Philadelphia 76ers Okafor Wood Incident Raises Questions
By Bret Stuter
Nov 2, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie (far left) watches as center Joel Embiid (21) walks out of the tunnel on crutches prior to a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Sports Science And Analytics
The Philadelphia 76ers are strong participants and advocates of basketball innovations: from the hiring of sports science guru Dr. David T. Martin, to the expansion of their basketball analytics department, to Sports Psychology, to an entirely new basketball training center and support staff. From the moment a new player encounters the Sixers, they are given the premier package in terms of support.
But the team is a network of resources. The team has and will continue to create the tools needed to give immediate feedback; to measure, record, and analyze nutrition, hydration, sleep, shot selection, physical training, and pscyhological health techniques. But much like a library, the information is available. The challenge is two fold: persuading players to adopt the latest and greatest methods in sports science – despite the fact that much of the advice will come from persons who DO NOT PLAY THE GAME OF BASKETBALL. Would you make life changes about your investments if your advisor has never invested a dime of their own money?
The second question is will the Philadelphia 76ers players continue to adapt, and eventually wholesale modify their playing style despite the lack of initial success?
Before this incident, these questions were unasked. There was a plan. There is a timeline. Until yesterday, that plan and timeline were in nearly perfect synchronization. But today, it’s clear that the message to the players may be less than what we hoped it might be.
This could be a team of “Network” anchors, who are mad as hell . That movie didn’t end well. Discontent has a way of spreading like a wildfire in a windstorm. Let’s hope the Sixer’s outcome is far different.