With the news of Adam Aron stepping down as CEO of the 76ers, Scott O’Neil has been named the current CEO of the franchise. Along with a new general manager, the Sixers have revamped almost their entire front office and yet there is still one prominent vacancy that stands out this off-season.
We don’t have a head coach.
That fact has been lingering around ever since Doug Collins departed in April (March if we’re being honest.) The Sixers haven’t been very vocal in their search for a new coach, either. There really hasn’t been much press regarding who we are interviewing, who are the candidates, or likely favorites, which leads me to believe that Michael Curry is going to fill that role.
Which, I’m fine with. If you aren’t familiar, Curry has been the 76ers Assistant Coach to Doug Collins for the past few years and acted as the Head Coach for the Pistons during the 2008-09 season. His record was 39-43 with Detroit.
From my very diligent reporting and observation, Curry seems to be a player favorite in the locker room. During Collin’s somewhat ugly final months with the Sixers, there was even talk of the player’s preferring Curry’s leadership over Collins. Doug has always endorsed Curry’s ability to coach and praised him during their tenure together.
With a lot of the high-profile coaching vacancies filled, I’m preparing for the announcement of Michael Curry to become our head coach pretty soon. Curry is currently coaching the 76ers’ Summer League team in Las Vegas as we speak.
The NBA draft played a huge role in shaping the 2013-14 76ers, and one of the most entertaining prospects we acquired during that period is Iranian-born Arsalan Kazemi. Originally drafted by the Washington Wizards, he was traded to the Sixers and has sort of played to the Philadelphia fan-base since arriving.
Questions like this are going to get you a ton of Philly love –
It’s been a rough season Sixers fans, but I am thankful to report that with tonight’s game, the season will finally be over. The Sixers play the Pacers in Indiana, just after the recent announcement that Doug Collins will resign as head coach.
This was right after his recent announcement that he was not resigning as head coach. That came right after Sixers’ ownership released a statement backing Collins as the head coach of the future.
Real classy Philadelphia.There’s a lot of speculation that Collins will remain with the Sixers as a consultant (which is probably what he wanted all along), and that definitely takes away some of the trashiness of this debacle, but never the less, this was handled wrong. Like most things with this team.
It’s hard to say where the Sixers go from here. The free agent market looks pretty dismal aside from that All-Star center who will be anxiously shopping for a team next year. Let’s not get burned twice.
NBA Playoff predictions: Heat in 5 over the Denver Nuggets.
I also want to note that with all the fanfare and attention Iguodala is getting in Denver for his contributions to that team, his averages are down and his stat sheet is not any better than it was while in Philadelphia. In Denver, he’s credited as a major player for that team (maybe THE major player for that team) with almost identical or worse stats than in Philadelphia. Still, the media pegs him as a huge contributor and attributes him for the Nuggets playoff success.
You can definitely argue that in Philly, he was expected (and paid) to be a superstar, but money and fame aside, he was a big puzzle piece to a winning franchise and undeservedly carried a lot of the blame for the Sixers’ shortcomings. I think this post season will prove that.
I mean, in Denver, he is still the biggest star they have, the most well rounded player there, the only All Star starting for them, and he’s getting paid the exact same amount as he was in Philadelphia. Why is there no resentment in Denver fans?
Haha, even with my bold acclamation, I’ve changed my Finals prediction to Heat over the Spurs in 6.
1.) Was awesome. I only watched it on the final day, but man, what a day to watch! The final between El Pato (aka Angel Cabrera) and Adam Scott was incredible, with Cabrera basically coming within inches of winning it twice (well, once with his chip on the first playoff hole and then barely missing birdie on the second which would’ve put the pressure on Scott).
I thought it was awesome that a guy named Adam Scott won and–let me be the millionth person to make this joke–it wasn’t the dude from Parks and Rec.
2.) I read a Rolling Stone interview with Louis CK and it’s a really good read, but in it, CK claims that he isn’t a millionaire which I find hard to believe. It seems like that guy should’ve made a million bucks by now, and if not, can somebody please get this man a better financial advisor?
3.) It was good to see Roy Halladay look like his old self yesterday against the Marlins but man oh man is it going to be tough for the Phils to catch both the Nationals and the Braves–who look like the best team in baseball. But remember: it’s only April and word over here is that the Upton brothers have short attention spans. (That made a lot more sense before I looked up BJ Upton’s numbers and saw that he is hitting .163 with 1 HR and 2 RBI’s…so they are winning even without him playing well offensively. YIKES!)
4.) Doug Collins is out as Sixers coach which is the greatest news about the team all season. Seriously: the man is a bad coach. He never lasts more than 3 seasons with a team and is very self-serving in the press, throws his players under the bus and deflects a lot of blame. He should go back to broadcasting and stay there. It’s what he’s good at.
5.) Draft season is right around the corner (aka Randy’s favorite time of the year) so let me make a few predictions: a.) The Chiefs will trade out of number one OR draft Luke Joeckel (BOLD!).
b.) The Raiders will trade out of their spot or draft Ezekial Ansah (which I am not on board with).
c.) The Eagles will draft Dion Jordan if he’s available.
d.) The Jaguars will take Geno Smith.
Yeah, they aren’t the boldest picks but what are you gonna do? It’s Monday and I’m tired.
6.) Before I go, I want to give a big shout out to Dolph Ziggler for winning the WWE World Championship. It’s about darn time. That man is the best wrestler on their roster and they needed to reward him. Now, after he gets done with the obligatory Alberto Del Rio feud, if he can somehow feud with Damien Sandow (the best mic worker currently in the WWE), we’ll be getting somewhere. And yes, I know they are both heels, but whatever. WWE can make it work.
Last week Andrew Bynum announced to the public that he basically isn’t going to play for the Sixers this season. The announcement was vague at best, but in summation, Bynum was questioned about his future here, his knees, his chances of playing basketball next season, and where that may be. All of his answers were dismissive or apathetic. Later that week, CSN writer John Gonzalez sat down with Sixers’ CEO Adam Aron to talk about the Andrew Bynum situation, if we plan on resigning him, and where the Sixers are headed in the future.
It’s a great interview, and if you missed it you can catch it here. I’ll have it below, too.
Adam Aron seems to be balk at the notion that the Sixers ownership knew Andrew Bynum wouldn’t play and continued to market him anyway, and I strangely believe him. Of course it is his fault, but I do believe that he is falling for the same charade of Bynum that we all are. It is true that he played 60 of 66 games last year, he was the starting All-Star center for the West last year, and 4 doctors cleared him for this trade. Like Aron said, “This should have worked.”
But it didn’t work. So here are my theories:
1) Bynum was playing through and incredible amount of pain last year, but the medical staff in LA knew that his knee condition was degenerate and threw him out on the trading block because of that fact. Of the 4 team doctors that cleared him, I’d bet that not one of them was on the Philadelphia 76ers staff. I keep picturing James Woods’ skeezy character in Any Given Sunday. They knew they were dumping a lemon, and we simply fell for it.
2) Bynum’s knee conditions aren’t anywhere near as bad as he’s leading on. No doctors treating Andrew have publicly addressed the media, so we’re getting an unprofessional, washed down version of Bynum’s condition, from Bynum. After being traded to Philadelphia, he was skeptical of the team’s roster and decided to milk a ‘knee injury’ to evaluate our chances for contention. After not liking what he saw, Bynum decided to essentially ‘sit out’ for the remainder of the season, allowing him to still collect a paycheck and opt for free-agency next season. Bynum will miraculously be able to play the final 10 games of the season, where he auditions for his next team, and leaves Philadephia behind.
Alright, number 2 is a little ridiculous, but I don’t care. I hate the man now.
The Sixers future looks bleak with or without Bynum at this point, which leads me to asking, “Where do we go from here?” Is it worthwhile for the Sixers to invest in another sizeable contract with Andrew with all of the questions looming around his health?
The best-case scenario is that Andrew Bynum resigns with the 76ers and is healthy enough to play the entirety of next season. That would be prolific, but I believe it’s pretty apparent that the chances for that are marginal at best. Even if that situation were to play out, we still wouldn’t have a long term solution. His health would be questioned every game. If the scrutiny of his knees wouldn’t wear him down, the actual knees eventually would. Next year would be a win-or-bust situation. Our young core would have to evolve overnight and I really don’t see all of those elements coming together.
Not resigning Bynum looks like a cursed path regardless of the outcome. The free-agent market looks pretty ugly next season, so even if the Sixers decided not to take a chance on Bynum’s knees, there’s practically no big-time players available to substitute him with. Andrew would find a team eventually, and if he had any success, we would look like dopes for not resigning him. If he continued to have health problems, we would spare ourselves the embarrassment of resigning another Greg Oden, but still have to live with the fact that our team was practically depleted for a skeleton.
We are in a very ugly situation, my friends.
Next year, the Sixers are going to be frantically skimming the free agent market in hopes of filling out the team and replacing some of the talent that’s left. Our young core needs some talented veterans. I can’t see how the Sixers would willingly pay Andrew Bynum for another season when we’ve been burned throughout this one. But… I’ve seen stranger things happen…
It’s been an unbelievably brutal season for the 76ers and their fans this year. It seems like forever ago I was sitting directly behind Iguadala on opening day as the Nuggets came to town for our season opener. Those were wonderful times. There was so much promise and hope for the season. I remember seeing Andrew Bynum that night, feeling anxious and uncertain about his future here. There was a bit more excitement back then, but the uncertainty and confusion is about the exact same.
Now that the All-Star break is over, things look completely different, and I’m trying to figure out what’s going to happen next year. Some players worked out, some players didn’t. It already seems like the season is over, so let’s get to figuring out who’s worth keeping…
Jrue Holiday
8/
10. No question that Jrue has been filling the role of a starting point guard. Earning his first All-Star appearance (which was awesome by the way), Holiday’s numbers have been way up and he’s transitioned into the ‘leader’ of this team quite nicely. I had questions of how well Jrue could manage the game, and although there were some shaky moments in the first leg of the season, he’s been quietly carrying the load throughout the season. Almost too quietly, if you ask me.
Evan Turner
7/
10. There’s no doubt that Turner has been more efficient in scoring this season. He’s averaging over 4 more points a game, a higher shooting percentage, a higher 3-point percentage, free throw attempts, rebounds-per-game, steals, blocks, assists, the list goes on. It seems as though the chemistry between him and Jrue are great, so breaking up this young core (ala trade rumors) would probably be a mistake. There is no question, at this point in the season, however, that Jrue is the leading man.
Lavoy Allen
6/
10. Lavoy has been consistent, averaging almost identical numbers from last season, even with the transition from power forward to center. Just as quietly as he switched roles, Lavoy managed to bring his rebound average almost a full 2 points this season, along with points per game. Allen set his career high for rebounds this year in a loss, but it was nice to see the young man assert himself so well.
Spencer Hawes
4/
10. If 10 points a game and 4 rebounds makes you an MVP (as Philly fans have been guilty of cheering), then Spencer Hawes would be the 5 year reigning champion. Problem is, it doesn’t. I would probably love having Spencer Hawes as our back-up center, but with the way things are right now, he’s getting a majority of the minutes and I’m not satisfied with the production. Nikola Vučević is doing what he’s doing, with less minutes and worse teammates. It’s not Spencer’s fault that he’s been forced to be our big man full-time this season, but for once, young man, can you just box out under the glass??
10. This man is an absolute waste of space and everyone fretted him joining the roster since day one. Not only did was waste $6 million on this waffle-handed wash-up, but rumors have it that he is a pretty difficult teammate as well. He clogs up no lanes, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Andrew Bynum
0/
10. Maybe I should do negative numbers? What a disaster this entire season has been, but the icing on the cake will be when Bynum plays the last 10 games of the season when all of the results are futile, simply to audition for another team. We gobbled up this man’s contract, but as the 700 level so correctly suggests, maybe the Magic weren’t so crazy for giving up Howard in this 3-team trade for almost nothing in return. Maybe they knew something that we simply didn’t. Bynum updates have almost gotten so redundant that there is not much point in listening to them. Oh, he’s day-to-day you say? Could practice in a couple of weeks? Looking and feeling a lot better? Great… all of that does me no good until I see Bynum at Wells Fargo Center WEARING a Sixers jersey. In the meantime, I don’t care about his hair. Who gives a shit? Bynum would be wise to tread lightly going forward, as the tide is turning in the city of Philadephia.
Not mentioned, but Thaddeus Young and Jeremy Pargo are interesting highlights in the season as well. Jason Richardson, however…. is another story.
There doesn’t look to be much light at the end of the tunnel for the 2012-13 season. Hopefully, our young core of Holiday, Turner, and Young can continue to grow and carry the load. Plus, you know, the Flyers are doing a lot better…
I leave you with Jrue Holiday stealing the show at the All-Star game by singing Rihanna…
