Right when the Celtics peak... the 76ers will come alive

[Alleyoopster]

The Celtic  lineup for next couple years looks rather promising barring any catastrophic injuries. It's probable the main Eastern Conference leaders Cleveland and Toronto will lose their edge as age and key injuries could catch up with them. If so, then that could open the door for the Celtics and 76ers to fill the void.   

Listed are a few reasons why the Celtics should improve:
1. likely high draft pick from the Nets in 2017
2. cap space to sign a talented free agent
3. talent improvement in Rozier, Brown and Smart
4. possible impact of Ante Zizac on the boards. (I'm still very skeptical on Yabusele's chances for improving the club)

If all goes well, the roster for next year looks to be even better than this one. The Celtics should be peaking in the next year of two.

At the same time the multiple years of tanking should finally payoff for the 76ers.

Think about what's in store:
1. right now they are missing Simmons and a few other players due to injuries.
2. it's likely they will use their own high draft pick in 2017. They can swap with the Kings, but doubt that will happen.
3. their LA pick looks to be a high lotto.
4. it's plausible they trade Noel for a premium talent or a high draft pick.
5. Embiid is turning out to be the player he was expected to be. He's only playing half the games now. He should be playing in all the games next year.
6. some of their lesser known players have shown promise, e.g., Saric and Rodriguez stand out in my mind.

So, this might be a starting lineup....Embiid, Okafor, Simmons (playing guard?), Daric and an all star caliber guard (from a trade or high draft pick) with Noel, Rodriguez, Stauskas, LA's pick and/or a newly signed player coming off the bench.

In my opinion, if they are healthy this could be a formidable team. Anyone else believe that next year could spell a new beginning for Philly?     
 

[DefenseWinsChamps]

A lot of ifs. I don't know if you can make any assumptions.

I still like our future better. I like our young guys.

[Chris22]

Danny plus Stevens plus the two Brooklyn picks equals a championship.

[Boris Badenov]

The whole deal still comes down to Embiid for them, doesn't it? If he's healthy, they can get pieces to surround him. If he's not, the other "assets" are a team that probably wins 30 games a year. Who knows what Simmons and Saric will be. Okafor has regressed. And they could easily strike out on their upcoming picks, they've done it before.

Maybe Philly's upside is as high as ours right now, but their downside risk is much worse, in my opinion.

[csfansince60s]

The whole deal still comes down to Embiid for them, doesn't it? If he's healthy, they can get pieces to surround him. If he's not, the other "assets" are a team that probably wins 30 games a year. Who knows what Simmons and Saric will be. Okafor has regressed. And they could easily strike out on their upcoming picks, they've done it before.

Maybe Philly's upside is as high as ours right now, but their downside risk is much worse, in my opinion.

TP......no Embiid....... no future.

3 centers ..... 2 down, one fragile hope yet.....could happen for them....hope not.... they played the system at the expense of the game and their fans and the league...disgraceful

[jdz101]

Take ilyasova and henderson out of philly and they're still an awful, awful basketball team that would be about 6 or 7 wins by this stage.

All they've done is add a small veteran presence.

[jpotter33]

Embiid and Okafor are incompatible playing together at the 4 and 5, and that's pretty much been proven in their last ten games or so, which has been terrible when they shared the court together. That "twin towers" lineup is finally supposed to be done for them, and pretty much everyone in their organization, especially the fans, have come to terms with that.

Simmons is also going to play PF. He's not a guard, and he can't really play the SF either.

They're pretty much set with Embiid at the 5 and Simmons at the 4 with Okafor and Saric being the main bigs off the bench. They'll be forced to trade Noel before the deadline, because A) he doesn't want to be there, B) Okafor has virtually 0 trade value at the moment, and C) that means that Noel, even with his contract and injury issues, will bring back more in a trade for them.

They should get a backcourt piece and a wing in the draft this year between their pick and the Lakers pick, so they should start getting better next year, though they still have a long way to go before ultimately being anything good.

Imagine if they wouldn't have screwed up on Okafor and picked Porzingis. Then they probably would've went with Ingram over Simmons this draft, and they'd have a ridiculous four-man core of Noel and Embiid at the center spot, Porzingis at the PF spot, and Ingram at the 3 spot.

[hpantazo]

Sure there are some question marks for the Sixers, but you can say the same for the Celtics. I love this Celtics team, and I think we are in fantastic shape to make the next step, its amazing what Ainge has done, but nothing is guaranteed for us either.

What if the Celtics don't get the major star we are expecting to take us to the next level?

What if we sign someone like Hayward and he doesn't quite push us to the level of the Cavs and GS, or if we trade for Boogie and he implodes?

What if we don't re-sign IT, Bradley and Olynyk?

What if Smart and Brown and Rozier never develop into more than bench players?

What if we whiff with the next Nets pick?

From the Sixers end, we have already seen Embiid's potential under a minute restriction and after not having played for 2 years. Its immense. We have seen Saric coming on strong for them in their wins, especially in those where Embiid sits out. It is pretty widely accepted that Simmons is going to be a star, its just a matter of how big a star. Add someone like Fultz to that, and they are in great shape, Never mind Noel and Okafor and whatever they can get for either of them.

[slamtheking]

The whole deal still comes down to Embiid for them, doesn't it? If he's healthy, they can get pieces to surround him. If he's not, the other "assets" are a team that probably wins 30 games a year. Who knows what Simmons and Saric will be. Okafor has regressed. And they could easily strike out on their upcoming picks, they've done it before.

Maybe Philly's upside is as high as ours right now, but their downside risk is much worse, in my opinion.

who says he doesn't bolt that mess in Philly the first chance he gets?  play for his QO and go somewhere that's run a lot better and won't take another decade to win a division much less contend for a title.

only reason he would have for staying is uncertainty about his continued health this year and he feels the need to cash in asap before his legs go out for good.

[saltlover]

I am not the slightest bit worried about the Sixers ever being a threat to the Celtics.  They're like 6 players away from fielding a competitive team, by the time their draftees are all good enough, some will become too expensive to keep.

They're much more likely to wind up being a slightly better version of the Wizards.

[Boris Badenov]

Sure there are some question marks for the Sixers, but you can say the same for the Celtics. I love this Celtics team, and I think we are in fantastic shape to make the next step, its amazing what Ainge has done, but nothing is guaranteed for us either.

What if the Celtics don't get the major star we are expecting to take us to the next level?

What if we sign someone like Hayward and he doesn't quite push us to the level of the Cavs and GS, or if we trade for Boogie and he implodes?

What if we don't re-sign IT, Bradley and Olynyk?

What if Smart and Brown and Rozier never develop into more than bench players?

What if we whiff with the next Nets pick?

From the Sixers end, we have already seen Embiid's potential under a minute restriction and after not having played for 2 years. Its immense. We have seen Saric coming on strong for them in their wins, especially in those where Embiid sits out. It is pretty widely accepted that Simmons is going to be a star, its just a matter of how big a star. Add someone like Fultz to that, and they are in great shape, Never mind Noel and Okafor and whatever they can get for either of them.

Sure, but ultimately we are a 50-win team that's trying to make those last one or two moves to become a championship contender, and they're a 15-win team that with Embiid may or may not have taken the first step, after which they need to take quite a few more.

I mean, we are one player away - a top 10-15 player, no doubt, which isn't easy to get. But we have three top 5 draft picks to offer in trade, as well as several other decent assets, without touching our current rotation.

And not least, we have a very good coach and a really, really good GM who's unlikely to screw that process up.

[hpantazo]

Sure there are some question marks for the Sixers, but you can say the same for the Celtics. I love this Celtics team, and I think we are in fantastic shape to make the next step, its amazing what Ainge has done, but nothing is guaranteed for us either.

What if the Celtics don't get the major star we are expecting to take us to the next level?

What if we sign someone like Hayward and he doesn't quite push us to the level of the Cavs and GS, or if we trade for Boogie and he implodes?

What if we don't re-sign IT, Bradley and Olynyk?

What if Smart and Brown and Rozier never develop into more than bench players?

What if we whiff with the next Nets pick?

From the Sixers end, we have already seen Embiid's potential under a minute restriction and after not having played for 2 years. Its immense. We have seen Saric coming on strong for them in their wins, especially in those where Embiid sits out. It is pretty widely accepted that Simmons is going to be a star, its just a matter of how big a star. Add someone like Fultz to that, and they are in great shape, Never mind Noel and Okafor and whatever they can get for either of them.

Sure, but ultimately we are a 50-win team that's trying to make those last one or two moves to become a championship contender, and they're a 15-win team that with Embiid may or may not have taken the first step, after which they need to take quite a few more.

I mean, we are one player away - a top 10-15 player, no doubt, which isn't easy to get. But we have three top 5 draft picks to offer in trade, as well as several other decent assets, without touching our current rotation.

And not least, we have a very good coach and a really, really good GM who's unlikely to screw that process up.

Of course, I fully agree. I much prefer our position, and am very impressed with what Ainge has done. I just don't think we should easily discard the potential that the Sixers have put together though. It took a while , and Okafor and Noel were not what they were hoping for, but things are coming together for them, and they have two lottery picks coming up in a draft that is loaded with talented point guards.

[fantankerous]

I am not the slightest bit worried about the Sixers ever being a threat to the Celtics.  They're like 6 players away from fielding a competitive team, by the time their draftees are all good enough, some will become too expensive to keep.

They're much more likely to wind up being a slightly better version of the Wizards.

That's a really good comparison. I'm slightly more worried than you though.  I'm also way less level-headed.

[tazzmaniac]

The whole deal still comes down to Embiid for them, doesn't it? If he's healthy, they can get pieces to surround him. If he's not, the other "assets" are a team that probably wins 30 games a year. Who knows what Simmons and Saric will be. Okafor has regressed. And they could easily strike out on their upcoming picks, they've done it before.

Maybe Philly's upside is as high as ours right now, but their downside risk is much worse, in my opinion.

who says he doesn't bolt that mess in Philly the first chance he gets?  play for his QO and go somewhere that's run a lot better and won't take another decade to win a division much less contend for a title.

only reason he would have for staying is uncertainty about his continued health this year and he feels the need to cash in asap before his legs go out for good.

Wake up to reality.  No rookie turns down a MAX extension.  Which is what Embiid will get offered this offseason assuming he stays healthy.  Embiid will be a Sixers for at least another 5 years but with the new CBA changes it will probably be another 10 years. 

[fantankerous]

The whole deal still comes down to Embiid for them, doesn't it? If he's healthy, they can get pieces to surround him. If he's not, the other "assets" are a team that probably wins 30 games a year. Who knows what Simmons and Saric will be. Okafor has regressed. And they could easily strike out on their upcoming picks, they've done it before.

Maybe Philly's upside is as high as ours right now, but their downside risk is much worse, in my opinion.

who says he doesn't bolt that mess in Philly the first chance he gets?  play for his QO and go somewhere that's run a lot better and won't take another decade to win a division much less contend for a title.

only reason he would have for staying is uncertainty about his continued health this year and he feels the need to cash in asap before his legs go out for good.

This is where his injuries plays a role.  If he plays the last two years, Embiid may be eligible for a super max.  That's unlikely now.  Philly still has a potentially nice young core plus a financial advantage to resign him, but there's more uncertainty due to his njury history