More Bubbles, Less Champagne
Ish Smith deserves stronger consideration than the team will afford him. He becomes a free agent, and while his numbers were not strong enough to earn him an NBA all-star nomination, he has certainly created a better team immediately upon arriving with the Sixers. It could be argued that his is a compounding benefit, as the improvement of the team mid season is linked, in part, to his performances. His scoring is second on the team, he leads the team in assists, and he is fifth on the team in the rebound department. But he’s had a good season by NBA standards, at least good enough to look for a multi year contract that will net him a much higher salary per year. And it’s there where president and general manager Sam Hinkie seems to balk. His pattern is to load up on inexpensive players, absorb overpaid players from other teams with draft picks as compensation. To craft a meaningful contract for a contributor to this team at mid range production is not something that has happened often under Hinkie. ODDS: 25%
Elton Brand was brought to the Philadelphia 76ers to aid the development of their young bigs. He has had a storied career, and highly lauded. Since the team had the need for veteran leadership as well as a roster opening, he was happy to come onboard the team in a psuedo player consultant role. Some have described his role as that of a mole, someone on the inside of the locker room who routinely reports out the happenings of the team to exectutive Jerry Colangelo. Sensationalism and preposterous. If Colangelo needed a mole to get to the truth of the organization, firings would be mandated.
The luxury of carrying a player-consultant on the roster evaporates. ODDS: 0%
Kendall Marshall is a curious phenomenon on the Philadelphia 76ers. He is praised by the coach, but seldom sees any playing time. In fact, of the last ten games played, he has sat out on 50% of those games, and only seen a token amount of playing time in two other games. He had a strong showing against the Detroit Pistons where he played 22 minutes and scored 12 points. His reward? Sitting out the next three games. To make a team’s roster, you need opportunity to showcase your stuff. Marshall is not getting enough opportunity to impress anyone. ODDS: 5%
Next: Philadelphia 76ers: Showing Improvement From Last Year?
So where does the team fill up the roster? Well, with starters filled and up to four draft picks, it’s likely some of those first round hopefuls will end up on the Sixers bench next season. The team could also sign a productive if not highly productive free agent to round out the roster. And there is always the matter of taking on the player contracts of other team’s players for additional draft picks. So the team will likely have some unforeseen roster fill before the start of the 2016-2017 season.
As we’ve seen, the Philadelphia 76ers are a storehouse of young players, players who can and do find their way onto the rosters of other NBA teams. As the team begins to pare the roster as the 2016 new faces arrive, do not be surprised if the team has to part ways with a player who has earned the right to be playing NBA basketball. The team has already said farewell to six this season, with more to come. For now, the competition remains open. Hopefully each player will find the opportunity to showcase their basketball, and remain in top health while doing so.