Philadelphia 76ers Keeping Okafor As Insurance To Embiid Simmons News?

The Philadelphia 76ers cannot possibly as fickle as the “trade imminent/no deal” stance has appeared regarding the future of Jahlil Okafor. In the end, Jahlil Okafor remains a Philadelphia 76er

The Philadelphia 76ers were imminent with a trade over Jahlil Okafor. The team was so certain that they literally benched him, pulled him from game lineups, to assure he would not be injured during trade negotiations.

We know how that turned out. Jahlil Okafor returned to the team. No deal happened. But what did happen?

Well, fans were upset. In their defense, they had a right to be upset. The Philadelphia 76ers really have a public relations challenge so far in president Bryan Colangelo’s first year.  The possible outcomes of the Okafor Trade Imminent Excercise (OTIE) were spelled out, and it seems the team has landed on the “awkward” outcome.

On one hand, a trade deadline came and went. On the other hand,  the Philadelphia 76ers found trading partners for Ersan Ilyasova and for Nerlens Noel.  Both athletes are playing on the last years of their NBA contracts. What did the Philadelphia 76ers get in return?  Well after all the protections, the Philadelphia 76ers land several additional 2nd round draft picks.

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All’s Well That Ends Well, but this didn’t end well

But in conclusion, the Philadelphia 76ers did not trade Jahlil Okafor.  Pulled him from lineup. Dangled him for a year.  Did everything but paint a bullseye on this outstanding young man’s jersey.

Then nada.

It’s a fast changing dynamic.  Information arrives incomplete or contradicting other information.  I don’t detract from the challenge of the role.  But optically, the Philadelphia 76ers are poorly run right now.

Somehow, the news about Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons on the health front seems to have short-circuited the team’s ability to find a trade partner for Jahlil Okafor.  This is after pulling Okafor from the lineup, sitting him, and discussing trade negotiations with him in limbo.

The team traded Ersan Ilyasova and Nerlens Noel. The team pulled Jahlil Okafor from the lineup. This same team has done everything but beg other teams to discuss trade negotiations for Okafor. As a result, the front office painted both the team and Okafor into a no-win corner.

The fan base is abandoning a young man whose only real crime is wanting to play basketball.  And it falls upon the Philadelphia 76ers front office.

Hoops Habit

Okafor Insures

The only logical explanation is this narrative of too wierd to believe is that somehow the front office is either nervous about the health of Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, or both. In that scenario, Jahlil Okafor is insurance for the team.

In the zest and zeal to convert Okafor into 2017 NBA Draft picks, there has been a great deal of analysis and dialogue.  The believers side wanted nothing less than a top-three pick (Okafor was selected third in the 2015 NBA Draft).  Detractors pointed out Jahlil Okafor’s defensive limits, the poor compatibility with the team’s chemistry, and wanted anything possible for the young man.

In the end, the front office demanded the believers asking price.  Meanwhile the rest of the NBA joined the detractors and offered little to nothing.

Case Of Mistaken Identity

In the end, the Philadelphia 76ers have made egregious novice errors for the past twelve months on handling both player and situation. Whatever goodwill and ‘wait-and-see’ attitude was available is gone now.  76ers fans are no longer patient or impatient.  They are angry.  The Flip-Flop style of front office strategy is about as popular with Philadelphia fans as a “For Who? For What?” response from a paid professional athlete.

There are questions as to who and how the Philadelphia 76ers will play the rest of this season. But know this, Jahlil Okafor is a young man who plays hard. He is gifted offensively.  In comparison to both Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel, he is not nearly as gifted defensively.

It’s not his fault the front office has dangled him like a carrot on the end of a stick.  Nor is he responsible for being jerked back and forth as trade negotiations heated up only to cool off.  If nothing else, Jahlil Okafor can score, wants to play his best basketball for the fans in the stands.

I Stand With Jah

I may not like how this played out, but I refuse to jeer Jahlil Okafor for it. The guy showed up, accepted whatever role the team and coach assigned to him. To hear some speak, he is a fringe NBA player. That’s false.

He’s a young man of 21 years. Despite playing in his second season in the NBA, he has played just 91 games and started 70. He has played at the center and the power forward position. His production has fallen this year, partly due to minutes, partly due to not knowing if he would be a 76er the following day. But despite the tender age of 21, he is averaging 15 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and .4 steals per 27.1 minutes per game.

That’s hardly a hopeless player.

Since his playing days at Duke University, the young center has been asked to score exclusively. Even under head coach Brett Brown last season, Okafor was the lone offensive weapon for much of the season. I won’t say Okafor can jump his defensive game overnight.  But I am prepared to give him time.

Next: NBA Rumors Philadelphia 76ers Deals Dallas Nerlens Noel

There is plenty to sort through and to sort out.  Much of the information never made it out of the closed rooms.  What did surface informationally never lined up with events.  I hope the Philadelphia 76ers front office learns from this experience.

I certainly have.