Surprisingly, the Philadelphia 76ers cut two front court players in power forward Carl Landry and center Tibor Pleiss, and added point guard Cat Barber
Carl Landry may not have been an ironman player last season for the Philadelphia 76ers. Few could disagree that he was most certainly one of the most productive players off the bench. In fact, it was his returning to play, coinciding with the trade for point guard Ish Smith, which witnessed a burst of minor success with the team. But today, in a minor surprise, Carl Landy joined 7-foot-3 center Tibor Pleiss today. Neither player is a Philadelphia 76ers going forward.
#sixers officially announce they have waived Carl Landry and Tibor Pleiss.
— Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) August 31, 2016
While the moves today open up two roster spots, the team already has a use for one of those positions, as they take on undrafted free agent Cat Barber. Barber has been on the 76ers roster since July, but it has taken the team a significant amount of time to free up a roster spot to fit in the young player.
Sources: Undrafted NC State guard Cat Barber has agreed to a partially guaranteed deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 21, 2016
Roster changes for a 10-72 are not only nothing new, they are expected. But cutting Carl Landry is surprising for two reasons: first, the team was preaching a strong need for veteran leadership. With the removal of Landry, the team has removed all veterans from the front court. With the NBA veterans limited to Gerald Henderson, Jerryd Bayless, and in a lesser role, Sergio Rodriguez, the team has done a complete 180 degree turn on surrounding the young centers with veteran mentors of Carl Landry and Elton Brand.
Secondly, the team needs shooters for Simmons. Landry was the most accurate shooter on the team in the 2015-2016 season. In fact, it was his steadfast ability to play consistently, regardless of how seldom he saw that court, which endeared him to the Philly fans.
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