Cooney: Questions, answers about Sixers

FOUR GAMES and four losses. Certainly not what fans envisioned this summer when envisioning how the 76ers' season might play out. But that's where we are now, and the questions about the organization are as varied as ever. Let's take a look at a few of them:

* What is up with Nerlens Noel and what does the team have planned for him?

I wrote the day before training camp began, the day after Noel publicly complained about the organization not moving either him, Joel Embiid or Jahlil Okafor, that his timing wasn't ideal to say those things. My main reasoning was that the city was so stoked about the team because Embiid was coming back from a two-year redshirt and No. 1 pick Ben Simmons was tickling fans' imaginations. I also thought what Noel said wouldn't benefit him in any way.

Among Noel, Embiid and Okafor, many believe - and I am one - that Noel may be the most expendable, especially when you consider the improvement of Richaun Holmes. Yes, Noel is a terrific defender, but as good as he is at that end of the floor, he is as much a liability at the other end. His offensive game, maybe for the rest of his career, will be dominated by alley-oops and put-backs, and I'm not sure how many of them he gets with Embiid and Okafor here.

The team tried last season to pair Noel with Okafor, and it simply did not work, whether Noel played the power forward spot or Okafor did. They just couldn't figure it out. And now, considering how mobile, active and good Embiid is at the defensive end, it really doesn't seem you need Noel to rim-protect with the 7-2 rookie.

I think Noel can be a hell of a role player in the league for many, many years and stands to make a boatload of money. But I also think the organization lists him tied for third (with Holmes) among the big men they like. The fact that his name is rarely brought up by anyone when talking about the future of the team is telling. The hope, mainly for him, is that he gets healthy from a recent knee procedure and finds a place where his talents flourish.

* Is Brett Brown the right coach?

Seems like they fall apart an awful lot in the second half and, particularly, at the end of games.

The past two games really have fueled this type of question as the Sixers blew halftime leads against Orlando and Charlotte, allowing 41 and 39 points, respectively, in the third quarter of those two contests.

I have sat and talked NBA basketball with Brown many times through the years. There has never been a time when I walked away feeling anything but impressed. There hasn't been a situation during a game or season for which he didn't have an answer or a vision. I've seen him do camps, watched him at practice, interact with coaches. There isn't a weak spot.

So the question is whether he communicates his thoughts well with his players. A coach can know what he wants to do, and it may be the right play or scheme each and every time. But if it isn't communicated properly to his players, it really doesn't matter. If there is anything Brown has done extraordinarily well during his tenure here, it's communicate with players. I've written a hundred times about this and nothing has changed.

I see, and wrote about the other day, the scattered offense late in games and the bad defensive rotations. But the more I watch games, live and on tape, I see opponents, for the most part, simply being more talented. I know what Brown wants to do and I see the players trying to do it, but most of the time the other team simply has more talent on the court.

* What is the ceiling for Embiid?

Limitless? Other-worldly?

Many of you have blasted me through the years for this, but I am not someone who overacts to things, good or bad. Yes, some are blatantly obvious; for example, many of the players brought here in the past three years have not been NBA players. But for the most part, I'm a wait-and-see type of observer.

That being said, I'm all-in on Embiid being a star, perhaps a superstar. When you've been around the game as long as I have, at every level, there are just certain things about players that stick out. Maybe it's an attitude that overrides athletic deficiencies. Perhaps all the skills are there, but the attitude is a deterrent.

Embiid has it all. The athleticism I witnessed during his recovery from foot surgeries blew my mind at times. Shoots like a guard; handles the ball like a small forward; grew into one of the biggest bodies in the league. He already has the likes of Charlotte assistant Patrick Ewing singing his praises, and Embiid has played in just three games.

Just remember, this is a person who started playing basketball at 16. He is only 22 now and he didn't play the game for 2 1/2 years. Imagine when he learns the ways of the NBA. Imagine when Simmons is healthy. Imagine when the rust wears off and his shooting, passing, rebounding and reacting all form. When it comes to Embiid, let the imagination wander.

* With another season of 60 or so losses, what is the best the Sixers can get out of these 82 games?

Quite simply, a healthy and improved Embiid and some idea of how he and Okafor - and maybe Noel - fit together. This is a year of progression, to see how much Embiid needs to be the focus of the offense and to learn what/who works best around him.

* What's going to happen with Simmons?

The hope is that he will recover from the Jones fracture surgery in his right foot in time to get on the court at some point this season. This franchise needs to learn how to win, as much as anything, and he really is the key to giving them that chance. Never in Brown's tenure has he had a player who could create offensive opportunities the way Simmons will. He, alone, closes the gap in talent between the Sixers and many opponents.

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog