The regular season is about to commence, yet the Philadelphia 76ers still do not know what to do with their backup center spot. The team is technically still conducting an audition for the role, and while they do have some options, they are admittedly vulnerable at that spot. To that effect, the team committed to Tacko Fall as a two-way signing, although that decision is now made worse by the fact that they spurned an opportunity to sign a better player.
The Knicks recently waived journeyman center Tony Bradley as one of their final roster cuts. An eight-year veteran, he would have made a lot of sense for the 76ers as a last-minute addition, but the team ultimately did not even sniff that opportunity as the Jazz eventually claimed him off waivers, bringing him back to the franchise he spent three years with.
The 76ers should have made a play for Tony Bradley over Tacko Fall
There is a lot of hoopla around Tacko Fall, obviously because he is the tallest active player in the NBA right now, at a time when height has become more pronouncedly needed in the league. Be that as it may, he only has 37 games of NBA experience, averaging 6.2 minutes a night under his belt despite being 30 years old. His last stint in the league came four years ago.
On the flip side, while Bradley is far from a household name and has bounced around the league in his career, he has already quietly spent eight seasons in the NBA. Despite that, he is younger than Fall and offers a more secure skill set as depth insurance behind Joel Embiid.
To be fair, going after Bradley would have forced the front office to make a move to free up space, compared to just signing Fall, who ended up being a two-way guy. Still, this only goes to show that the 76ers are handcuffed from pursuing better options right now due to their inability (or refusal) to cut someone from the roster.
Bradley is an assertive finisher around the rim, but his best work comes in the rebounding department. The 76ers have had problems on that front over the last couple of seasons, and that has spilled over to the preseason. He has averaged less than 11 minutes per game in his career, but managed to tally nearly four boards a night, which is impressive.
Going with Fall was the easier and more direct option for the 76ers, but given their needs right now, the front office should have pulled the strings to take advantage of the opportunity the Knicks created and land Bradley over him. For now, the team is not in any imminent danger for this decision, but if the push comes to shove and they are forced to resort to an unproven player like Fall, this omission could prove to be quite a regretful one.
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