2014-2015 Season Preview: Philadelphia 76ers Q&A
To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA sites. Today we are joined by Drew Corrigan, the editor of Sixer Sense, the Fansided Network’s Philadephia 76ers blog.
1. Obviously the 76ers and the Pelicans have a bit of recent history with the trade of Jrue Holiday for Nerlens Noel and what turned out to be Dario Saric. Now that the second pick has been made what are your thoughts on the move?
More from Pelicans News
- How will the Pelicans round out rotation without Trey Murphy III
- Why you can’t blame Brandon Ingram for all Team USA’s failures
- New Orleans Pelicans avoid potential disaster with latest injury reports
- 3 New Orleans Pelicans whose role will increase next season
- Pelicans getting the fans involved with their upcoming festival
Drew: I’ll still stand behind it as a great move, as most fans will also do. Jrue Holiday is a good player, but the team would have remained as a middle-of-the-pack type team with him at the helm. The 76ers had been that team for so long, so I respect the franchises decision to tear everything down. Getting two first-round picks for Holiday is amazing, especially in today’s market. Nerlens Noel has potential to be a defensive anchor and the kid just loves Philadelphia and Saric really impressed a lot of people at the World Cup.
2. The two teams also swapped second round point guards this year with Pierre Jackson heading to Philly and Russ Smith to New Orleans. Jackson sadly then got hurt in summer league with Philly though, so what are his chances of ever really catching on with the team now that he is out for the year?
Drew: First off, the 76ers community was ecstatic about the 76ers getting Jackson back. It was a shame to see him rupture his Achilles during his first Summer League game, because he had an opportunity to really showcase that his D-League showing was legit. The Sixers signed Jackson to a partially guaranteed deal to help him out with his medical costs, which is respectful. He’ll probably be cut at some point, but I see the 76ers bringing him back next summer when he’s healthy. Time will tell how much the injury will affect someone with the athleticism of Jackson, but I have faith that he can become a solid player for the 76ers.
3. Were you a fan of the picks of Joel Embiid and Saric?
Drew: Initially, I don’t think many people were a fan of the picks. In the moment, everyone wanted to see people picked that we were going to watch next season, because most fan bases don’t understand what it’s like to go through what the Sixers went through last season. However, after the initial shock, the picks are justified. Philly needed to get a franchise changing player and Embiid has a great opportunity to be that. He’ll have the time to rehab ala Nerlens Noel from last season, so there isn’t any rush. After seeing Saric at FIBA, I feel better about the pick. Waiting two years is not ideal for him, but it’s the case, and we’re all praying that he’s worth the wait.
4. There were some rumors this offseason that reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams could be traded. What are your thoughts on MCW? Can he be the long-term answer at point guard?
Drew: The rumors for MCW were insane, but I never really thought he would be traded. Listen, people get way too negative on the kid. He was the Rookie of the Year and posted numbers that put him in categories with people like Big O and Magic Johnson. Yes, he has problems that he needs to work on, but what rookie doesn’t? I love his size and ability to get to the rim. Learning how to shoot is something that can be done, which is evident by Jason Kidd‘s career. I’m confident in MCW as the long-term answer at point guard.
5. What is the best case scenario for the 76ers this year? The worst? What do you think will happen?
Drew: The best case scenario for the 76ers is that MCW shows an improved jumper and keeps his stat line around the same as last season. Noel comes in and looks like a defensive anchor, while showing somewhat of an offensive game and hits at least 70% of his free-throws, while playing in 65+ games. Then, you want to see guys like K.J. McDaniels, Jerami Grant and others find a niche on this team. The worst is probably the opposite of all of this, but regardless the 76ers are in store for another solid lottery pick when Joel Embiid comes back for 2015-16.