I'm shocked they found someone to take that contract. Won't this hinder the development of their bigs? And what if they decide to draft Okafor, Towns, or Cauley-Stein. Not quite sure what Philly is doing here. And now Philly has 3 1st rounders this year. If they're smart they would package a couple of them together on draft night.
$12m for a mid 1st round pick seems absurd to me. At some point, you can only have so many 19-22 year olds on your team.
I agree. There's chatter around Philly that they know what they're doing and changes are coming soon but I just don't see it. What I see is a guy maniacally gathering young guys that just aren't all that good.
They have some nice young pieces, but I feel like they have to makes some massive moves this summer. You can't have yet another lotto bound season. You can't win with 12 kids either. You quickly gauge their value this summer and move the most attractive pieces that you can live without (MCW, he should've been dealt long ago). If they don't throw at least 5 veterans on that roster then the rookie deals on these kids are going to start expiring before they know it and they'll be back to square one. Brett Brown seems like a decent babysitter, but I'm not sure if he's developing these kids or they're just producing because the team is so devoid of actual talent. I know they don't have a weight room in the entire facility or the players aren't old enough to be in there without adult supervision. I was watching their game against the Hawks a week or so ago and none of them have any muscle mass or definition. At least a few of them should be on their way to turning that college build to NBA build.
I agree with you on that weight room problem. MCW is as skinny as the day he got drafted. Embiid is just hanging out getting fat... I can't name many other players over there. I think Wroten is a kid who did well in my fantasy league. They've got that super athletic kid McDaniels! He was on my team for a minute. But they're all extremely skinny. Noel has been a massive disappointment. They've completely fostered a losing mentality among their kids. No one wants to go there as a FA. There's little to no development of the players that they DO have and want to build around. This franchise is awful and I don't really see that turning around now or next season. Even if they draft Okafor, what's their plan after that? Okafor, Embiid, Noel? Terrible franchise and an horrible vision. A stain on the NBA.
I actually think Stanley Johnson would be the best possible fit there. They avoid a logjam up front and don't have to draw straws for ball control in the backcourt. He could be the defensive coordinator and a leader in the weight room. He's really everything the rest of those kids aren't. And I think with that young of a team, you have to have a calming force at the point -- a younger Andre Miller would've been ideal. Something like this going into next year would be a good start for them... Embiid Noel Johnson Wroten VET PG But they have to have a dependable veteran backup for every single position who can log 20+MPG, they've got plenty of money to overpay leery vets to drag them there. But you at least put together a vision and a package that makes sense to FAs and that'll do wonders.
Right, that's their vision. Build a young core that they can keep around forever and go into the luxury tax for. Then fill in the roster with minimum deals and veterans to help lead the way. I just don't think veterans want any part of that. At least not for a while. I mean really who the hell wants to deal with that mess even if you overpay a little? I'd rather go to LA who could do the same thing. Hell I might even consider NY for the same thing...
@therealdeal They don't have a shot at Dragic or Rondo, but if they were smart they'd get Jameer Nelson and use their assets to get Lawson from Denver. They have enough assets to entice Denver. I'd try for... Embiid/McGee (if not bought out) Noel/Bass Johnson/Singler Wroten/Thornton Lawson/Nelson Those are FAs who won't command ungodly amounts of money and aren't necessarily looking for a winning franchise. @lakerfan2 only problem there is Kevin Durant isn't walking through that door. And that proved to be a failure when they had to move The Beard. Philly will have to do the same thing if they don't get competitive this summer.
That team is still years away from being competitive though. How long before that team is relevant assuming they could land Lawson? I would say another 2-3 years before they're actually taken seriously and another year or two after that before they're actually competing seriously.
In the East, who the hell knows. It's such a crap shoot of who's going to suck the least and it's a whole lot riding on just how good Embiid is. Given the spot they've put themselves in and if they want to hold on to their main 3 kids + this pick, that at least gives them a direction and an identity. Right now they're a team that's just wandering aimlessly through the sand.
True. Of course there goes us but for the grace of God. You and I were/are excited about the possibility of pairing Randle with Okafor. That duo, which would be as exciting as could be for two young players, would be years from competitive as well. We need the addition of that solid veteran as well. It's great to know we've got one on our radar AND we're on his radar.
Philly is trying to go from really bad to really really good without any improvement inbetween. If I'm a player, I'm not going there. 1st round picks are nice, but they are just getting picks to get picks at this point. Also, what good is the picks if they just trade them away even if the player is good or bad?
How could anyone WANT to sign there?? This franchise is just simply the worst. I'd demand a trade as soon as reasonably possible.
What is their plan? Haven't they been tanking for the past 3-4 seasons? Is there plan to keep tanking to get good picks and then trading those players for more picks? Thats the definition of insanity.
