Since I became a Philadelphia fan roughly two years ago, we have struggled mightily. We drafted Joel Embiid with all of the promise along with overseas wonder Dario Saric, neither of which have played a single minute. Is it frustrating that two of our top picks during Hinkie's Era have not played? Yeah it is frustrating, very frustrating, but it is all about collecting assets folks.
Not even two months after Hinkie's resignation, the Colangelo's (Bryan the new president and his father and the former chairman, now just an advisor) and the rest of the management team are already trying to destroy the Hinkie-built dynasty (of assets) and it is very hard to watch. But I pledge to stay strong.
Off-season rumors are flowing out of Philadelphia. The most recent one to surface is that we are looking to trade Nerlens Noel, the former 6th overall pick, for Jeff Teague. Noel showed a great deal of promise as an athletic rim protector in his rookie season as a Sixer, while Teague - Atlanta's starting point guard - seems to be trending down after an average playoffs showing. Both Noel and Teague both have one year left on their contract. Nerlens is 22 and Teague is 27 and, to me, a straight up trade is just a terrible idea, to me.
Teague is solid but how good is he? He was quiet most of the playoffs despite some big shots here and there. I feel like his status in the league is what it is because his team plays beautiful basketball that leans on two kind of "second tier" stars in Al Horford and Paul Millsap.
Noel, on the other hand, has Defensive Player of the Year potential as a defensive big man with the versatility to switch onto a guard late in the shot clock. In this pick and roll era that is invaluable. So as I see it, this trade is god-awful and to make matters worse, we may throw in extra players/draft picks. I'm sure Hinkie is crying himself to sleep at night.
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| Nerlens Noel laughing at the idea that Teague is as valuable as him. |
There are also rumors that Jahlil Okafor who was one of very few bright spots on our team last season is more than likely to get traded at some point in the near future. To trade one of Noel and Okafor for a player that makes them marginally better is absurd to me.
We also have to address the fact that Sixers have the number one pick and are more than likely drafting Ben Simmons. I am team Brandon Ingram because the superstar potential is there and his upward trend over the pass two to three years is remarkable. He came into his senior year of high school as a solid four star recruit and by the time he committed to Duke he was a consensus top three player in the nation. He struggled at the beginning of the season for Duke, but became a force after the Indiana game. His mindset, toughness, and scoring abilities make him a more attractive pick in my opinion given the Sixers current roster, but I don't get to make the call.
With this being said, Simmons could be one of the most unique talents in recent NBA history. He will basically be a point forward next year and the perfect match at point guard for him would be someone who can not only run the show but more importantly be able to hit catch and shoot threes. My dream scenario would be for the Sixers to trade Okafor to the Celtics for the number three pick and for the Celtics to draft Jamal Murray or Buddy Hield. Because that means we get Murray or Hield. Both are probably the best catch and shoot guards in the draft. I would prefer Murray between those two, however, because I feel he has more play-making skills. That's also a decision I do not get to make.
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| Ben Simmons calming down Sixers and fans symbolically saying, "I got this, dude." |
Sorry. I just had to rant in my frustration over destroying the Hinkie assets. Remember, Colangelos, he has left you with:
- 2017 top 3 protected first round pick via the Lakers.
- the right to swap picks with the Kings if they're in the top 10.
- 2018 unprotected first round pick if the Lakers' pick has not conveyed by 2017.
- 2019 unprotected first round pick from the worst run franchise, whoops meant the Kings.
- One of the most talented player from the 2014 draft, Joel Embiid.
Don't mess this up. The 2017 draft could be loaded and the value of our 2017 draft picks could be inflated enough that we could get a high quality player to pair with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. So please, lets not trade Nerlens for Teague. If we do, Hinkie's overlooked geniusness will go to waste.
Being a fan of the team that is the laughing stock of the nation is no stress-reliever. Hinkie has done a great job in acquiring all of these assets that can be used to shape a star-studded roster and there is hope on the horizon as a Sixers fan as long as the Colangelo's do not mess it up.
As always: #TrustTheProcess
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