Philadelphia 76ers Should Build Around Duke Center Jahlil Okafor

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Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Julius Erving shares Philadelphia 76ers legend Moses Malones jersey with family members and fans during a halftime ceremony during a game with the Los Angeles Lakers at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

A New Hand Is Dealt

Where the Toronto Raptors were a team with a star player, the Philadelphia 76ers are a team with star potential. We simply need a man with the right vision.

Can Bryan Colangelo be that guy?

It’s impossible to say at this vantage point, and I’ve certainly given cause to be pessimistic when I examined the results at the Toronto Raptors. But lets look at this from a differing perspective. We haven’t the schematic of what head coach Brett Brown and president Bryan Colangelo intend to build here at Philadelphia. Without that map, we are just tossing darts in a dark barroom.

But what’s wrong with that? Nature abhors a vacuum and so do I. So in the absence of a complete rebuild plan of the team, I simply will insert one of my own – the template of the rebuild is that of one of the NBA’s finest – the 1983 version of the NBA champion Philadelphia 76ers.

The reason is simple – its a team I am most familiar with. The logic is sound, as one of the keys to that team was the dominance of center Moses Malone. That style of play from the big man at the post is virtually reincarnated in the style of rookie center Jahlil Okafor. So much so that the comparisons between Malone and Okafor began before Jahlil ever stepped foot onto the basketball court for the Sixers.

So who were those 1983 Philadelphia 76ers? Well you know the starting center was Moses Malone, next in playing minutes was shooting guard Andrew Toney, followed by point guard Maurice Cheeks, then small forward Julius Erving, and finally power forward Bobby Jones. Adding significant minutes were shooting guard Clint Richardson, power forward Mike Iavaroni, and point guard Franklin Edwards. Rounding out the top reserves were center Earl Cureton and small forward Reggie Johnson. Is that team possible with the raw materials at the Philadelphia 76ers disposal?

Next: Pieces Need A Plan