76ers and the Andrew Bynum dilemma
The talented center missed this season because of injuries to his knees.
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Hinkie formally introduced as 76ers president (Yahoo! Sports)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Sam Hinkie wants the 76ers to use the Moneyball-type of thinking popularized in baseball to build a championship team in Philadelphia.
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New Philadelphia 76ers GM Sam Hinkie Calls Andrew Bynum Trade a ‘Failure’
The Andrew Bynum trade was a failure.
Someone from the Philadelphia 76ers organization who wasn’t the recently departed Doug Collins had to say it, so it might as well have been Sam Hinkie.
Fresh off being named the team’s president and general manager, Hinkie wasted no time in putting that advanced analytics-endorsing brain of his to good use.
Speaking with the media from the Sixers practice facility, Hinkie said it was fair to call the Bynum trade a “failure.”
Of course it’s fair. It seems unfair not to call it a gargantuan-sized folly at this point.
Philly mortgaged its team dynamic (and future) on Bynum. It shipped out an All-Star in Andre Iguodala and a budding young big man in Nikola Vucevic who went on to tear it up with the Orlando Magic. And they willingly relinquished those assets in pursuit of the second-best center in the NBA.
What did it actually get? Not much.
Bynum didn’t play in a single game for the Sixers, leaving the team in absolute disarray. Collins’ reign in Philly came apart right before our eyes and the organization was reduced to creating false senses of hope that inevitably did little to quell the resentful cries of their fanbase.
So yes, this trade was failure. And as the man who will be expected to neutralize the chaos this accord instilled, Hinkie has every right to call it one.
His job, unfortunately, doesn’t end with admitting the deal was a sham. Bynum is now an unrestricted free agent and the Sixers must decide whether to invest even more in the fragile big man or sever ties that were never really affixed to begin with.
Thus far, the latter hasn’t appeared to be an option. The Sixers maintained that Bynum was still “Plan A“, and managing owner Josh Harris went as far as saying he’d make the trade again.
But Hinkie made no such promises, nor did he offer any similar inclinations. He instead explained that he considers Bynum just another free agent, no different than anyone else the Sixers will look at.
Tough talk for a new guy, I know, but that’s what the Sixers need at this point.
Hinkie isn’t as invested in Bynum as the rest of the organization and is thus free to make a more objective decision. He’s an analytics-driven guy, and if the numbers don’t jive, both financially and statistically, he’ll let Bynum walk.
Or, as he would probably put it, he’ll put as much distance between the Sixers and their latest failure if he sees fit.
“Philadelphia will realize over time what an important acquisition they have made,” Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said (via ESPN.com).
To be clear, Morey was making reference to Hinkie, not Bynum.
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AP Source: Rebuilding 76ers hire Hinkie as new GM (Yahoo! Sports)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The 76ers crunched the numbers and decided to put the franchise in the hands of an analytics guru.
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Creating the Perfect Offseason Plan for the Philadelphia 76ers
If the Philadelphia 76ers had some kind of checklist that outlined moving forward to next year, the first item of business would be to create the perfect offseason plan.
There are multiple aspects of a team’s offseason activity, but only four that Philadelphia needs to specifically focus on.
Those are the NBA draft, free agency, trades and coaching strategy.
If Philly is able to nail these areas down between now and next season, then we might have a pretty good team on our hands.
If not, then…well, we all saw what happens when they have a poor offseason.
It’s time to come up with a strategy so that Philadelphia doesn’t repeat last year’s mistakes. Here’s a look at the perfect offseason plan for the Sixers.
Draft
The NBA draft is my favorite time of the year. It’s the only moment where a franchise has the ability to change its entire future based on selecting that one special player.
If you hadn’t noticed, I’m extremely excited for this year’s draft.
It’s always difficult watching the Sixers struggle. The only good news is that there happens to be a consolation prize in missing the playoffs.
Getting a lottery pick.
Philadelphia is currently slated to get the No. 11 pick in the draft, though that could change if they were lucky enough to move up during the lottery selection.
For the sake of this article, though, we’ll say that they are picking at 11.
There are mixed perceptions about this draft class being weak or average, but selecting in the lottery means that Philly has an opportunity to grab somebody who can come in and contribute.
There are two options for the Sixers at their draft spot: They could either select a scoring guard or a big man.
If they are looking for a scorer, then C.J. McCollum and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope would their best bets. Players like Ben McLemore or Shabazz Muhammad just aren’t going to fall down to pick No. 11.
McCollum and Caldwell-Pope could, though.
McCollum has been attending Lehigh University in nearby Bethlehem, Pa., so he wouldn’t have to travel too far in joining the Sixers. McCollum came onto the scene after leading Lehigh over Duke in the first round of the 2012 NCAA tournament. He puts up points in bunches and shoots the ball exceptionally well, averaging 51 percent from beyond the arc before getting hurt this year.
Caldwell-Pope is actually more under the radar than McCollum, but offers a similar offensive game. The difference is that McCollum is more polished and under control, and Caldwell-Pope is more athletic. He can make plays with his shot or with his athleticism, making him tough to guard.
If the Sixers want to go with a big man, then it’s most likely going to come down to Kelly Olynyk and Cody Zeller.
To be honest, this is where things get frustrating.
Addressing the frontcourt and selecting a power forward or center with this pick would be the best thing for Philadelphia. It’s their biggest need and it has to get addressed.
That means the Sixers should take one of the bigs, right?
Well, that’s exactly what they shouldn’t do. It’s all so frustrating because Olynyk and Zeller aren’t going to be long-term solutions to Philly’s problems. They each do certain things well, but both are too soft for the NBA game and have a high chance of spending the majority of their career on the bench.
Zeller is the safer pick of the two, but his production and toughness are both in question at this point.
So where does that leave Philly?
When it comes to the 2013 NBA draft, the smart move is to take McCollum. He has the potential to be similar to Damian Lillard from last year’s draft, and will be a good player for years to come. Developing within the organization and selecting somebody from the 2014 draft would be the Sixers’ best bet to come away with a talented big.
Free Agency/Trade
Last year’s offseason had the Sixers being unbelievably effective in acquiring free agents and making a blockbuster deal. The team was excited, the fans were excited and the city was excited—except it all came to a crash landing as Andrew Bynum decided that getting paid to watch the games from the sidelines was much more appealing than actually suiting up and playing.
That was last year, though, and this is a new offseason.
Unfortunately, Philly will be faced with a similar problem in the Bynasaur.
Bynum is now a free agent, and any team can make a run at signing him. His biggest concern should be if teams are willing to throw a high amount money at him when they are unsure about his future. Organizations’ biggest concern should be if he’s ever going to play again, and if so, then at what kind of level.
It’s hard to admit, but Philadelphia should re-sign him as long as he’s not getting anything near a max contract—which he most likely won’t. It’s absolutely terrifying, but his talent level when healthy is extremely rare and a valuable asset to have on your team.
The reward outweighs the risk in this situation.
Once this deal is taken care of, it’s off to other free agents and potential trades. This is where Philly needs to be especially smart.
The key word for the Sixers is: patience.
Being patient and not taking the first appealing offer will be crucial. The team has two pieces that would likely be worth a good amount on the market, and those players are Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young.
Young played well enough that he might have put himself onto Philadelphia’s “can’t trade” list, but Turner’s inconsistent play has him with one foot in another city and the other still on the Philadelphia team plane.
The right move is to keep both players and give Turner one more shot under a new coach. The risk here is that he could lose some of his current value if he plays even worse than last season, but the reward is that he finally plays in the right position and learns to be consistent.
All that being said, it wouldn’t be stupid for Philadelphia to take a trade involving Turner if the return was great enough. That statement sounds like it contradicts the one before it, but the point is that the Sixers can’t be set on keeping him and turn down a deal that has the potential to turn out better than keeping him ever would have.
There are also the opportunities to improve through free agency; this one is relatively simple.
Don’t sign anybody with a role past being a role player. This summer’s free-agent class just isn’t that good, especially when you compare it to next year’s. Committing a large amount of money to anybody outside of Bynum—and even then it can’t be too much—would be a big mistake and limit Philly’s options for next year’s significantly better free-agent class.
In the end, this all comes down to patience. The ability of Philadelphia to be patient and make the right decisions will lead to the correct moves.
Coaching Strategy
This isn’t the easiest topic to plan for since the Sixers still don’t have a head coach; however, there are certain steps that need to be taken by whoever fills the position.
The first and biggest step is to understand the personnel. Philly has been one of the more athletic teams for the past couple of years, but you wouldn’t really know it based on how they’ve played.
Doug Collins brought a defensive-minded approach to the team, which was great, but it severely limited what Philadelphia was able to do in transition. Sending all five guys to the defensive glass usually limits the opponent’s offensive rebounds, but it just slows down your own team as well.
This leads to the next point in coaching strategy. The new coach needs to craft a system around the players at his disposal.
Not around his own philosophies and ideas.
An example of this is that Phil Jackson’s “triangle offense” wouldn’t have worked if he didn’t have the right players to fit it. He evaluated his team, then created the offense to fit to their strengths.
Something like that might sound straightforward, but how many times do wonder why so-and-so is in that position on the floor when he’s much better in a different area of the court? It tends to take place way too much when it comes to Philly.
This was Collins’ biggest problem. He didn’t put his players in the best position to succeed based on their skill set. He instead put them where he thought they best fit his system.
In the grand scheme of things, the Sixers actually have a pretty good team.
Any coach who steps into the organization will certainly have some rough spots to smooth out, but the foundation is relatively clean and set.
They just need someone to guide them the rest of the way.
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Philadelphia 76ers Can Be Thankful That Doug Collins Resigned
Doug Collins’ resignation didn’t exactly come out of the blue, but it’s still something that the Philadelphia 76ers can be happy about.
Collins was only with the Sixers for three seasons, yet it felt as if he slightly overstayed his welcome. That’s said with as much respect as possible because he truly did a lot of positive things for the franchise, he just fell short in certain areas and it took off from there.
The “snowball effect” is a popular term in the sporting world and it fits perfectly with this situation. Losses started leading to poor rotations which led to passive and uninspired play. It all built up and up until it was big enough for even Collins to see.
And more importantly, too big for him to avoid.
This is sad for Collins, but certainly not a bad thing for the Sixers.
Let’s take a look at why Philadelphia should be happy about his resignation.
Coaching Style
First and foremost, Doug Collins is a disciplinarian. Like all coaches, he strives to get the most out of his players, but he goes about it by being stern and hard on them.
To be blunt, the NBA isn’t the place for this style.
Sure, you’ll get certain coaches that thrive on being able to command their men. Doc Rivers doesn’t take a break from yelling and uses it as both positive and negative reinforcement. But he’s part of the minority in this situation.
So why does it work for him and not Collins?
The answer is quite simple. This is the National Basketball Association and these players are getting paid to play. They don’t want to consistently hear about how they are struggling in certain aspects of the game and that they need to step it up.
All of them left that part of the game at the collegiate level.
Nobody wants to hear that these multi-million dollar athletes need special treatment in how they are handled, but look at it in your own life. Regardless of your profession, would you want another grown adult consistently telling and often times yelling at you about how you can improve at your job? Chances are strong that the answer to that question is no. For those that already experience it, are you starting to see why an NBA player wouldn’t be open to it?
Now, by no means should coaches coddle and baby a player, but they need to connect to them in a way that is completely unrelated to basketball.
That’s the only way to get their trust and be able to have an impact in those moments where yelling is absolutely necessary.
Collins has never understood this part of the sidelines.
He’s been the head coach of four separate NBA teams and hasn’t lasted more than three years at any of them. This isn’t because he’s not a good coach and because he doesn’t understand the game. It’s because his coaching style is more suited for college-level basketball instead of the pro game.
SB Nation quoted Collins saying:
The one thing about players today is that they’re very sensitive, and very fragile. They didn’t grow up with tough coaches. You know, I had my ass kicked since I was six. It’s a different time, and so I treat this team very much with kid gloves. I really do, and I’m still looked at as an ogre.
It’s terrible, I mean, it’s hard. It really is hard. I honestly find myself during the games looking at the coach [and asking], ‘Was I alright with those guys during that timeout? Did I hurt anybody’s feelings? Was I OK?’… ‘Coach, you’re fine, you’re fine’… I said ‘OK, OK, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t hurt anybody’s feelings.’ That’s the sensitivity, and the younger the guys, it seems like the more sensitive. And that’s what you’re wrestling with.
The crazy part about that quote is that it took place on April 9, 2012. That’s significant because Philly was just about to go on a big postseason run that saw them nearly getting to the Eastern Conference finals.
It illustrates everything perfectly. Collins’ coaching style works, but it doesn’t work for long.
Sooner rather than later, players and fans get sick of it and feel like it’s time to move on. Resigning means that neither will have to deal with it any longer.
The Future
There is a silver lining in having such a terrible season, and it’s that it can only get so bad. There has to be better and brighter things ahead.
Collins was respected during his tenure as Sixers coach and seemed as though he did the best he could do. He deserves all the credit in the world for that.
Still though, it wasn’t quite enough and he ended up resigning because of it.
This is where Philly’s silver lining comes into play. One of the better and brighter things is being able to move past Collins’ situation and look forward to the future and all it can bring.
There is no telling who will be the Sixers new head coach, or what kind of coach he’ll be. For all we know he’ll be the same kind of disciplinarian. (Which would suck a little.) But even if he is, the future still brings hope and that’s more than enough for right now.
Collins didn’t always win games, but he did a fine job in Philadelphia. His resignation means it’s time to move forward and think positively about what is to come.
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Most Memorable Games from the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2012-13 Season
It might have been excruciatingly difficult to sit back and watch the Philadelphia 76ers go through a train wreck of a season, but it’s impossible to deny there were memorable games in their 82-game schedule.
I want to preface this by saying it’s not difficult to write stories about how poorly the Sixers played, but it’s also the easy way out.
I’ve written a couple of those and being a Philly fan myself, I’d like to try and make this one as positive as possible. There will be parts where negativity creeps in, but the majority of the article will highlight good moments of the season.
I definitely didn’t mean to get deep and the emotional side of things is over. Let’s move on to what we all know and love.
The game of basketball.
In particular, let’s take a look at some of the Philadelphia 76ers’ most memorable games of the 2012-13 season.
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Philadelphia 76ers: Biggest Questions That Must Be Addressed This Offseason
Now that the 2012-13 season has mercifully ended for the Philadelphia 76ers, it brings them to an offseason sure to be filled with more questions than answers. Questions that will be posed and pondered for the months ahead, often repeatedly, incessantly, with no guarantee of a solution before November.
Many of those questions will have multiple options, like a choose-your-own-adventure book.
Depending on the direction taken, it may eventually lead the team to the next chapter of contention—a storyline not seen in town for many years—or it could see Sixers back at the start, with a different set of characters but the same plot which has yet to progress.
As we examine the questions that beg for answers, we begin with the obvious: What now?
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What’s Next for Philadelphia 76ers After Disappointing 2012-13 NBA Season?
Following a terrible 2012-13 season that featured zero games played by Andrew Bynum and a wasted breakout by Jrue Holiday, the Philadelphia 76ers are set to embark on what needs to be a transformational summer.
But before getting to what’s next, it’s worth a look back at the gory specifics of how the Sixers got to where they are.
Any analysis has to begin and end with the abject failure of the Bynum trade. The big man was supposed to help bring the Sixers’ offense (ranked 17th in 2011-12) into the modern era. Instead of low-percentage jumpers from inside the three-point line, Philly was supposed to thrive in an inside-out game that would generate more long-range attempts and better spacing.
But the season-long absence of Bynum, combined with a series of questionable personnel moves leading up to the season (I’m looking at you, Nick Young), resulted in a major step backward for an already poor Sixers offense. Philly lost nearly two points per 100 possessions on offense this past season, dropping their overall efficiency all the way to 26th in the NBA.
For what it’s worth, a shrewd (but humble) writer predicted the Sixers’ woes before the season even began.
In sum, Philly barely had the personnel to be successful with Bynum. But without him, uninventive coaching and a lack of talent meant the Sixers’ lottery fate was sealed by early February.
Offseason Overview
Through with the painful retrospective on what went wrong with the Sixers’ season, it’s time to look ahead.
Heading into next season, Philadelphia has about $46 million in salary commitments—assuming Kwame Brown exercises his $3 million option for 2013-14. Bynum, Dorell Wright, Nick Young and Damien Wilkins are the only significant Sixers who’ll hit unrestricted free agency, so Philly can make a max-money pitch to Bynum if it wants to.
Whether or not the 76ers choose to make Bynum an offer is probably the team’s biggest offseason decision. Considering how things went this past year, not to mention team adviser Julius Erving’s not-so-sunny take on the injured center, it seems highly unlikely that Philadelphia will put itself through the headache of another go-round with Bynum.
On the coaching side, Doug Collins’ resignation on April 18 means the team will also be in search of a new sideline stalker. It’s hard to overstate how important the Sixers’ coaching selection will be.
The team is in desperate need of a forward-thinker who’ll put forth a strategic plan that doesn’t feature something akin to Collins’ outdated emphasis on gut feelings and low-percentage offensive plays. The Sixers don’t need an MIT grad with a degree in advanced analytics, but they’ve got to have someone capable of embracing the changing landscape of the league.
In other words, painfully simple high school plays that yield long jumpers in isolation just won’t cut it.
The good news is that Collins is off of the bench; the bad news is that as a member of the front office he’ll still have input into the coaching selection. Sixers fans had better hope his gut makes the right choice.
Draft Needs
The Sixers have less than a one-percent shot at the top pick in the 2013 NBA draft, and based on their record, they’ll most likely end up with the No. 11 selection.
It’s hard to suggest the best use of that pick without being sure about whether Bynum will be back, but assuming he’s a goner, Philadelphia would be wise to use its selection on a young big man who could serve in a backup role initially, but possibly unseat the mighty Spencer Hawes from the starting center position at some point during the year.
Gonzaga’s Kelly Olynyk and Maryland’s Alex Len seem like realistic options at No. 11, but the lack of “wow” factor those names evoke is a good indication of just how weak this year’s draft truly is.
Trade Market
Evan Turner doesn’t seem to think he’s on the trading block, but because the Sixers need to seriously consider a thorough housecleaning, he might want to dial back his confidence a bit:
Sure, Evan. Who wouldn’t want an unathletic tweener whose rate stats showed no growth despite a pressure-free environment and ample playing time last year?
If the Sixers don’t trade Turner, it’ll only be because no other team wants a below-average player on a lottery-pick deal with an extension decision looming in the summer of 2014. They should definitely see what they can get for him, though.
Free-Agent Decisions
Philadelphia’s complete list of unrestricted free agents this summer includes Bynum, Young, Wright, Wilkins, Royal Ivey, Charles Jenkins and Justin Holiday. And as I mentioned, Brown has a player option for $3 million he seems likely to exercise—he’s probably not going to do any better on the open market after missing almost the entirety of his past two seasons.
The danger of bringing Bynum back is clear, and that risk should probably be one the Sixers allow another team to take.
Young has absolutely no place on a winning team, as his atrocious shot selection and complete inability to make anyone around him better make him a player that lacks any real value. Unless Young pays the Sixers, there’s no scenario in which his return could be construed as a good move.
Of the rest of Philly’s free agents, only Wright has much use. His three-point stroke has hovered between 36 and 39 percent for the past six seasons, and although he does almost nothing else at an above-average level, there’s value in a consistent floor-stretching shooter. If the Sixers can bring him back for something like the $4 million he made last season, they probably wouldn’t regret it.
Free-Agent Targets
Nikola Pekovic
Minnesota Timberwolves center Nikola Pekovic will be on the market this summer and he’d be a solid fit for the Sixers. His brutal strength in the post would draw defenders the way Philadelphia hoped Bynum’s would.
Best of all, he’ll probably command less than a max salary and has two functional knees.
Paul Millsap
Everyone seems to value Al Jefferson more highly than his unrestricted free-agent teammate, but Paul Millsap is a a gritty, competitive forward that plays better two-way ball than Jefferson. Remember, half of the game is defense and Jefferson doesn’t play any.
The Sixers could do worse than a Millsap-Thaddeus Young pairing in the frontcourt. That duo would be among the league’s most versatile tandems and could provide excellent spacing and good defense in pick-and-roll situations.
Millsap made $7 million last season, but even with a slight raise, the Sixers could afford to bring him in if they let Bynum walk.
Nate Robinson
Nate Robinson would not only help with the bad-shot withdrawal symptoms Sixers fans would likely feel after Nick Young’s departure, he’d also represent a dangerous backup option behind Holiday.
The Chicago Bulls‘ spark plug averaged 13.1 points in just 25 minutes per game this year, and his energy could really invigorate a stale, stagnant Sixers attack. After making just $1 million in 2012-13, Robinson could be had on the market for much more than that and still constitute a bargain.
Really, though, there are probably a few D-League options that would improve the 76ers’ backup point guard situation. It was that bad this year.
On the Rise: Thaddeus Young
Thaddeus Young saw a marked uptick in his minutes per game last season and aside from a curious 20-percent decline in his free-throw shooting, his overall productivity remained steady. That’s a good sign for a player who’s at a turning point in his career.
For the rangy, athletic forward, 2013-14 is going to be the season he either takes another step forward into stardom or levels off as a good (but not great) rotation player.
Young is a good defender in the pick-and-roll, shoots a high percentage from the floor (53 percent in 2012-13) and has excellent athleticism. Freed of the restrictive Collins, perhaps Young will also be allowed to shoot more threes.
Remember, he hoisted about two per game in 2008-09 and 2009-10 at a 34 percent clip. More long-range shots would only increase Young’s value as a stretch-4 in a more modern Sixers offense.
Biggest Question Going Forward: Is Jrue Holiday for real?
It’s easy to accumulate good numbers on a bad team. Somebody is bound to score, log assists and pull in rebounds.
But it’s hard to know how valuable those stats are when they come in meaningless games.
Holiday posted career bests of 17.7 points, eight assists and 4.2 rebounds this past season and despite almost no help from his teammates, he still managed to up his overall efficiency rating from 14.74 in 2011-12 to 16.74 in 2012-13.
Plus, he competed on defense and the stats show that his on-court presence improved the Sixers’ defensive rating by over five points per 100 possessions.
And Holiday did give Sixers fans a glimpse of his ability to step up in big moments:
Those are great signs that point to Holiday being a very good player. But his overall numbers last year were far from elite. He’ll have to shoot better than 43 percent from the field and cut his turnovers from 3.7 per game before he proves he belongs on the the upper tier of young point guards alongside Stephen Curry, Ty Lawson and Russell Westbrook.
The Sixers are committed to Holiday for the foreseeable future, having signed the point guard to a $44 million deal through the 2016-17 season. But they can’t know what they’ve really got in him until their games matter more.
Hopefully, an offseason of changes will allow the Sixers to play in a few more games that actually count for something next season. That’d go a long way toward determining whether Holiday really can become a franchise cornerstone.
Projected Power Ranking Entering 2013-14: 18
Depending on how wisely the Sixers handle their free-agent decisions and spend their cap space, they’ve got a lot of power-ranking mobility. Simply assuming slight improvements for Holiday and Young and projecting replacement-level performances from whichever free agents take over the minutes of guys like Nick Young and Turner, the Sixers can expect a modest improvement overall.
If they hit it big with a free agent or two, the playoffs are a real possibility. Although in the marshmallow-soft lower tier of the Eastern Conference, that’s not necessarily saying much.
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Collins out as 76ers coach, will remain with team (Yahoo! Sports)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — His eyes red and moist, Doug Collins explained how he knew in his heart the time was right to retire from coaching.
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