The Philadelphia 76ers have a long, storied history of success. A huge part of this history and winning tradition is the one-and-only, Wilt Chamberlain. On March 2nd, 1962 against the New York. Jun 08, 2019 “Should the Sixers re-instate the Big Mac for 100 points instead of the free throw frosty?” No and my only reason being is that I like ice cream more than burgers.
- The Sixers brass, at the time, tried to support these three by matching them with free agent signing, NBA allstar Elton Brand, who was coming off a terrible ACL tear. However, this didn’t work as Brand never fully recovered from his injury while on the Sixers. This core was subsequently dismantled.
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Because he is awesome, Joakim Noah launched an ill-advised three on Tuesday night, as the Chicago Bulls were putting the finishing touches on a victory over the Orlando Magic. Noah was trying to win free burgers for the hometown fans, as part of a team promotion. Head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t think the stunt was so awesome, however. Per ESPN: “The Bulls have a promotion where fans get a Big Mac if the Bulls score 100 points in a home win. The Bulls won 99-93 as Noah missed his 3 with .03 seconds left. ‘I talked to him about it, but I’m going to keep that private,’ Thibodeau said. It’s not the first time the promotion has made headlines. Kirk Hinrich was booed after a game despite leading the Bulls to victory, and even Derrick Rose said he felt bad after his missed free throws cost the fans a free burger. Noah made one of two free throws with 23 seconds left to make it 99-93, and Hinrich missed two with 10 seconds left. ‘I got caught up in the moment,’ Noah admitted after the game. Despite the fact the Bulls had won the game, many fans booed the team as the final buzzer sounded. ‘I regret it a little bit,’ Noah said. ‘It wasn’t a good shot. You have to respect the game because you never know what can happen in a game. I just got caught up in the moment and I was trying to get the people a Big Mac. They really wanted a Big Mac and I felt like, not only did I take the shot and miss the shot, we didn’t even get the Big Mac. Next time, I won’t take that 3-pointer.’”
The 76ersare not a ‘loser’ franchise. They have a winning tradition that dates back tothe 70s, having fielded such basketball greats as Julius Erving and Wilt Chamberlainin the 70s and Charles Barkley in the 80s and 90s. . The last great 76ers erawas between 1996-2006, better known as the Allen Iverson Era. Iverson was apint-sized whirlwind that a lot of Philadelphians associated with- a tough,gritty underdog. For 10 years, Iverson was the face of the city and, arguably,the league (for good and bad), influencing a lot of current players includingLebron James. Iverson was a great match for the city but his acerbic attituderubbed management, especially then owner Ed Snider, the wrong way. He was thenshipped off unceremoniously in 2006, leaving the throne open for his successor,Andre Iguodala.
Iguodala was a very good player but he wasn’t a superstar. Him,Kyle Korver and Samuel Dalembert were supposed to be the pillars of the nextera of 76ers basketball. However, none of these guys ever really galvanized thefanbase, who was used to the excitement that Iverson brought- the anger, therage that he played the game- and the fanbase subsequently became critical ofthe three. They never really associated with ‘Iggy’, who was more of a defenderthan a go-to scorer, Korver, who has since found his niche as a three pointexpert for various other teams, and 'Sammy', who fell far from being the greatcenter he was supposed to become. The Sixers brass, at the time, tried to support these threeby matching them with free agent signing, NBA allstar Elton Brand, who wascoming off a terrible ACL tear. However, this didn’t work as Brand never fullyrecovered from his injury while on the Sixers. This core was subsequentlydismantled.
Iguodala was a very good player but he wasn’t a superstar. Him,Kyle Korver and Samuel Dalembert were supposed to be the pillars of the nextera of 76ers basketball. However, none of these guys ever really galvanized thefanbase, who was used to the excitement that Iverson brought- the anger, therage that he played the game- and the fanbase subsequently became critical ofthe three. They never really associated with ‘Iggy’, who was more of a defenderthan a go-to scorer, Korver, who has since found his niche as a three pointexpert for various other teams, and 'Sammy', who fell far from being the greatcenter he was supposed to become. The Sixers brass, at the time, tried to support these threeby matching them with free agent signing, NBA allstar Elton Brand, who wascoming off a terrible ACL tear. However, this didn’t work as Brand never fullyrecovered from his injury while on the Sixers. This core was subsequentlydismantled.
EvanTurner, Jrue Holliday and Thaddeus Young then became the next big three for theSixers. However, none of these guys ever really captured the imagination of thedwindling Sixer fanbase either. Young is just an above average solid player.Holliday is an above average PG who should be a bench player on a good team.The player who, surprisingly, never worked out as the next Sixers savior wasTurner. Turner, the former Ohio State stalwart, was the number 2 pick overallin 2010. Turner’s story was very marketable, as he overcame a childhood ailmentto become a great collegiate player. However, his development was severelyimpeded by the presence of Iguodala, who was a similar player to him, andball-hawking PGs like Andre Miller and Holliday. Also, rumors have it that hesuffered from bipolar disorder, which impeded his in game focus.
Withinterest in the 76ers dwindling, with Philadelphians turning their attentionmore to the Phillies and the Eagles, attendance dropped considerably. Comcast,their owner, wanted out, which is surprising considering they are a risingbusiness monolith and the Sixers were essentially free programming on their network. In2011, an investment group lead by Joshua Harris purchased the Sixers fromComcast Spectacor. Whereas media attention focused more on the fact that actorWill Smith was part of this investment group, what was missed was the fact thatHarris was a founding member of the Apollo Global Management, a company which“would purchase distressed securities which could be converted into acontrolling interest in the equity of the company through a bankruptcyreorganization or other restructuring (source: Wikipedia)”. In other words,they would dismantle everything and rebuild for profit. This strategy would bekey in future Sixers management decisions.
When theteam was purchased, the Sixers still held significant assets like Iguodala, ayoung Turner, Young and Holliday. This core was additionally complemented bythe presence of head couch Doug Collins, a native Philadelphian and former76er. Collins was a successful coach at many levels but his penchant forburning out 2-3 years into his tenures was well known around the league. Afterinitial success with the team, Collins started showing signs of burning outagain. What didn’t help was that Andrew Bynum, the player they acquired fromthe Lakers in a three way deal between the Sixers, Magic and Lakers involvingDwight Howard and Iguodala, did not recover from offseason knee surgery priorto the 2012-13 season and ended up sitting out the whole season. With Bynum,the Sixers would have been a conference contender, having the 2ndbest center in the league. Without Bynum, the Sixers became fodder for othereastern conference teams. However, the Sixers did not drop completely to thebottom as the efforts of Turner (now with more playing time without Iguodalaaround), Holliday and 3 point shooting center Spencer Hawes at least keepingthem semi-competitive.
With theSixers dropping to mediocrity without Bynum or Iguodala, it was time for Harrisand Apollo to initiate their master plan- sell, sell and sell.
So this ishow we got to this Saturday night:
1)Doug Collins, burnt out again, was relieved of his duties.
2)Holliday was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for a 2013 1stround pick (Nerlens Noel) and a top 5 protected 2014 1st round pick.
3)Bynum, an unrestricted free agent, was allowed to leave.
4)Nick Young, a spark plug off the bench, was also let go.
5)No significant free agents were signed in the offseason.
6)Hawes, after a fantastic start this season but entering freeagency, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, for 2 second round picks.
7)Turner, finally establishing himself after Iguodala left but also entering free agency, wasmoved at the trade deadline to the Indiana Pacers (along with local boy LavoyAllen) for another 2 second round picks.
Having stripped the team of all its older player assets, itis not surprising that they are in the midst of one of the longest losingstreak in league history, which leads us to Saturday night. A loss against theDetroit Pistons would “reward” the dubious distinction of the longest losingstreak to this young, overmatched bunch of players, justly or not.
Saturday Night
The Wells Fargo center was surprisingly 80% full come gametime. One can see that the Iverson mystic still prevails, with 80% of jerseysworn by fans in attendance had ‘Iverson’ or ‘the Answer’ on the back. About 70%of the crowd were families, probably getting cheap tickets or complementarytickets from their companies. The kids all particularly enjoyed the experience,being given thunder sticks (which are LOUD and obnoxious) to start the game.Unlike the other two Philly sports, the basketball crowd was surprisinglyfamily friendly. Parents don’t have to worry about loud and obnoxious drunkfans swearing (Eagles) or overly serious, Phillies fan who thumb their noses ateach other. It was a very tame experience, which might actually, on secondthought, be an indication how resigned to failure the hardcore Sixer fanbaseactually is. However, the crowd was not snark-free as some teenagers creativelydesigned their own Wiggins, Parker and Embid jerseys, using white t-shirts withthese players’ names written on the back and letters, when put together saying“please” on the front. I think they were kicked out for being rude.
Their opponents, the DetroitPistons, were the first on the court before the game. The Pistons, like theSixers, are a sub-.500 team but they are within earshot of the 8thand final playoff spot in the conference. Individually, they are much moretalented than the Sixers. They are led by Josh Smith, a recent signing fromthe Atlanta Hawks. Smith is an athletic specimen who can defend multiplepositions. Center Andre Drummond is an up and coming big man. Greg Monroe is ayoung double-double machine. They also have a talented bench with Kyle Singler,Will Bynum, Rodney Stuckey and energy big Jonas Jerebko. On paper, they shouldhave no problems with the Sixers.
On paper.
However, the issue with the Pistonshas been their complete lack of cohesiveness as a team. In other words, theirtalent does not match. Josh Smith is a good player but he’s also without anytrue position- he's a terrible shooter for a small forward and lacks a post up game for apower forward. He’s actually better as a back up big- a role, however, herefuses to play. Monroe and Drummond complement each other but, without a 3 ptshooting SF, opponents tend to play them close. Also, there’s the issue ofBrandon Jennings, the small PG obtained from the Milwaukee Bucks who can’t putall of his skills together. He can’t shoot but makes his bones by playing fast-too fast for the post up players Monroe and Drummond and too undefined to playwith an equally undefined player in Smith. Some nights, everything depends onwhat Jennings brings.
And this is why the Sixers won.
Jenningswas kicked out of the game mid way through the 1st quarter forcomplaining to the head referee for a non-call on him, which led him to make awild, behind the back shot at the basket in a previous offensive possession.After that, everything fell apart for the Pistons, who were only down by 6before his ejection. With Jennings, and his speed, gone, the Sixers ran amok onDetroit, with fast break after fast break points. Then the Sixers startedhitting threes. Next thing you know, the Sixers had scored 70 points at halftime, ending the game scoring 123 points, beating the Pistons by 25 points, thelargest point difference ever to end a 20+ game losing streak in leaguehistory.
Sixers New Roster
It seemedlike all the Sixers had a career game. In particular, Jarvis Varnado, theirrecent 7 ft signee, demonstrated a unique ability to run the court. CasperWare, their most recent pickup from the D-league, displayed unique passingskills, which could get him more looks in the league in the future. However,the MVP of the game was their undisputed leader, Thaddeus Young, who scored 21points on 9-17 shooting and was omnipresent around the basket tonight. Young, aveteran of 6 Sixers season, understands the embarrassment of their streak andgave it his all tonight to avoid the unanimity of owning the longest streak ever themselves.
Overall,the Sixers sent their fans home happy. Free big mac to fans because theteam scored over 100 points was icing on the proverbial cake.
Future
With thestreak over, Harris and Co. can now redouble their efforts on their rebuild.The key to the Apollo business strategy is to restructure. How they arerebuilding the Sixers follow this particular strategy- older players moved out?Check. Management moved out? Check. Apollo has succeeded in stripping theSixers down to its core.
Now, whatis the new core of the Sixers? Here’s the new big three-
1)Michael Carter Williams- the 2013 1st round pick,their starting PG and, most likely, the 2013-2014 rookie of the year, isdefinitely a key building block for this team. In his first game, he recorded atriple-double in leading the team past the Miami Heat. Williams could be withthis team for years to come.
2)Nerlens Noel- the 2013 1st round pick would havebeen the 1st pick overall if it wasn’t for a torn ACL suffered incollege. This year, the Sixers decided to sit him out for the season, despitehim twittering constantly that he will play this season. Maybe he might getsome playing time in April but the Sixers will probably not give him an in gameuniform let alone have him touch the floor.
3)1st round pick in the top 5 in the 2014-2015 draft.
What might haveprecipitated the need to initiate the tank job this year is the fact that thisyear’s draft is potentially the best in ten years (since the infamous LebronJames draft of 2004). Many of these potential draftees have superstar potential andgetting one (or potentially two of them with the 1st round pick fromthe Pelicans) could be instrumental towards the rebuild. Whereas I can wax onpoetically about some of the draft candidates, one player particularly standsout for the Sixers and would fit current Sixer player personnel perfectly:
Sixers News Today
Andrew Wiggins.
Wiggins, the freshman swingmanfrom Kansas, is the Canadian “Lebron James”. Although a little slim in buildand his effort is inconsistent from game to game, he displays a wide skill setfor his age and dynamic athleticism. This small forward could solidify the teamimmediately. A young core of Carter-Williams, Noel and Wiggins would be a greatbuilding block for the Sixers.
What else is next for the Sixers?
BesidesCarter-Williams, almost no one I saw tonight will be on this team next season. Many ofthese players do not have contracts beyond this season (Varnado, Henry Sims andCasper Ware) and will most likely be let go. Thaddeus Young, their veteranleader with two more years left on his contract, will most certainly be tradedfor additional draft picks. Others with one year or more left on theircontracts- Jason Richardson (a veteran with a terrible injury history), EricMaynor, Tony Wroten, Arnett Moultrie and Byron Mullens (who will definitelyexercise his player option because he would be out of the league if hedoesn’t)- will probably be shopped around also because of their expiring dealsafter the 2014-2015 season. Adding all this up, the Sixers could have as muchas ~$30 million ($58.7 million dollar cap) next season. There is a cap floor inthe NBA so the Sixers will probably spend a little bit on 1 year contracts toallow for future cap flexibility.
They can also move some of their 2ndround picks (4 in all for 2014-2015 draft) to acquire contracts. What some fansdon’t understand with these picks is that these 2nd round draftedplayers are not on guaranteed contracts (unlike 1st round picks) andcould be picked up on cheap, short term deals. With a draft that is as frontloaded as this one, talent wise, some players, considered usually as potentialmid to late 1st round talent in other draft years, could fall intothe second round. So, these picks have value. Also, the rights of the 2ndround pick can be kept by the team for a long time, so players (especiallyEuropean players) can be incubated in Europe for as long as the team decides tokeep their rights. So, either the Sixers can decide either to use these picks(intriguing potential second round talent includes Syracuse alumni CJ Fair andformer UNC Tarheel PJ Hairston) or they can move these assets for moreestablished NBA talent.
While therebuild continues, the fanbase has become less and less enamored with thesituation. Patience is wearing thin. Philadelphia fans are not idiots - theyunderstand that tanking doesn’t work sometimes. For instance, perennial loserslike the Timberwolves, Bobcats and, until recently, Clippers and Raptors, arealways in the cycle of rebuild. However, there’s always the Oklahoma CityThunder (formerly the Seattle Super Sonics) as the shining example of whentanking does work (works better when the actual tanking doesn’t happen when the teamis located in the city it is currently in now). Harris and Co. understand that the fans need to beappeased, thus explaining the recent retirement ceremony for Iverson. Theystill have a card or two to play to try to quiet the fanbase. For instance,notably physically absent in all of the Sixers’ promotions is the popularnative Philadelphian and two of the co-owners of the team, Will Smith and JadaPinkett-Smith. Whereas Magic Johnson has become the public figurehead for theLos Angeles Dodgers (even though he owns a very small amount of the team),Smith has not been seen with the Sixers whatsoever. With active celebrityinvolvement in NBA teams starting to become more and more in vogue (Drake withthe Toronto Raptors; JayZ with the Brooklyn Nets), one can foresee the affableSmith being more and more noticeable as the public figurehead when the Sixersimprove.
In themeantime, the Sixers will lose and lose and lose. And let’s face it, the Sixershave never had this much national press for a while since the days of AllenIverson. This might be the darkness before the dawn for the Sixers.