deniability and ROI all at the same time. Sit back, enjoy, and don't too wrapped up in it. That's my best advice.
]]> For what it's worth, I'd be least unhappy if the Sixers could come out of this draft with Russell and Winslow and no (a) Europeans who won't play here for a couple of years, (b) chronically injured malingerers (c) 2nd round picks who play our GM like a fiddle and have to be traded before the end of their rookie seasons.
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1.21350 2015-03-23T10:47:49Z 2015-03-23T10:56:04Z

With the trade-deadline departures, Nerlens Noel was basically the last man standing on this roster of offcasts, retreads and misfits. In his elevated role (elevated equals a usage rate of about 19%), Noel has upped his offensive game to the point where he might not be a huge detriment on that end of the floor.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com

With the trade-deadline departures, Nerlens Noel was basically the last man standing on this roster of offcasts, retreads and misfits. In his elevated role (elevated equals a usage rate of about 19%), Noel has upped his offensive game to the point where he might not be a huge detriment on that end of the floor.
]]> Noel's season TS% number of .489 is atrociously low, but over the past two months (.548 and .529) he's been passable, and passable is good enough to keep him on the floor for his defense. Is 22-games enough of a sample-size to say he's progressed to the point where we should ignore his hands-of-stone and 45% shooting from the field? If you're an optimist, why the hell not? There's nothing else to hang your hat on when you root for this god-forsaken team, so have at it.

If the lottery gods don't hand the #1 pick to the Knicks and the Sixers somehow get the #1 pick, who do you want?
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1.21349 2015-02-08T23:52:07Z 2015-02-09T00:05:16Z

Here's a fun game to pass the time (and clear the number of comments on the top post). Let's take a look at the Sixers roster and finish the following statement for each guy: "He'd be a legitimate NBA starter if..."

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com

Here's a fun game to pass the time (and clear the number of comments on the top post). Let's take a look at the Sixers roster and finish the following statement for each guy: "He'd be a legitimate NBA starter if..."
]]> There are three ways to answer this question. First, what does the player need to develop and/or add to his game to be considered a legitimate starter who helps his team win games in the NBA. Not "well, he could start on some teams, I'm sure there are worse players currently starting somewhere." When I say a starter, I mean pretty much any team would gladly take him and pencil him into their starting five and not worry about that position for a while.

Second, you can look at the player and say "he could start for you if you also had this." For example, he's a guard who can run the offense but can't defend anyone. You could say "he'd be a starter if you had a defensive stud at the other guard position." Something like that. 

And finally, you can say: "This guy is already good enough to be a starter. Any improvement is gravy."

Obviously, feel free to combine from the first and second categories. Enjoy.
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2015://1.21348 2015-01-01T05:00:00Z 2015-01-01T05:07:06Z

As we turn the calendar to 2015, unfortunately we can't turn back the clock and add some useful pieces to the Sixers current roster. If you're one of the hundreds still tuning into, or attending games, I applaud your sadistic streak. If you've decided to sit out this mess and maybe check back in if/when current leadership is ruining a different franchise, or they hit the jackpot with a pick, well, then you're probably a well-adjusted individual who's looking forward to 2015. One thing we can all agree on is the importance of a top-three pick in this summer's draft.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
As we turn the calendar to 2015, unfortunately we can't turn back the clock and add some useful pieces to the Sixers current roster. If you're one of the hundreds still tuning into, or attending games, I applaud your sadistic streak. If you've decided to sit out this mess and maybe check back in if/when current leadership is ruining a different franchise, or they hit the jackpot with a pick, well, then you're probably a well-adjusted individual who's looking forward to 2015. One thing we can all agree on is the importance of a top-three pick in this summer's draft.
]]>
Jahlil Okafor, Karl-Anthony Towns, Emmanuel Mudiay. That's your three-man draft right there, folks. I'd say Okafor is far-and-away the best fit for the Sixers, considering the fact they don't have a single offensive threat on their roster yet, but Okafor carries plenty of question marks with him into the NBA. Is the next Al Jefferson really going to move the needle? Will he even be as athletic as Al Jefferson when you line him up against NBA bigs? And since Noel's been exposed quite a bit this season, Hinkie's stockpile of bigs doesn't look quite as useful (or movable), as many people would lead you to believe. Okafor, or Towns for that matter, would be the fourth big man taken with a top-ten pick by Hinkie in a three-year span.

If Mudiay is the guy, they need to find a taker for MCW unless they want to stockpile at PG as well (or turn MCW into a shooting guard who can't shoot). Personally, I don't see how you can justify using a top three pick on PG unless he's a surefire star. The position is so unbelievably stacked, and all you really need at PG is a guy who plays some defense, distributes and can knock down a three. There are plenty of those guys out there you could trade for, and the free agents at the position in the next two offseasons include Goran Dragic, Mike Conley and Deron Williams, to name a few.

Which brings us to Towns. Good size, seems like he's got some offensive skills and best of all, he's from New Jersey. I guess I'm rooting for the Sixers to add him. Who would you guys like to see them get with their lottery pick?

It's anyone's guess who Hinkie is targeting at this point. Things will probably become much more clear when one of the top three goes down with a serious injury..that'll be Hinkie's guy.

Anyway, happy new year folks. See you in 2015.
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2014://1.21347 2014-11-25T15:21:48Z 2014-11-25T16:43:58Z

One man has been exposed as a vile human being for his hateful comments and business practices as a slumlord. Another has been lauded for his forward-thinking management and shrewd business decisions. Donald Sterling is a pariah, and rightfully so. Josh Harris is heading in that direction in some circles, and worshipped in others. One thing the two men have in common is the path on which they took their franchises.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com

One man has been exposed as a vile human being for his hateful comments and business practices as a slumlord. Another has been lauded for his forward-thinking management and shrewd business decisions. Donald Sterling is a pariah, and rightfully so. Josh Harris is heading in that direction in some circles, and worshipped in others. One thing the two men have in common is the path on which they took their franchises.
]]> I find the similarities undeniable, and the differences fascinating. Both franchises were/are synonymous with losing. The Clippers were a laughingstock for over three decades. In Sterling's tenure, the team has a combined winning percentage of .371. If you take out his last three seasons, after they hit the lottery w/ Griffin and the NBA handed them Chris Paul, it drops the number to .343. Of course, Chris Paul isn't the only thing the NBA handed to Donald Sterling. The inequities of the system and his franchise's prime location meant Sterling laughed all the way to the bank the entire time. Not only was his on-the-floor laughable product turning a huge profit the whole time, it was also accruing value. Then, in what has to be the biggest sham of a punishment in the history of the world, the NBA forced Sterling to sell the franchise, then ran the price up to the idiotic sum of $2B simply to offset the lawsuits which would surely follow. Along the way, Sterling made many enemies. He had a habit of refusing to pay people who worked for him. His slum lord status was well earned. And obviously the hateful comments made public by his public mistress were the nail in the PR coffin. At that point, the league couldn't allow it any longer. The funny thing is no one seemed to bat an eye at how he took advantage of the system for more than three decades. The Clippers took on a lovable loser status for some reason, as they somehow wasted 23 top-10 picks, 14 top-5 picks and 3 #1 overall picks. Looking at the names the Clippers used those picks on...you'd think Sterling didn't even want to win. And really, when you get paid hand over fist to lose, why would a guy with questionable ethics to begin with even bother investing to win?

Now we all know what's going on with the Sixers. There are Harris/Hinkie believers out there, many of them, who turn a blind eye to a roster composed of 9 undrafted players. There are those who believe the team is on the right path to eventual contention, and maybe they are. But really, all Josh Harris is doing is committing a white collar version of Donald Sterling's blue collar crimes. He's a vulture. Preying on this foolish system to line his pockets, and using things like salary cap floors and tax credits to line his pockets while his team makes a mockery of the sport on a nightly basis. In the past two seasons, the Sixers have used three top-ten picks for exactly 0.0 win shares. Noel is a goose egg so far in his first 353 minutes of action. In fact, one could say the Sixers have done their best to kick the can down the road, in this case the can represents fielding a legitimate NBA roster.

Harris supporters will argue until they're blue in the face that the team is simply accruing assets, and that's true. But the assets aren't future second-round picks and stashed European players. They're a practice facility in New Jersey. A facility which will add to the value of the franchise when they sell it. A facility which they'll barely pay a cent for. The sweetheart deal the Sixers struck with Camden includes dollar-for-dollar tax credits up to $82M. Another asset is their D-League team, again an asset that will make the team a more attractive package when Harris tires of milking the league's welfare system and really cashes in.

Where Donald Sterling refused to pay former employees and maintain his properties, Harris cost hundreds of jobs in Philly and gleefully called his 63-loss season a smashing success. At least the national media is calling a spade a spade in terms of the talent the Sixers are putting on the floor. The only thing that would make Harris' profiteering more offensive would be a mistaken notion that the losing was unintentional. What's the point of all of this? Well, the point for Harris, just like Sterling, is the bottom the line. My point is that to say Harris is following the OKC model, or the San Antonio model is an insult to those franchises. Harris is Sterling with a flashy MBA, a billion dollars, a Napoleonic complex and the common sense to keep his mistress and his insensitive comments off TMZ (I mean, if he had a mistress and racist inclinations, we wouldn't know about it. I'm pretty sure they teach you that in your first year at Wharton). Anyway, if you need some good news, I'd bet money it won't take 30+ years for Harris to cash in on this investment, probably just another five or so.

Anyway, back to the ever-so-entertaining games!
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2014://1.21346 2014-10-28T01:19:14Z 2014-10-28T14:32:21Z

tk76 http://www.depressedfan.com
In Brian's temporary absence, I'm putting up this article to start a new discussion thread, as things bog down a bit on some browsers after 500+ comments.  In the blogs honor, I'll steer away from my typical pro-Hinkie apologetic blather and try and post something a bit more cutting...
]]> Tanks are expensive- an M1 Abrams will set you back around eight million dollars (or a fraction of that through the 1033 program. Tanking is even more expensive for an NBA team. The team loses millions even if you solely limit your measure to gate receipts and lost playoff revenue. Probably tens of millions more when you look at the damage being done to their brand. No doubt the owners are betting on future returns from this experiment- best case as a direct result of getting stars through lottery winnings. But a lottery ticket does not pay your bills, and aside from avoiding luxury taxes, those bills are pretty constant whether you are fielding a winner, loser or whatever you'd like to call the current Sixers product. There is only so far you can drop the thermostat in the arena- so the owners and Sam Hinkie have found a few ways to work the system to help keep the lights on.

Firstly, The Sixers benefit a bit from how cash is distributed. They are already locked into a not so stellar stadium, parking and local TV deals, so they don't suffer nearly as much as as Comcast would have suffered had they fielded such a weak product (and I'm sure Comcast is furious at the owners for killing their CSN and Spectacor Sixer related revenues.) Likewise, the big jump in national TV revenue will line their pockets whether their backcourt features Elliot Williams or Deron Williams (or in their case, neither... go Shved I guess.) On the flip side, the Sixers are deemed as a "large market" so they cannot receive a take of the luxury tax like other weak teams such as the Bucks and Jazz. But that also means the Sixers are expected to be a big spender and not to be redefining what it means to be below the salary floor. And it is this salary floor where the owners can ring out extra revenue.

Next in the ways the team takes advantage of the salary floor rules, we have insurance money. NBA teams are required to have insurance policies on their 4 highest paid players . " NBA bylaws stipulate that every team has to pay for insurance for their five highest-paid players, if offered by the league insurance policy issuer, MetLife." Teams are also required to pay out the salary floor. Lets look back at insurance payment the owners have gotten the last 3 seasons:

2012/3:
Bynum 17M
JRich 6M

2013/4:
JRich 6M
Noel 3M
Kwame 3M

2014/5:
JRich 6.6M
Embiid 4.4M

So the Sixers presumedly have Metlife policies on all of these injured players. They are paying the salary floor in any case, but now get to cash in on 33M in insurance payments over the last 3 seasons. That buys you a few tanks, (about 4 M1 Abrams), or at least 2 years of "Together We Build."

Lastly we have the Sixers cap shenanigans. The owners must be at 57M in contracts (the salary floor) at the end of the season or be forced to reach that money through a distribution to their players. But if you take on salary at the deadline you end up paying a pro-rated 33% of the salary while being able to use 100% towards reaching the floor. The other 67% goes to Apollo Management Group (the owners wallets.) Last deadline, the Sixers took on 10M in salary from the Pacers in the ET/Granger deal along with 3M in the Mullins/Maynor deals that saved the Sixers owners a net of 7M and saved other teams from contributing 10M in luxury taxes (more when you look at deals earlier in the year.)

But as I've posted before, these numbers are tiny compared to what happens in a hypothetical Amare trade deadline scenario. The Sixers current cap number sits at about 34M, of which more than 17M will go to 5 players who will likely never step on the floor this season, and Embiid is the only one of the 5 who will ever play for the team going forward. That 34M puts them 23M under the salary floor (57M.) As I've posted previously, that perfectly lines up with Amare's 23M salary. Should the Sixers trade for Amare at the deadline they only pay a third of that 23M and yet avoid paying out 23M in distributions at the end of the season they would have been on the hook floor to make the salary floor. That is about 16M right into the owners pockets. This hypothetical trade will save the Knicks owners 8M in salary, and a whopping 49M in luxury tax (1.9X penalty to repeat tax offenders from NY)... money that would have been destined for the pockets of small market owners. Today's Outlaw deal saved the Knicks owners 4.7M in taxes, so the Sixers could end up facilitating 55M staying in the Knicks owners pockets as opposed to going to small market owners. And that is one big unpublicized reason why the NBA is not happy with the Sixers current business model. Of course this hypothetical Amare deal is months away from reality, but a similar given a similar move happened last deadline and there are already rumors of the Sixers acquiring Amare... I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the teams decides to cash in. Either way, the Sixers organization has found a number of ways to help subsidize their tank, so that succeed or fail, a combination of other owners, insurers and Comcast are helping to foot the bill.

As a side note, I am not a cap expert. Please see Larry Coon's excellent resource on the CBA, and please feel free to correct me if any of my suppositions above are incorrect. the Sixers have not been cheap. Prior to the Bynum trade they paid an extra 16M in net salary by amnestying Brand. They also seem willing to invest in the teams infrastructure, such as by building a new practice facility. But as with the tank, this building will largely be paid for by gaming the system and the state of NJ. ]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2014://1.21344 2014-08-24T04:42:32Z 2014-08-24T05:55:50Z

At the end of June in 2007 I was walking the streets of Dubrovnic looking for an internet cafe so I could find out who the Sixers would take to help the franchise bounce back from the Allen Iverson trade. Thad Young wasn't the name I was expecting to read, but the news certainly didn't ruin my vacation. Over the next seven years in Philly, he'd reach the playoffs four times and keep his chin up as the team was torn down to the studs around him. Nothing but the best in Minny, Thad. The return for their best (remaining) player? Questionable.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
At the end of June in 2007 I was walking the streets of Dubrovnic looking for an internet cafe so I could find out who the Sixers would take to help the franchise bounce back from the Allen Iverson trade. Thad Young wasn't the name I was expecting to read, but the news certainly didn't ruin my vacation. Over the next seven years in Philly, he'd reach the playoffs four times and keep his chin up as the team was torn down to the studs around him. Nothing but the best in Minny, Thad. The return for their best (remaining) player? Questionable.
]]> In return for Thad, the Sixers shaved $1.58M off their salary (dropping the amount they have committed to players to $24M and change), grabbed a top-10 protected 1st rounder in the 2015 draft (originally Miami's pick, from Cleveland in this deal), and added two new players to their roster.

Alexey Shved is a shooting guard who flat out cannot shoot. A shooting guard who hasn't touched 30% from three in either of his first two years in the league. A shooting guard with a TS% worse than Evan Turner's. A guy who can't defend to save his life and really only holds interest for a group of fans because he's Russian. The best thing about Shved is he'll only be on the team this year. He's a restricted free agent next summer and it's highly unlikely he'll be back. Certainly not for the $4M qualifying offer. Shved is filler, taken on simply to help Minnesota and Cleveland swap meaningful pieces.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute LRMAM is the epitome of a journeyman, but we really don't need to talk about what he does on the floor. The silver lining of this abortion of a deal is Mbah a Moute's history with the Sixers only hope. Luc has been a mentor to Embiid for years, and hopefully he'll continue in that role as Embiid works to recover from his foot injury.

On the floor, Sam Hinkie has without a doubt assembled the worst offensive team to ever set foot on the floor in the NBA. There is no hope. None at all. The 99.4 team OFR from last season (30th in the league), seems like a wholly unattainable benchmark for this squad. Mbah a Moute has always been a good positional defender, and Noel could be breathtaking on that end of the floor. Add them and possibly one or two of the second-rounders to MCW and maybe you've got a squad that can defend a little, but it isn't going to matter. 15 wins for this team, as "constructed" is a stretch.

More importantly, in the wallet the Sixers have set themselves up for brilliance. Assuming they fill up their roster with minimum contracts (mostly to their second round picks), and sign Embiid they'll basically have $33M on the books on opening night, $23M and change below the minimum salary. If, at the end of the season, they haven't added salary, they'll have to pay that $23M out to the players on their roster as a penalty for failing to reach the minimum. Of course, and this is the brilliant part, if a team like the Knicks is out of it and looking for a way to avoid paying the luxury tax (again) at the trade deadline, the Sixers can pull another fast one on the league. If they trade for Amare Stoudemire's corpse in late February, the full amount of his salary would be counted in the team's cap calculation, even though they'd only have to pay him the remaining $7M or so on his contract. A Stoudemire trade at the deadline would save the Sixers roughly $16M. It would also save the Knicks the $7M of his contract they wouldn't have to pay Amare, plus about $18M in luxury tax dollars. It would also move the Knicks below the luxury tax line, and reset their counter. That's big for New York, because this would be their third consecutive season paying the luxury tax, and they'd be running up against repeater status and the penalties that accompany it.

Anyway, just something to keep an eye on. The Sixers are making money. They're profitable right now, as they invest absolutely nothing in the product they put on the floor. The next seemingly meaningless move they make will further line their pockets. If it seems as if there's no urgency...well, that's probably because there isn't.

It's only 9 weeks until they lace them up for real against the mighty Pacers. Excited yet?
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2014://1.21343 2014-08-02T04:47:42Z 2014-08-02T05:41:27Z

Assuming the Sixers are done shaping their roster, the starting lineup on opening night will probably look something like Carter-Williams, McDaniels, Thompson, Young and Noel. Swapping Wroten in for McDaniels is also a possibility, but I'm hoping that's a long shot. Let's take a close look at what we can expect from either of those lineups, and maybe identify some opportunities for players to surprise this season.

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
Assuming the Sixers are done shaping their roster, the starting lineup on opening night will probably look something like Carter-Williams, McDaniels, Thompson, Young and Noel. Swapping Wroten in for McDaniels is also a possibility, but I'm hoping that's a long shot. Let's take a close look at what we can expect from either of those lineups, and maybe identify some opportunities for players to surprise this season.
]]> Obviously, this team is going to be offensively challenged. This is essentially the same team that finished the season 4-24 after the All Star break last season, plus Noel and a few rookies who don't exactly project to be offensive stars. Here's something you probably wouldn't have guessed, however. The Sixers were actually a more efficient offensive team after trading away Hawes and Turner. Don't get too excited, though, they merely went from an OFR of 99 to 101 and change. Another oddity found when comparing the team stats pre- and post-break is the team's pace slowed considerably later in the season, by about 3 possessions/game. Maybe you can chalk this up to tired legs and disinterest, or opposing teams slowing the game down with huge leads to protect most nights, but logic would seem to dictate a faster pace without the offense run by and through Hawes, and Turner's uncanny ability to freeze the ball whenever he got his hands on it.

But I digress. I only bring up last year's team as a starting point. That team featured MCW with a .484 TS% on 25% usage, 29% assist rate and 17.5% turnover rate. Plus Tony Wroten, who was actually a bit better than MCW after the trade: .511 TS%, 27% usage, 19% assist, 17.7% turnover. And of course Thad Young, who was exposed when asked/needed to do more than fill the gaps on offense. Thad's line post-break was alarming: .484 TS, 26.8% usage, only 9.1% Total Rebound Rate (after the team's two best rebounders were traded away). All of this is to say the Sixers lacked finishers, initiators and everything in between. When you look at what they've added, well, it's not exactly heartening. Noel is freakishly athletic, and freakishly raw/untalented on the offensive side of the ball. His athleticism will get him garbage points in the half court, and probably many more points in transition than your typical big man, but you certainly can't run offense through Noel. McDaniels and the rest of the second round picks are all cut from the same cloth. Athletic guys who might learn to shoot given time, but won't be initiators.

Sounds bleak, right? Well, it is. Opponents can, and will, pack the lane against the Sixers to cut off basically their only offensive option, which is a drive by MCW or Wroten. The lack of shooters on the outside will allow them to do this. Noel's presence should open things up a little bit on these drives, because if his man cheats off, Noel will have a field day catching and finishing lobs. If there is going to be newfound opportunity on the offensive end, this is where it's going to come from. Noel's man is either going to have to cheat to Noel, giving the driver an easier look at the hoop, or Noel is going to beat him. That means teams are probably going to have to cheat down more on the perimeter to seal off the lane. If that's the case, guys like Hollis and McDaniels could be primed for a tremendous opportunity. Last season, Hollis proved to be a solid three-point shooter (41% on the year), especially from the corner (46%). And McDaniels lackluster performance in the summer league overshadowed a decent shooting performance from deep, especially when he got his feet set.

Perhaps I'm counting on too many dominoes to fall in the right direction, but the Sixers offense is going to be so unbelievably predictable and mundane, I don't think it's crazy to think teams will over compensate toward shutting down their bread and butter (the out-of-control drives from the point), and limit the opportunities for their freak big man to a mix tape of lob dunks. Thompson didn't exactly step up last season after the trades, his TS% dropped afterward, and his usage rate also dropped from a paltry 11.6%, to 10.8%. He did, however, look much more aggressive in summer league so maybe he can take that into the regular season. The hope here, if you're into that kind of thing, is that a couple guys can turn themselves into reliable threats from deep, and reliable threats who won't hesitate to take the shot. If you get a couple of guys like that, then maybe the dominoes fall the other way, driving lanes become a little bit wider for MCW and Wroten, bigs wind up leaving Noel to protect the rim, which leaves him open for offensive-boards, lobs and easy rolls to the hoop. It's not much, and it's not nearly enough to turn a putrid offense into an average one, but it's a start. And if they can develop even one of these guys into a legit threat from the outside, they'll have made something out of nothing and maybe they'll have an unexpected keeper on their hands.

At this point, my money is on Hollis to be the guy who steps up. He's light years ahead of McDaniels, Grant and everyone else in terms of shooting ability. He just needs to be more aggressive in pulling the trigger, and he needs to demand a bigger role in the offense. I'm not really sure where Thad fits into this whole scheme. Ideally, he'd be a garbage man who you never call a play for, but someone scores 12-15 efficient points anyway. Unfortunately, you can't have an entire lineup of garbage men, so he'll probably be asked to do too much (either in Philly, or Minnesota, wherever he winds up on opening night).

Speaking of Thad trades, can anyone put together a decent return for Thad in the trade machine? If it's part of a three-teamer to send Love to Cleveland and Wiggins to Minny, there just isn't a whole lot there to make it palatable. Maybe they could come away with LaVine, Waiters or Bennett, but they'd have to take back some bad contracts as well. What's the best package you can come up with which sends Thad to Minny?
]]> tag:www.depressedfan.com,2014://1.21342 2014-07-13T03:53:00Z 2014-07-13T04:06:40Z

Orlando is in the books. Up next, Las Vegas. The Sixers are dealing with some injury problems with KJ McDaniels on the shelf. The coaching staff is treating Nerlens Noel very carefully. The free agent dominoes are falling in a big way, will the Sixers sit out the frenzy completely or find a way to get involved?

Brian http://www.depressedfan.com
Orlando is in the books. Up next, Las Vegas. The Sixers are dealing with some injury problems with KJ McDaniels on the shelf. The coaching staff is treating Nerlens Noel very carefully. The free agent dominoes are falling in a big way, will the Sixers sit out the frenzy completely or find a way to get involved?
]]> A quick word on the Jeremy Lin situation. I think it's a very good sign the Sixers weren't Lin's landing spot. $15M for a late first-round pick just doesn't make sense. The Lakers were willing to take that package, I assume, because they view Lin as an asset on the floor. For the Sixers, the only reason to get involved would've been to get a king's ransom in return for their cap space (and their disposable income). If they were actually involved and not just smoke used to bolster Houston's negotiating position, they bowed out at the right time. Lin would've added some wins this season, and there's no reason for that at this point.

The name I'm seeing most in the comments here is Jimmer Fredette. I'll jump on that bandwagon. It's not that I see Jimmer as turning into anything special, it's that I think if Noel and MCW are being groomed to be a part of this team going forward, they need someone to space the floor to grow. Fredette should be able to stand at the three point line and present an option for the kick out. I'm not sure anyone else on the roster will be able to fill that role. He should have a pretty low asking price, as well. Plus, if they sign him and he proves himself to be a dangerous shooter on a reasonable contract, he might be a flippable asset at the deadline, or even a usable piece for the long run. I don't see the downside unless you're worried he's going to add wins.

Melo back to the Knicks, LeBron to the Cavs (with more drama coming next summer since he can opt out after a single year of his two-year deal), Bosh crippling Miami's cap, Utah matching Hayward. It's been a crazy couple of days, how do you feel about the Sixers staying above (or below) the fray so far? Personally, I'm happy about it. They've made their bed, now get comfortable in it and lurk. If someone needs a little help landing Kevin Love, make them pay dearly for it.
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