Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Saric hoping to welcome back ‘mentor’ Ilyasova
WASHINGTON » With reports bubbling that Ersan Ilyasova is headed back to the 76ers, Dario Saric Sunday was ready to be the first to celebrate.
“That would really be a fantastic story for him and for us,” Saric said, before a 109-94 loss to the Washington Wizards, “to bring him back.”
Chances are strong Ilyasova, 30, a veteran stretchfour, will join the Sixers as early as next week. Multiple reports say that the Atlanta Hawks are working to buy Ilyasova out of the rest of his $6 million, one-year contract, allowing him to become a free agent and join a contending team.
The Sixers would be a nice fit for Ilyasova … and vice-versa. For weeks, Brett Brown has been saying that, come the postseason, the true contenders must be deep in bench scoring. The Sixers addressed that recently by acquiring shooter Marco Belinelli. They apparently are ready to add Ilyasova, too.
Ilyasova played 53 games and averaged 14.8 points for the Sixers last season before moving to Atlanta in a trade-deadline salaryshuffle that returned the since-departed Tiago Splitter. Ilyasova signed with the Hawks for this season, but has averaged just 10.9 points in 46 games. He has shot 35.9 percent from three-point distance.
Beyond his value as a 6-foot-10 distance shooter, Ilyasova provided valuable guidance to then-rookie Saric last season. Saric previously had played professionally in Turkey, Ilyasova’s native country.
“He was a nice person,” Saric said. “He was my mentor, if I could say it like that. Last year, he was in front of me and he was supporting me all the time. He always explained to me it is hard to play in the league, how I need to sacrifice, how I need to play, how I need to move in the game because we play a similar game.”
Last season, Ilyasova was vital in helping Saric adjust to being a bench player. This time, with Saric having surfaced as a reliable starting four-man, the roles will be reversed.
“Now there is the rumor that he is coming back for the end of the season,” Saric said. “I am happy for him. And I am happy for us that we might bring him back.”
Ilyasova enjoyed his brief time with the Sixers and was disappointed to leave last season. He would have multiple offers to join other contenders, but all signals point to his return to Philadelphia.
Players must be signed before March 1 to be eligible to play for a team in the postseason.
To accommodate Ilyasova, the Sixers would need to shed a player. Trevor Booker, a power forward without Ilyasova’s shooting range, would be the logical choice. Booker was the Sixers’ haul in the deal with the Nets for Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2015 draft.
*** The Sixers had a sevengame winning streak snapped … and at a tough time. They play Tuesday in Miami and Thursday in Cleveland.
“All coaches, we have the tendency to inflate games,” Brown said. “Importance? They all seem to add up to me.”
With the Bucks, Cavs and Pistons all losing before they played Sunday, the Sixers wasted a chance to continue to strengthen their Eastern Conference status.
“I want them to understand the pieces that will end up adding up,” Brown said before the game. “When we go to Miami, we will have the same conversation. And then Cleveland. This is good. We are playing NBA royalty now. They are all in the playoffs. That is something we get excited to test ourselves against.”
Ben Simmons, for one, was able to suppress the excitement.
“Same as before,” he said, when alerted that things seemed to break the Sixers’ way earlier Sunday. “I can’t control what other teams do. I can control what I can.
“We have to look at every game the same way, that you have to win every game. I think we do that.”
*** NOTES » After not playing in a victory over Orlando Saturday, when Brown decided to dust off Richaun Holmes, Amir Johnson was back in the rotation Sunday. He played 11:51 and provided five points. … The Sixers have lost their last eight and 21 of their last 27 in Washington. … Joel Embiid, working on back-to-back nights, logged 31:46, collecting 25 points and 10 rebounds. … Down 83-60 in the third quarter, the Sixers did close within 97-89 on consecutive Saric three-pointers with 5:46 left. Brown: “The Wizards deserve credit. They made shots at the end of shot clocks five or six times. We had a spirit on defense that allowed us to take 23 points and bring it back to eight.”