The Philadelphia 76ers have finally ended an NBA season with the worst record in the league. But beyond the 2016 NBA Draft, there is a great deal more to be optimistic about
The demise of former general Sam Hinkie (he did resign from the team on his own) and the suspiciously coincidental hiring of former Chairman of Basketball Operations Jerry Colangelo’s son, Bryan Colangelo, as his instantaneous replace has many Philadelphia 76ers fans shaking their heads in disbelief and in disappointment. But rising above the nepotism, and the NBA meddling issues, the former GM of the Sixers has made the rebuild of the team virtually fool proof for the new GM of the team. Well, fool proof for a time being in any case. While so many have judged the team on the record alone, the methods used were not focused on wins and losses until the year 2016-2017. It just so happens that we are emerging from our cocoon and entering the white water rapids of the rebuild. Buckle up Sixer Fans!
Much like any construction, the multi-dimensional rebuild of an entire organization focused mainly on the invisible support structures. While the team tore down the roster to the bare bones in terms of experienced players and salary obligations, there was a bevy of rebuilding going on behind the scenes. You may recall the team hiring Dr. David T. Martin, the expansion of basketball analytics, and even the emplacement of a wide array of player support services. The team has even broken ground on a state of the art training facility.
I’ve read disparaging remarks about the results of the team. “Three years is plenty of time to fix a broken roster” are commonplace by the critics. Now, this is not an article of defending the past, merely one pointing out that if it were just about the roster, these observations would be entirely correct.
But it was never about a roster. It was about building a championship infrastructure, a championship organization, a champion model with which to develop, attract, and support a championship team. The hiring of Dr. David Martin required an entire year of recruitment. Was that wasted time? Not if you observe the great lengths that the team has utilized his expertise in restoring star center Joel Embiid to full health.
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Will it have been worth it? We won’t know until Embiid takes the floor. By all forecasting projections, and early analysis, the Sixers have one of the potential superstars of the NBA on their roster. If the team had handled his rehabilitation any differently, that would not be the case. But that two year kid gloves treatment distracted the team, forcing them to look at separate paths of the organization and attempt to synchronize events. Two years rehabilitation delayed the team which had already slated Nerlens Noel to the power forward role, and forcing them to opt for a third center to cover the post until Joel Embiid recovered.
Now the team has three incredibly talented centers, and not much else going for them. Or do they?
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