April 29, 2015
The NFL Draft will take over everyone in Philadelphia’s conscious over the next few days, as it rightfully should. Just keep in mind that once Mr. Irrelevant hears his name called on Saturday, the focus will shift to June when the three other Philly teams will possess high picks in their respective amateur drafts. With all due respect to the Matthew Barzal’s and the Daz Cameron’s of the world (Google ‘em), the NBA Draft should be king of the hill in June, mainly because it’s Sixers fans’ Super Bowl at this stage of the rebuild.
Draft talk has already gone full speed ahead, and one of the best resources to get your speculation, information, etc. is Chad Ford’s chats on ESPN.com. In his latest chat, Ford was asked a question about what should be an ongoing debate up until June 25th, Emmanuel Mudiay vs. D’Angelo Russell:
It think they'll both be great. Two very different players. Russell in the James Harden mold. Mudiay in the Derrick Rose mold. One relies on shooting and basketball IQ. Mudiay has great athleticism and strength. I've actually been hearing Mudiay over Russell this year, but it's early and I did read the Russell report. However, that was from another GM speculating on what the Sixers liked. I still think Mudiay fits them a little better on what they've preferred in past drafts.
I still need to do a little more research on Mudiay, but a shaky jumper from a lead guard is extremely tough to build around in today’s NBA. My initial impression is that the Sixers are in a pretty good spot with a pick guaranteed in the top six and an off chance at an extra one (18 percent for Lakers, 9 percent for Heat) in the draft’s first 11 selections. Ford was also asked about players that could join the likes of Mudiay and Russell in the draft’s top tier. He gave out a name that Sixers fans should keep a pretty close eye on:
Kristaps Porzingis, for sure. There are international scouts that, for sure, have him there already and a small handful of GMs. Mario Hezonja and Justise Winslow are the other two. But right now there's clearly a tier between Towns, Okafor, Mudiay, Russell and the rest. But workouts, testing, interviews could change that.
League executive: Word is Sixers want D'Angelo Russell: Keith Pompey, Philadelphia Inquirer
The title is pretty self-explanatory, and here’s the money quote:
"He's the guy they want," the executive, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Saturday. "That's the word around the league. You know the Sixers. They won't come out and say it, but he's the guy they want."
I would advise a bit of caution here, specifically as it pertains to believing the Sixers are zeroing in on a singular prospect. Right above, Ford gave a slight edge to Mudiay and he’s obviously very plugged-in as well. Also, remember last year when the constant buzz held that Sam Hinkie was doing everything besides blasting “In Your Eyes” outside of Andrew Wiggins’ window? Joel Embiid hurt his foot, and the Sixers were still rumored to be infatuated with Wiggins up until draft night. Do you recall this doozy?
League sources: Philly making a big push -- picks 3,10, 32 & NEXT yrs 1st & Thad Young for Cleveland for No. 1 and Wiggins.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) June 26, 2014
That’s more than the Eagles need to surrender in order to get Marcus Mariota*! As things shook out, the Sixers felt comfortable enough taking Embiid (or were rebuked by Cleveland, we don’t know) rather than mortgaging the farm. I totally believe that the Sixers like Russell’s combination of ball handling and shooting, because who wouldn’t? I’m also not willing to operate like he’s definitively the guy they want, though.
*I have to mention him at least once. It’s in my contract!
Celtics Willing To Give Up a First Round Pick? Call the Sixers: Derek Bodner, nba.DerekBodner.com
There’s a report that the Boston Celtics are willing to part with one of their war chest of first-round picks if another team took on the final year and $10 million of Gerald Wallace’s albatross contract. Bodner reasons that even after taking on JaVale McGee’s deal this year, the Sixers could be interested in taking on additional dead weight in exchange for a first-rounder. It would most likely be a late pick, either the Clippers’ 2015 first-rounder (Doc Rivers) or the Mavs’ 2016 first-rounder (Rajon Rondo, protected 1-7). Of the two, Dallas’ selection would interest me more.
Sixers player evaluation: Thomas Robinson: John Finger, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia
The good people at CSN are going through their individual player evaluations (related: I hope to post a more condensed series of these next week). Finger takes a look at Robinson, who is a player that I believe the Sixers should take a hard look at re-signing. Claimed off waivers shortly after the trade deadline, the third-year glass cleaner warmed up to playing in Philly in the short time he was here after initially having reservations.
Power ranking the 2011-12 Sixers in the 2014-15 postseason: Andrew Unterberger, The 700 Level
Good idea for a post from Unterberger, one that I’m jealous about not thinking up. Here’s the thing about the 2011-12 Sixers: They had a lot of decent to good players, but not the top-end talent required to compete for a title. After Sam Hinkie burned the whole thing down to the ground, many of those players unsurprisingly find themselves on very good teams. Here’s part of the section on Spencer Hawes, who might as well wear a suit and tie (American-themed, of course) to these Clippers playoff games:
A disastrous regular season for everyone's favorite seven-foot republican — FG% under 40, PER under 10 — has only gotten worse in the postseason, as Spence has gone from being the on-court emblem of the Clippers' bench futility, to not even getting on the court in the first place. Through four games against San Antonio, Hawes has played just ten minutes, hitting one shot in six attempts and doing little else of note. The sweet-shooting big whose mid-level signing was supposed to give the Clips the frontcourt versatility it's so badly lacked in recent years is actually losing his minutes to Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Hedo Turkoglu, about as damning an designation as can be afforded in today's NBA — at least on a good team.
1. I wrote about how the new TV money *could* (emphasis on that word) affect how the Sixers attack free agency this summer.
2. New Sixers Beat podcast, putting a bow on the Sixers’ 2014-15 season.
