I'm a Sixers fan, which has been sort of unfortunate for the last few years. But thanks to GM Sam Hinkie, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It's a shame that the Jrue Holiday t-shirt I bought last season is now rendered useless (along with my Jodie Meeks t-shirt, but that's my fault for buying it in the first place), but Nerlens Noel is younger and more importantly, injured. I would love a ton of losses this season. We tried to rebuild on the fly, but it's clear that the best way to become a contender in the NBA is to build through the draft. So Wiggins here we come! But so far the 2013-2014 76ers have been winning. I'm not panicking though. I'm confident that our messiah, Sam Hinkie, will ensure losses. But that doesn't mean I actively root for the team to lose when I watch games. In fact just the opposite. For the first time in a long time, the Philadelphia 76ers are endearing. I'm new to this, but seeing as this is my blog, I can share my personal, completely biased opinion on the members of the 2013-2014 Philadelphia 76ers. Let's Begin:
Michael Carter-Williams- Or as he should be known, Magic Carter-Williams. Good lord, I did not see this coming. There was a lot of talk about his "potential" coming into the draft, but after shooting 39% from the field and 29% from three at Syracuse last season, it was easy to be skeptical. But man has he been impressive. Carter-Williams is confident and poised beyond his years. While I don't think he's the next coming of Oscar Robertson, it seems as if the Sixers have found a franchise point guard.
James Anderson- I was high on James Anderson before the season. My reasoning consisted of his Big 12 player of the year award in 2010 while at Oklahoma State and the fact that he was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs. There must have been some sort of potential there if the Spurs wanted him, right?
Evan Turner- What to say about the kid? I really want him to be good. ET wants to win and be a star more than anything, and so far this season it seems like he's taken a major step toward stardom. But what a strange player Turner is. One of the most unconventional looking shots in the league, which admittedly has improved greatly since his rookie year, and killer handles for someone 6'7". Turner can be reckless at times, and a bit of a ball-stopper on offense, but as the most talented Sixer I've loved watching him thrive thus far this season. A year from now he for sure won't be on this team. It's just a matter of whether he keeps helping the team win games and gets traded, or he walks in free agency this summer. Until then, I'm looking forward to watching the Villain take great strides toward NBA stardom.
Thaddeus Young- Thad is a perennial fan favorite. Originally a small forward, he's made the transition to under-sized, hard-nosed 4 as smoothly as possible. Like ET, he's another trade candidate if this unforeseen winning continues thanks to his friendly contract and consistently strong production. But I would love more than anything to see Thad ripping down boards against 7 footers and making crafty defense plays as a Sixer for the rest of his career.
Spencer Hawes- There's something I like to call Spencer Hawes syndrome. When a player is good at the things he shouldn't be good at, and bad at the stuff he should be good at, he suffers from Spencer Hawes syndrome. Spence is perhaps the best passing big man in the NBA (though the Gasol brothers would have something to say about that) and has expanded his range to beyond the arc, yet he can't help but get bullied on the block and the boards game after game. As a true 7 footer that's unacceptable. Despite all this, I root for Spence mostly because I think I offended him on Instagram once. This is during the summer of 2012 after the Sixers signed Kwame Brown.
Tony Wroten- Tony Wroten can't shoot at all, but he's big, strong and good at getting to the basket. I'm also a big sneaker enthusiast and Tony brings some heat to the court.
Lavoy Allen- Like yours truly, Lavoy Allen is Temple made. So essentially, Lavoy can do no wrong. A little undersized and often passive, he's still a reliable backup big man and a hell of a representative for Temple University.
Darius Morris- All I knew of Morris prior to the season was that he saw some minutes for the Lakers the last few years and was a product of Michigan before Michigan was good again. But after discovering that he wears a plastic face mask, I immediately became a fan. I'm partial to these players most likely because at a basketball camp in sixth grade while signing my Pistons hat, Rip Hamilton said, "that's a nice hat cuz," and as you can imagine, 12 year old Ben was beyond thrilled.
Daniel Orton- I'm a huge fan of the NBA 2K games. For years my best friend Andy and I would do "fantasy drafts," where all the players in the league were up for grabs and in a draft format. This was fun because you still had to manage the salary cap, and worry about the future of your team. You can play through 15 to 20 seasons and continue to build your team. So this is why John Wall for example, was always drafted higher than players like Tim Duncan or Dirk Nowitzki. However, every draft, without fail, Daniel Orton was a 4th of 5h round pick. The game listed his potential as a "B+." So it became a running joke between Andy and I that Orton has mad potential and is for sure the next Shaq. Now that he's on the Sixers I sure hope he has that B+ potential.
Brandon Davies- Brandon Davies is famous for being the guy that got suspended from the BYU basketball team for having premarital sex with his girlfriend just before the 2011 NCAA tournament. I felt bad for Davies, and still do, so here's hoping the mighty Mormon can make a lasting impression in the NBA.
Arnett Moultrie- The first round pick from Mississippi State hasn't seen any action this year due to injury, but based on what he showed during the summer league I'm optimistic about his future. Moultrie, much like Wroten, is a big sneaker guy so I'm looking forward to him getting healthy and bringing some fresh material to the court.
Jason Richardson- J-Rich is out for the season with an injury. He's also very old. But that dude could dunk back in the day.
Nerlens Noel- Finally, we have Nerlens Noel. Coming off an ACL tear during his only year at Kentucky, Nerlens fell to 6 in the draft. Aside from making my Jrue Holiday t-shirt obsolete, I love Nerlens. His flat top, his energy, his flat top, his seemingly endless denfensive potential, his flat top, all positive signs for a rebuilding team. Oh, he's basically useless on offense, but I'm assuming his athleticism is still there when he returns. I see him at worst thriving as great pick and roll lob-catcher in the vain of Tyson Chandler. Here's to the anti-Spencer Hawes and his future with my beloved Sixers.
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