The Sixer Sense
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Can Joel Embiid Resolve Nerlens Noel Drama?

By Bret Stuter

Mar 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Joel Embiid (right) share a laugh during warm ups before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 7, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Joel Embiid (right) share a laugh during warm ups before a game against the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers president of basketball operations Bryan Colangelo during an introduction press conference at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Talking About Taking Action Is Not Taking Action

From the moment Colangelo arrived, his was a challenging road to walk. Nearly all of the heavy lifting had been done by his predecessor. The roster was purged of overpaid veterans.The draft boards will light up like Christmas trees for the foreseeable future. Ultimately, the only decision Colangelo faced with certainty fell to whose name to call with the first selection of the 2016 NBA Draft. Virtually every other move, with the exception of staffing the front office, could simply play out via auto-pilot.

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Power ranking the Bulls' interesting candidates for top executive position
Power ranking the Bulls' interesting candidates for top executive position /

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    • That is, as long as he didn’t alter the course of “The Process”.

    Don’t Disturb The Sleeping Process

    But Jerry Colangelo redirected the front court.  Noel might have complimented Embiid, but did not compliment Okafor.  In fact, the play of Jahlil Okafor requires a very specific type of power forward: one who can shoot comfortably from mid and long range, and who can stop shooters driving to the basket before they get there.

    If the pattern of Sam Hinkie had been played out, the outcome would likely have been an immediate flip of Okafor to an NBA team behind closed doors, before the season started, for a lower than expected draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. But in the end, the Philadelphia 76ers may very well have emerged with the 2016 NBA prospect the team wanted, a 2017 first round pick, and a clear path of 2016-2017 NBA centers of Embiid, Noel, and likely Holmes.

    In the end, Hinkie knew Embiid would emerge as a franchise player.  Bryan Colangelo, not having had the years of working with Embiid, had no way of knowing that.