The 76ers are supposed to be terrible, but they have started the season 3-0.
(Editor's Note: This year, I did not have the time to do a
comprehensive 2013-2014 NBA Season Preview, so each Monday I'll be posting
(perhaps from time-to-time with the help of some friends) my NBA Team of The
Week. These posts won't be based on the team that performed the best during a
given week, or who had the most newsworthy headlines, but based on the team
who, in my opinion as an objective NBA obsessive, seems the most
"interesting" to me after a given week of action. This could be
something as subtle as a promising 9th man starting to develop; or as big as
Chris Paul putting on a string of virtuoso point guard performances that make me want to cry for all that is pure and beautiful in the world.)
A
lot of people will say that I am full of shit, but it almost makes sense that
the Philadelphia 76ers have started out 3-0.
There
are all kinds of proverbs that are used to help us navigate what we can expect
in life. "Where there's smoke there's fire." "If it looks like a
duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a
duck." Obviously there are truth to these phrases, since they remain in
the rotation of daily, idle conversation.
However,
life is strange and changeful, and logic does not always apply. All you have to
do is look out your window, read a newspaper,
or watch a documentary about theNew York Islanders to see that that fact. Often, what we expect to happen—that
the good will be appreciated or rewarded—does not happen, no matter how much
reason and data we have to believe that it will. That's why people love sports.
The unexpected is always in play, and when the unexpected occurs, there is no
other feeling on earth like it. And you don't want to miss out on that feeling by being away from the TV.
As
of late, one of the main, widespread discussions in sports has been the debate
between
advanced stats and antiquated "gut feeling." There are
arguments against
the idea of momentum,
mistakes in scouting, and
amazing newNBA owned websites that can turn player movements into statistics. There is no
true answer to the debate on whether the "head" or the
"heart" is better when it comes to sports. The only thing smart
people can agree in, just as in life, is that there should be a balance of
both.
What
all this means is that, during this past summer when the Philadelphia 76ers
positioned themselves to be in the best position for the #1 Pick in the 2014
Draft, there was every reason to believe they would be terrible. When your head
coach is quoted as saying
that the team's roster only has six NBA players, that
should count as the "smoke" leading to "fire"—i.e. the team
being historically bad.
But
when endless jokes are made about just how bad your team is going to be, a
certain point the cosmos have to intercede. Whether that intervention takes the
form of player pride, Dwyane Wade sitting out in favor of proceeding with his
knee rehab plan, Derrick Rose still being rusty,
an underreported levelplayer-coach chemistry, or just an
overall odd game of streaks, the
universe will sometimes right itself. And that is why it makes sense that the
Philadelphia 76ers are 3-0.
Obviously,
over the course of 82 games, this team will not be able to keep up their hot
start. As Zach Lowe pointed out on Twitter, the Charlotte Bobcats started 6-4
last season and had yours truly begging their PR people to conduct an interview
with Kemba Walker to ask about his team's improvement. The Bobcats ended the
season with a 21-61 record and fired their head coach after one season. It's best not to jump to conclusions.
The
76ers will probably end the season with a bad record. Evan Turner is their
leading scorer with 23 points per game, on 50% shooting and 17 shots per game.
Turner was the second overall pick in the 2010 Draft and has vastly
underperformed thus far in the NBA. He is leading this team as a
"veteran" presence,
but that is most likely in an attempt to drive uphis market value so that the team can trade him later in the season for better,
long-term assets—like a first round draft pick. It will be interesting to see
how Evans performs this season. He needs to play well in order to increase his
worth, since he will be a restricted free agent after the season. The Sixers'
smart and analytics-embracing GM Sam Hinkie knows this and, since he did not
draft Evans, will most likely use this fact in order to leverage Evans for the
best deal he can get.
Then
there is rookie point guard Michael Carter-Williams who has set the league on
fire in his first three games. Carter-Williams was an uncertain prospect coming
out of Syracuse. He flashed moments of brilliance, but often had Syracuse fans
and alumni wishing for the days of unreliable Scoop Jardine. At 6'7" he
called to mind the size and potential of Penny Hardaway, which is enticing for
any basketball mind. When the Sixers drafted him with the pick they received in
the Jrue Holliday/New Orleans trade, it seemed like an experiment worth trying,
since trading Holliday meant that the Sixers were looking to take a step back.
In
MCW's first game, last Wednesday against the Miami Heat, he scored 22 points,
had 12 assists, 7 rebounds and a rookie record 9 steals. He followed that up
with a 14-5-3-1 line against Washington and then had 26-10-4-3 against Derrick
Rose and the Chicago Bulls. After three games, he has a true shooting
percentage of 55%, and is one of only seven players
to play over 30 minutes pergame and average more than 27 points created via assist per 48 minutes. He has looked
remarkably calm and composed with only 7 turnovers to his 27 assists. His two
most impressive games have come against the two teams favored to win the
Eastern Conference. Needless to say, Philadelphia may have a drafted a future
superstar to run their team; a player they can use their bevy of future first
round picks to build around. Or, it could be a flash in the pan, an early
season hot streak against unsuspecting, rusty contenders, that we'll later only
use as a way to cite the rookie record 9 steals.
Finally,
there is the coach. Brett Brown comes from the San Antonio coaching tree and
has a very good reputation within the league. Everything he has said so far as
Sixers coach, reflects a guy who has been put in a position by his management
to succeed. There are no results expected of him this year, so he has the time
to teach, to grow a culture, to bond with his players. Quotes like, "I'm
happy to sacrifice practice time for a chemistry, relationship type of thing
where everybody can have a laugh and learn different sides of each other's
past," and "There is a fine line between demanding and saying 'I
understand, your young, you don't know my accent, we're throwing a lot at
you.' So you always walk this crazy balance between
positive and negative," reflect a common sense teaching approach that
should be encouraging for any Sixers fan; and be appreciated by anyone who is
writing a manual on management.
Again,
it has only been three games. Carter-Williams could come down to earth. Turner
very well might play listlessly like he has for the past three years and lower
his trade value. I'm pretty sure Brown is going to be a good coach, but he's
going to have a lot of nights where his lack of true NBA talent will lose him
games—effort goes a long way, but it's not always there in January and
February.
But
I like a good party, so for now let's ride the highs of the Sixers early season
success. I mean, when's the next time we'll see
Tony Wroten with a highlight block on Derrick Rose?
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