Philadelphia 76ers Still Can’t Buy A Win And It Won’t Get Easier
By Cody Daniel
We’re now are seven games into Tank 2.0 for the Philadelphia 76ers and just as expected, Philly still has a goose egg right where the win total on their record should be. And if you think brighter days are on the horizon, just go ahead and toss your penny into a well and start wishing.
Yes, the reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams is set to return in the Sixers’ next game on Thursday against the Dallas Mavericks, but that meeting begins the Texas Triangle for Philadelphia as they will follow the Dallas visit up with trips to Houston and San Antonio. Outside of a mini-miracle, the Sixers will likely return home with a repulsive 0-10 record.
But that’s all perfectly fine coming from a team that was built to lose. Sam Hinkie sees ping pong balls in his sleep every time his Sixers fail to outscore their opponents and based on his current strategy with the franchise, it’s safe to assume he wakes up with that famous grin every morning.
But on the other side of the organization with the players and head coach Brett Brown, things are much gloomier and it’s actually a very real possibility that the Sixers enter the new year with no more than two or three wins and too many losses to count.
Of course, there are both positives and negatives that come the whole scenario of tanking. On the bright side, the ultimate prize could come next June in the form of Stanley Johnson or Emmanuel Mudiay. Then guys like Tony Wroten, Nerlens Noel, Brandon Davies (yes, I said Brandon Davies), and K.J. McDaniels will all be getting very valuable experience, which will be crucial when the Sixers should actually look to start racking up wins in a season or two.
Additionally, those who have followed the Sixers closely know it will be good news when guys who probably shouldn’t even be on an NBA roster like JaKarr Sampson and Chris Johnson aren’t seeing minutes in bulk anymore.
But unfortunately, those are all silver linings to be anticipated and the Sam Hinkie tank is driving right through the middle of a storm of a season, which could bring along plenty of negative side affects if what will become of one worst teams in NBA history is managed correctly.
The primary issue will be not letting such a youthful and inexperienced roster fall into losing habits and grow accustomed to being terrible. Thus far, outside of the Toronto loss, the Sixers have been extremely competitive and despite failing to steal a single victory yet, the team seems to be having fun and staying positive. But how will coach Brown manage to keep their heads held high when they have a record of about 3-22 and are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak?
It could spiral out of control even further to future seasons, but I’ll stay away from all that speculation as long as these guys continue to play like their jobs depend on it every night. And with that in mind, that’s pretty much the only way Philly will accrue more wins than Milwaukee’s total of 15 from last season.
Once there’s a healthy MCW and Noel to add to the efforts of McDaniels, Wroten and Davies, the Sixers might actually start becoming a bit more respectable. But by respectable, I mean not losing 10-straight consistently, although, with the depth and talent throughout this roster, things aren’t going to get much easier until the joy of the 2015 NBA Draft.