Pretend You're Colangelo... what do you do?

[LarBrd33]

There's like four threads about awful Hinkie is, how Philly is the worst team ever, and how their days are tanking are supposedly over now that Jerry Colangelo is part of the team.   First of all, my opinion is firmly in the minority when it comes to Philly.  I figured they'd tank this year and make sense of their assets this Summer.  From my (possibly warped) perspective, this just confirms what I already expected... big changes are coming.  But it seems to me that regardless if it's Hinkie, Colangelo, You or Me running that team, we'd all ultimately come to the conclusion that the best course of action is to let this team keep losing for now and try to get Ben Simmons.  There's no point in winning games this year.

But just for fun... let's pretend the conspiracy theories are correct.  Let's pretend that the NBA forced Philly hand to hire Colangelo and Colangelo has a mandate to make Philly as good as possible as soon as possible.   What do you do?  You have a few months until the trade deadline.  You gotta make the team good now.   Pretend you're Colangelo.  What sacrifices are you ready to make? 

A list of your chips:

Joel Embiid - He aint playing this year.  He's gotta go.  Do you cut him?  Or do you maybe hang onto him just in case his bone graft thing works out.  Seems to be working out ok for Durant.  Would anybody trade for him at this point and take the gamble?  I'd say yes, but that's just me... At the very least I'd give up some mediocre talent like Evan Turner for a Joel Embiid gamble.  Is that crazy?  If you're Colangelo, are you prepared to take a mediocre vet for him ? 

Jahlil Okafor - 19 year old 6'11 275 pound star prospect currently averaging 17 points, 8 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, 45% shooting and 67% from the line.   At worst, he's about even with Big Al in year 3.   He got into a scuffle recently.  Larry Bird once broke his hand in a bar fight during the playoffs... peoples be crazy.  You trading Okafor 20 games into his career?

Nerlens Noel - 21 years old 6'11 230 ... They have tried playing him at PF and it's been a disaster.  Averaging 11 points, 8 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks.   He proved to be an elite defensive prospect last year and teams surely would value him as a rim protector.  He averaged 13 points, 10 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 2.1 steals with 49% shooting and 66% from the line over the second half of last season.  What are you trading him for?

Dario Saric -  He's 21.  Was seen as a star prospect.  He stayed overseas.  Considered one of the best players in Europe.  Supposedly coming to the NBA next year.   What can you trade his rights for? 

Robert Covington - 24 year old 6'9 215 SF... averaging 14 points, 6.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.7 steals with 40%/34%/78% shooting.  What you getting for him?

Jerami Grant - 21 years old 6'8 210lb SF... averaging 10 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, 1 steal with 43%/18%/70% shooting.   He have any trade value?

Nik Stauskas - 22 years old.  Was the #8 pick last year.  Has played pretty poorly.  Averaging 8.7 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1 steal with 35%/31%/73% shooting... though he shot 42%/40%/85% over the second half of last season and after struggling with injures, he's shown a few signs in December... shooting 48%/44%/67% over his last 4 games in 22.8mpg.  You cuttin him?

Anyone else you can squeeze value out of?  Tony Wroten?  Jakarr Sampson?  Hollis Thompson?  Isaiah Canaan?  Tj McConnell?

Philly's Unprotected 2016 1st - Right now it looks like it's the top odds in the Ben Simmons lotto.  You dumping it for a vet?  What you getting? 

Laker's Top 3 Protected 2016 1st - They get the pick if it falls outside the Top 3 (currently a 45% chance of happening)  It's unprotected next year.  What you getting for it? 

Miami's Top 10 protected 2016 1st - It's basically a 10-way tie in the East.  This can end up in the 12-14 range... or the late 20s.   Worthless?

OKC's top 15 protected 2016 1st - Likely ending up in the mid-to-late 20s.   Worthless?


Alright... You're Colangelo.   No waiting until Summer.  What do you do to fix it?   

Note:  You can't take on extra salary this season, because you have 60 million on the cap already.  Next season, you'll have something like 60 million in cap space to play with.   Sure, that limits you're options right now, but you're Jerry Colangelo and you gotta end this tank immediately. 

[LarBrd33]

The team desperately needs a starting PG.   Here's one idea.

Isaiah Thomas for Jahlil Okafor: 

http://espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=hcxf2da

Which GM says no...  HinkieColangelo or Ainge? 

[celticsclay]

Dude this thread is overkill

[LarBrd33]

Dude this thread is overkill

I'm embracing it. 

[max215]

If the tanking must end today, then here's something:

2016 Lakers Pick, Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric to Lakers for Russell and Randle.

Jahlil Okafor and 2016 Sixers Pick (top 3 protected in 2016 and unprotected in 2017) to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler.

Russell
Butler
Covington
Randle
Noel

It's not great, and they'd definitely still struggle this year, but that's a pretty fun squad if you ask me.

[LarBrd33]

If the tanking must end today, then here's something:

2016 Lakers Pick, Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric to Lakers for Russell and Randle.

Jahlil Okafor and 2016 Sixers Pick (top 3 protected in 2016 and unprotected in 2017) to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler.

Russell
Butler
Covington
Randle
Noel

It's not great, and they'd definitely still struggle this year, but that's a pretty fun squad if you ask me.

That's pretty interesting, actually. 

I also wonder if they could get Oladipo... he's been coming off the bench, I think. 

[max215]

If the tanking must end today, then here's something:

2016 Lakers Pick, Joel Embiid, and Dario Saric to Lakers for Russell and Randle.

Jahlil Okafor and 2016 Sixers Pick (top 3 protected in 2016 and unprotected in 2017) to the Bulls for Jimmy Butler.

Russell
Butler
Covington
Randle
Noel

It's not great, and they'd definitely still struggle this year, but that's a pretty fun squad if you ask me.

That's pretty interesting, actually. 

I also wonder if they could get Oladipo... he's been coming off the bench, I think.

Ehh, I'm not sure what they'd give up for Oladipo. Okafor is just a younger Vucevic and the last thing Orlando needs is more picks. Even though Oladipo is coming off the bench, I think he's probably their best player, and, as of right now, the most important part of their future currently on the roster.

[Ilikesports17]

I am interested to see if they do a total overhaul.

Do you trade all your assets?

Do you clean house?

I mean what happens if Philly dumps Brett Brown? What if Colangelo wipes the whole thing clean and then leverages the assets to make a nice team.

Now four years of pain and suck has turned into a contender but pretty much all the people that went through the pain are done with scarred reputations.

[Sixth Man]

If I'm Jerry Colangelo, as soon as I reach my office on my first day, I summon Hinkie and let him know how I like my coffee...

[chambers]

I'd tank the rest of this year (which is a given), and then start adding some veteran pieces ala Minny and Boston.

Get some solid vets on the bench and/or a solid veteran PG to orchestrate the show. Throw the max at Mike Conley and another veteran.

Their current 'other guys' like Stauskas, Grant etc are basically worthless.
 So just replace all those bums with some real NBA players.
They need some Jarred Dudley's/David Lee's in the locker room.

I'd actually make a solid offer for Avery Bradley or Crowder and start getting someone in there who'll hold them accountable on both ends and give Brett Brown some vocal support. They need some solid role models in the locker room.

I'm actually with LarBrd on this one and I think people are jumping all over the 76ers scenario like it's the end of the world.
They have a gold mine of high level assets/prospects.
I'd draft Khris Dunn with that Lakers pick by trading back if possible.

Imagine if the 76ers came out of this draft with either
Simmons+Khris Dunn or
Jaylen Brown+Khris dunn or
Simmons+Jamal Murray.

I wonder if they'd send us Nerlens Noel for the Mavs pick if it's around #10 or #11 so they can pick Khris Dunn?

Even without Embid, after 3 years of tanking they'll have:

Okafur- regardless of what you say about his recent behavior, he's an elite prospect.
Saric- one of the best young Europeans in the last 5 years. If you think Mirotic is good, wait till you see Saric.
Noel-  Very good asset based around defensive potential- has high value around the league.
2016 top 3 pick- unknown right now but they're going to get one of Simmons, Ingram, Brown, Skal...
and possibly Lakers pick this year which is basically a coinflip.

I think they then need to sign some veterans to this core and starting developing a winning culture. In the mean time, cross your fingers that Embid gets healthy. If he does get healthy then god help the Eastern Conference in 5 years.

Simmons
Okafur
Saric
Embid...

Is a realistic outcome for them. Even if Embid doesn't come back they've still got
Noel
Okafur
Saric
Simmons/Ingram/Brown/Skal  and a coinflip for the Lakers pick.

Colangelo has an absolute treasure chest there.

[LarBrd33]

On the Philly board someone suggested moving Okafor for Eric Bledsoe... now that Brandon Knight is playing well, they wondered if Eric Bledsoe would be available.  Suns don't have a starting center really.    Not a bad idea if they want a PG.

[oldtype]

Can we just stop?

[colincb]

Sell the team to a better owner and walk away with a golden parachute.

[HomerSapien]

Biggest thing I do right away is repair the PR stuff.  I'd make sure that all the important agents know that the Sixers plan to be fair with their players, and want to invest in them for the betterment of them and the team, etc.  I'd talk to the media more than Hinkie has to make them feel like we have a plan to right the ship after doing a thorough assessment this year of what we have talent-wise.

The one personnel move I'd try to make before the deadline this season is to trade Noel.  I'd look to see if I can get a decent young wing or PG and a mid-1st for him, though I am a little skeptical of what he'll return right now given his lack of any offensive ability.  I just feel like if they don't move him soon his value will continue to deteriorate, and once Embiid is back you can't have all 3 guys on the team.

Otherwise, I let the team continue to lose, and hope to be using 2 top 5 picks in the 2016 draft, plus the MIA and OKC picks.  The latter 2 I might trade for a mid-20's veteran who is under contract and can add some stability to the team.  Also, if I don't get my PG of the future in the draft, I may see how cheaply I can get Rubio from the T'Wolves who seem hell bent on making Zach Levine their PG of the future.

[LooseCannon]

I wouldn't look to make a splash.  The talent level is so poor that you're really just trying to have fewer embarrassing losses.  Step one is to evaluate whether Brett Brown really is someone who deserves an extension.  I will guess they want to keep him, so next I figure out what personnel fits the system he wants.  Since it is too late to go after good players in free agency, I look for players who can be described as poor man's versions of role players Brown would like.  I might offer NBA contracts to veterans such as Dahntay Jones, Toure Murry, and Willie Green and simply cut some of the D-League talent filling out the roster.

End the tanking by no longer putting out a roster designed to lose, but prioritize player development over winning, which means surrounding your young players with a baseline level of competence.  You can't develop a young big man's post game if you have incompetent guards who can't get him the ball with good position, for example.