Arnett Moultrie's ankle still mending
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Arnett Moultrie's ankle still mending
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
Remember that high ankle sprain that Sixers rookie Arnett Moultrie suffered while working out for NBA teams prior to the draft? The one that had the 6-11 Moultrie hobbling around when he was introduced to the city a few months back?
Turns out that the healing process has actually been a little bit slower than expected this summer. Moultrie came out of his walking boot in July, nearly two months ago, but he hasn’t been able to play five-on-five all summer long.
Moultrie also missed games at the Orlando summer league for rookies and free agents. However, the Sixers are not overly concerned about this. I spoke with president Rod Thorn about this briefly on Thursday and he said that he expects Moultrie to get up to speed during training camp, which begins Oct. 2.
“We’ll have some concerns about his conditioning, the usual things,” Thorn said, “but I think he’s going to be fine.”
Thorn said Moultrie, who played mostly at 235 pounds last season at Mississippi State University, is “a little heavier” than the Sixers would like. He also said that Moultrie is playing two-on-two and doing some conditioning, so it’s not as though Moultrie isn’t doing something.
Speaking of Thorn, he didn’t say much about the search for his replacement. He did, however, acknowledge that vice president of basketball operations Tony DiLeo is indeed a candidate for the job. When it comes to personnel moves, Thorn always keeps everything close to the hip. Out of town and reached via phone, Thorn, who had a pretty damn good summer doing his job, indicated that there are no new candidates vying for the job.
The list of candidates that have already interviewed for the job includes Boston assistant general manager Mike Zarren – he has since withdrawn his candidacy – ESPN analyst and ex-Portland Trail Blazers assistant general manager Tom Penn, and former New Orleans general manager Jeff Bower.
Although the Sixers do not need Arnette Moultrie early on as a contributor Day 1, as they are very deep with limited available minutes for him, I can't say I'm feeling too good about this report of him being somewhat "behind" in his recovery from this injury, suffered June 25th, the Satureday before the Draft working out for the Kings...Hopefully, he can be brought up to speed, as DC is not the type to extend "courtesy minutes" to those lagging in conditioning or knowledge of the concepts...Regarding his playing weight...he played at around 220 last season at Miss State, and his weight gain to 232 at the Combine (weighed June 8th) was something that he did work hard to get to...With verticality one of his athletic traits which separates him, conditioning is key...Hope he's not hanging with Lavoy and touring the cheesesteak joints like Larry's,Mama's,or John's Roast Pork...Hmmm.— bearsfriend- If you recall there was only one player who I wanted no parts of in the draft. This is your first glimpse into why I said that.
- bearsfriend - wasn't it a sprain? My doctor told me sprains are far worse than broken bones because of the healing time and potential for re-spraining or tearing something. I expected Moultrie to be brought along slowly anyway ala Lavoy last season. Barring injuries I don't see him getting playing time until post All-Star break and I think that would depend on how Thad does at SF because Moultrie would be more of a PF. I think there will be some potential moves before the trade deadline involving Hawes and Thad and possibly anyone else not working out to aquire more All-Star talent to put around Bynum and I could see them including Richardson, Wright or Nick Young depending on how they're doing with the latter two being expiring deals. I think Wright is more safe as the SF option behind Turner and/or Thad and I wouldn't mind keeping all three but whatever it takes to get more All-Star talen I'm all for.— joecooler2u
- Yes, I understand that's a painful injury. To the Sixers' surprise, the day after he was drafted, when in attendance at the initial PC, he had on his "walking boot", and I believe you're right in that a break can re-set easier(little help Mark1pt and other body healers!)...This injury is often heard in football...Like the others, I was really interested to see Moultrie go hard in Camp, where we were likely to see more of him than in the season,barring injuries to others...The thing is, all Sixers' fans probably felt like this off-season took "eons" to conclude, so to be frank, I put that high ankle sprain out of mind thinking 6-8 weeks at the max. — bearsfriend
- I truly look forward to seeing Moultrie on the floor. I was so excited when the Sixers got him. He is going to surprise a great many people. He has boundless talent and He is going to shine on this team. I truly look forward to it.— Horlet
- Wow I'm surprised his ankle didn't getter better yet... But hopefully he'll be able to play in the preseason and lose that extra weight they say he's gain— salis15
- In other news...Hoopsworld reports that Denver GM Massai Ujiri was, along with Danny Ferry, the inital favorites in regards to the GM to replace Rod Thorn, something many feel will stay in house with Tony DiLeo.— bearsfriend
- Doesn't matter. He wasn't going to get much time anyway. Bynum's getting most of the minutes at C with Hawes, Thad, Brown and Allen fighting for minutes at PF and backup C. Take your time Arnett we'll see you after Christmas.
- Agree with caught that Moultrie would have seen little playing time in any event, at least until the new year, barring other injuries. Now that the bestwriters have awakened from their Rip Van Winkle sleep, I hope we don't get a report now that Hawes is still having back and achilles problems, that Lavoy Allen has mushroomed to 275 pounds, and that Bynum is still in Germany getting injections.— chuckw
- Yes, it's safe to say he has DNP written all over him. — bearsfriend
- Agree with caught-u. Moultrie is a non- factor at this point. He'll have time to learn the game and become a professional.— philsix6
- Wow, I can't believe it, I agree with caught u sleeping comments!
Moultrie won't play anyway, no rookies play with Coach Collins.— male - bears: i hate you right now for putting Johns roast pork in my head lol!...no one can be happy about this report, but I will take th wait and see approach!
question for you all: what kind of player can you see Moultrie becomning when he reaches his potential..whats his ceiling? Basically, if he develops into his full potential, what player would he resemble most?....My answer would be: Ideally, I think his ceiling and style of play could make him a Rasheed wallace type! will he ever be as great as sheed? we can only wish...but I see similar skill sets in the two! would love to hear you guys thoughts!
Could you imagine 3 years from now, a 29 year old Bynum playing with sheed next to him? dont hate, cant a guy dream? lol— johnGiam - do you guys think moultries skill set is more of a rasheed wallace type? or a Garnett type? and please dont anyone tell me that he will never be either of them. Im not saying that he will be anything close to those players....im just talking about style of play— johnGiam
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
