The lineup of the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2016-2017 will feel much more robust with International star Dario Saric. But if he declines, what’s our plan B?
Synchronized development. Staged growth. Chapters of a book. Layers to an onion. Rings of a tree. The seven bridges road.
Each describes a portion of a whole – an ecosystem, a planned community, a story, a vegetable, a tree, the human life cycle. But each has separate and distinct chapters, differences that divide as a river might dissect a plain.
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The Philadelphia 76ers are in that pattern. With the casting off of Sam Hinkie (okay, he resigned his position, but he was defrocked and powerless before he walked away) the team declared it was no longer stocking the pantry. In that symbolic moment, the team announced to the other 29 NBA teams that the objective had changed to placing the value onto the basketball court.
That means getting center Joel Embiid healthy and onto a basketball court. It also means flying over to Turkey and persuading power forward Dario Saric that the opportune time to sign a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers is now, and that he should plan to play with in the NBA for the 2016-2017 season.
they're there now. were at the game today.
— max (@MaxOnTwitter) June 7, 2016
Flying to Turkey from the United States is not a puddle jumper experience. If you are lucky enough to get a one stop flight, you are likely looking at 13 to 16 hour flight. Compound that with multiple stops, and you’ve jumped to one or two days travel time one way. For a basketball executive preparing for the NBA draft and off-season transactions – this is the Christmas season for the front office.
But the priority is to persuade the Croatian power forward to come to the US, to join the NBA, and to help the Philadelphia 76ers this season. That’s huge for this team.
Next: Economics
Economics And More
But he is not under contract. Economically, there are reasons for his timing to delay until next year. In discussing the economics of Dario Sarics travel to the US, we expected the Philadelphia 76ers to have a plan B and likely even a plan C if Saric opted to play a final year in Europe.
Now, I’m not so sure.
Conditions have changed somewhat for the team. It’s not so much the changing of the guard in Philadelphia which has modified the landscape. Basketball executives change all the time, so that is not a factor. But in that change, the team made a significant philosophical change to the style of leadership and vision for the team’s future.
Last year, the gates swung wide open to rookies from any origination: whether the draft, trade, or undrafted free agent signing. Hinkie was not a basketball pedigree snob, so his focus was specifically directed to other areas – body dimensions, shot accuracy, attitude.
This year, the gates are swinging shut. Publicly, the new guy has already indicated that he wants veterans on the team to offset the large number of rookie faces. By any account, Dario Saric would be one of the rookies that creates problems for this team, particularly in the public eye of the current Philadelphia 76ers narrative.
Players want compensation, opportunity, and to be wanted. They want cheers from the stands, and warm embracing welcomes from team representatives. Right now, the welcome mat is not exactly placed correctly.
Next: Compound Fractures
Compound Fractures
The Philadelphia 76ers are sitting on the top pick of this NBA draft, where the consensus number one player selected will likely be forward Ben Simmons. While I see Ben Simmons versatility as a huge plus, the team is not describing him as such.
The team sees Simmons as a forward based on his height. He has basketball IQ of a point guard. He passes like a point guard. He defends like a point guard. But he stands as tall as a power forward and doesn’t have a developed perimeter shot.
That spells power forward to the unimaginative.
Ben Simmons will be the number one pick of the Philadelphia 76ers, and as such will expect to start for the Philadelphia 76ers. If the team has designated him to be the power forward, that will force Dario Saric to the bench or to another position to compete for minutes in that role.
We touched on this complication on a separate article. We understand that having Simmons and Saric on the basketball court creates nightmares in passing lanes, and places a very tall lineup onto the court.
But that is when Saric arrrives, right now the matter is unsolved.
Next: Plan B Options
Plan B Options:
If the Philadelphia 76ers are unsuccessful in persuading Dario Saric to join the team this year, it’s not a huge setback. The options are actually pretty optimistic.
Option I – Jahlil Okafor – Jahlil Okafor played approximately 15-20 games as a power forward. He was thrown from the center role into the power forward slot and while some feel he failed initially, if the team prepared him for the role before the beginning of the season he could flourish in the role.
Option II – Carl Landry – Carl Landry, the “MVP” of the 2015-2016 season, actually did a far better job at the four position than expected. A full 82 game season is likely too much to ask of the man who struggled to stay healthy in the 2015-2016 season. But when he was on the court, he was accurate and productive. He also lends a veteran presence on the court.
Option III – Ben Simmons – Hey, the guy we are likely to select first in the NBA draft knows how to play the position. While Simmons has to develop a perimeter shot, the Sixers have played Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor at the four, neither of whom had a perimeter shot.
Option IV – Joel Embiid – This is one of my favorite scenarios. Pull Joel Embiid out to the four, slide Jahlil Okafor to the five, and set Ben Simmons up at the three. Pace, Space and Pass offense would get a booster shot with this option. Okafor sits in the post to score virtually at will. If the defense collapses on Okafor, Simmons can keep the ball and shoot it or draw defense his way and then flip to Joel Embiid for a clean shot.
OPTION V – If the team receives favorable feedback from another team about a potential trade back into the top five, the team can explore the possibility of trading into the draft for Dragen Bender. Bender is gaining popularity in this draft, as he is more and more appearing to be an incredibly athletic but raw big man.
Keep in mind that the Philadelphia 76ers retain the rights to Dario Saric whether or not he joins the team this year. But ideally, the Sixers want to get his hot hand into the line up and move forward with a very talented roster.
Next: 2016 USA Men's Select Team Name Jahlil Okafor and Jerami Grant
The only complication is the timing. That is something that we Philadelphia 76ers fans are becoming good at overcoming.