Reversal: Missing the playoffs the right thing for this team
Last year, even though it was clear that the 76ers were not a good team, I advocated for them to reach the playoffs, which they did.
Reversal: Missing the playoffs the right thing for this team
John Mitchell, Inquirer Staff Writer
Last year, even though it was clear that the 76ers were not a good team, I advocated for them to reach the playoffs, which they did.
I thought it was the right thing at that time. They had young players whom I thought would benefit from the experience, and I think they have.
However, they have changed the roster so much – and I still contend that right now making the deal for Andrew Bynum was the right move – and, unfortunately for them, they have not had the key piece to this roster that they envisioned they would have.
But after falling 11 games below .500 following an inexcusable and effortless loss to a wretched Orlando team that featured former 76er “assets” Maurice Harkless (10 points) and Nik Vucevic (19 rebounds, 12 points), and after hearing the revelatory extended press conference by coach Doug Collins in which he called into question the effort of his players, it is clear that the best thing for this team to do is to wind up in the lottery.
Criticize the coaching all you want. Today, after that awful loss, anything is fair. But you can’t criticize Collins without pointing your finger at the players as well. If the word “playoff” comes out of your mouth – and the players still talk about it, at least they did before Tuesday night - you can’t allow a team that had lost 17 of 18 and 10 in a row on the road come to your building and manhandle you.
You can’t have Spencer Hawes and Lavoy Allen combine for five rebounds in almost 40 minutes (one more than the skinny, 19-year-old Harkless) and then point the finger at anything other than heart and desire, neither of which were on display at that WFC debacle on Tuesday.
Some of the best assets the Sixers had on their roster were wearing Orlando’s uniform Tuesday, but there is no reason to get into a discussion about why this came to pass.. If you are reading, you know the reasoning.
This team doesn’t have the innate tenacity or talent to grind its way back into the playoff picture, not with 12 of their final 16 on the road. Last season, like them or loathe them, you knew that Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Lou Williams, limited as they were, were going to give it their all. They might lose, but they were not going to mail it in.
This team doesn’t have that DNA. This team isn’t going to make the playoffs.
So the paradigm has changed.
The playoffs? Nothing more than fantasy.
This season is officially about recouping assets, and the lottery, unfortunately, is the best place to start.
John, good article as usual. Still, let me say what is going to occur: DC will get fired, hopefully Dileo also, and I presume he will and must. Here is the Key: Sixers put marketing ahead of winning. Collins had a terrible coaching record when hired. Lavoy Allen has no business being on an NBA roster; Bynum is from nearby New Jersey, but people will not, and would not, come for a broken down center like bynum. The kid they drafted from Villanova, the guard, since released, had no business on an NBA roster. Who cares if the Sixers hire an ex NBA player. COMPETENCE....PS: The Sixers are one of only 2 NBA teams without any foreign born players. Think about it. League Leader San Antonio: 7 foreign born players.....Sixers need to step into the 21st century.— deanmartin- PS: another 1st round pick, in addition to Vucevic, the Sixers traded away was Thabo Sefalosha, who is merely the starting shooting guard for Kevin Durant's OKC thunder. OKC may win the NBA title this year. Not good enough for Philly, so they off load him to start for the future NBA champs? what? Sefalosha is also from Switzerland, like Vuc. Maybe Sixers management have a SUPER secret strategy to draft Swiss born players with their number 1 draft picks, then give them away for virtually nothing to other teams who eventually become NBA champions? Very clever.— deanmartin
- J Mitch.....your not telling the real hoops fan anything they should not have known for weeks. As I have said many times last year and this year (I'm a broken record) this organization doesn't get it....they just always seem to get in their own way all the time.
This team should simply do this (New ownership please listen)
Game Plan:
1) 2013 lottery (pray for a top 3 pick)
2) DO NOT SIGN any FA's at all during the off-season. You will have Holiday-Thad-Hawes-Allen-ET-Moultrie-J Rich-K Brown all under contract at roughly $46M.....just fill in the holes with YOUTH 1 year deals!!!
3) 2014 lottery hopefully the 76ers will STINK and will be in play for a top 5 pick
4) You will then have ONLY Holiday-ET-Thad-J Rich-Moultrie-2013 1st and 2nd round picks-2014 1st and 2nd round picks under contract which puts you around $40M so basically 9 players
5) Since the NBA salary cap will be set around $58M (est) you will be $18M under and available to sign hopefully a top 25 type talent
6) J Rich will be move-able because he will have an expiring contract of $6M AND ET will also be in his last year at $6M plus AND Thad Young will only have 1 year remaining at $9.7M so you will have some flexibility for a sign a trade.
7)So you will have at that point Jrue and this top 25 FA talent who are both hopefully All Star players but being realistic not top 10 players to build around with 2 THATS 2 lottery pick young players.
***That gives you the BEST chance of turning this thing around for the long haul.....the key factors are you can not miss on the 2 lottery selections and 1 of them needs to become a top 25 type player.
ITS THAT SIMPLE!!!!!!— bbrady25 - The problem is the Sixers NEVER have patience. Your plan, as logical as it sounds, means low attendance and low TV viewership which equals little to no (even negative) profit for the owners. These guys are business guys first and foremost. Loosing $$$ is not an option.
— nick417 - I would also add bringing in a young coach that runs a good system, like Brian Shaw or Mike Budenholzer
But I totally agree with you, let Bynum walk or do a sign a trade to a team like Houston or Cleveland who can send back a couple draft picks and a young player like Tristan Thompson or Terrance Jones.
Draft an athlete this year like Oladipo or Otto Porter.
Then let all your young players play in 13/14 but suck enough to hopefully land the number one or two pick because Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker are Organization changing players, especially Wiggins, this kid is the second coming.
This should be the 6ers plan for the future of the franchise.
- Let us not forget that the reason to move, or allow those guy to leave, was that the sixers had reached their max potential with them. There is no point in bemoaning the loss of those guys, because there was no way that team was going to do more than they did last year.— blah
- @ blah -- Wrong. You have to actually improve or at least go into complete re-building mode if you are going to jettison all your top players. It was all good until they dealt Iggy and three 1st round picks for a complete dud (physically and mentally). Not to mention the Brand/Lou Williams debacles - to amnesty Brand and replace him with utter garbage was prety dumb. To let Lou go and expect the likes of Swaggy and Dorrell to fill in was just plain stupid.
— Copper34 
I have come to the conclusion that they must offer Bynum the max contract for max years. The team will remain mired down with the Bobcats and Wizards for the next 5 years no matter what, unless Bynum can play. The cap room will never, ever matter to this team. Ever.- BroadStBeat: One. Two. Three, Four, Five. Six Game Losing Streak http://t.co/XcbKW68Wtd check us out on twitter: @broadstbeat— BroadStBeat
- Bring back pro basketball to Philly. Remember Arizin, Gola, Wilt, Cunningham, Greer, Collins, Dr J and more?— prudential2
- nick417/femmeballr....finally fans that truly get it. I'm not saying this plan is perfect and yes it will take patience (the 2013-14 season) but once you get past the 2014 draft, provided we get some luck on draft night in 2013 and 2014 the future then truly begins.....remember:
To start the 2014-15 season which starts October 2014 so only 18 months away:
PG Jrue Holiday
SG 2014 lottery pick
SF Evan Turner OR Thad Young OR player aquired in trade using ET or Thad
PF 2013 lottery pick OR Moultrie
C 2014 FA remember you will have $18M available
Also using J Rich's expiring $6M contract will be useful and you will have added a couple of 2nd round picks and another mid-level exception FA
New coach etc......OWNERSHIP only needs to bite the bullet for ONE season next year!
— bbrady25 - John, making the deal for Bynum was the right thing ONLY if it can be shown that they exercised due diligence before the trade. They already knew that he had chronically bad knees. They should've performed intensive medical/diagnostic tests to determine the true extent of his injuries. So far, I have not heard that the Sixers were careful. Without this info, the front office set the franchise back several years by trading good young players for nothing.— nmlawyer
- Typical Philly Sports. I am so tired of waiting— stardog
- Firing coach is not the solution,Doug Collins is a good coach with no good group of players.Bring a man from planet Mars,he still is gonna win nothing with that group of below mediocre players.Drew is the only NBA caliber in this team.Leb James summed it all,Drew need help,a best player like James in Miami has help what more a young guy like Holiday— MANUWATU
- Worst front office in Philly. Hands down.— Grazman
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.
