Recent moves provide clarity about an end game
PHILADELPHIA >> There were trades. There were injury updates. Opportunity and salary cap space were created. There was a win, a loss, and a lengthy organizational tellall from the team president.
When it all settled at the end of a long, trade deadline weekend, there was this from the 76ers: An end game.
Not that there weren’t years of hints about the Sixers’ ultimate plan, but until the moves of the past week, both active and passive, were laced into context, it was never as clear. They are going to end this process, which is into its fourth year and about that many marketing slogans, with an undeniable template.
Understanding the long-forwarded theory that it takes not one, not two, but three high-level stars to ever win an NBA championship, Bryan Colangelo has tailored his roster and his plan to allow Joel Embiid, Dario Saric and Ben Simmons to be those players. And even if it is not breaking news that the Sixers had massive plans for that young foundation — one was drafted with the No. 1 overall pick in a draft, another at No. 3 — the team president’s moves, words and expiring patience only boldfaced that agenda.
“It’s about getting these young players ready and getting ready for the stretch when we really take off,” Colangelo said. “We are moving forward in a lot of positive ways.”
That’s his story, and it had a familiar echo, not dissimilar to the wail of the previous general manager. But, Colangelo’s recent maneuvers, if examined closely, offered not just a vague plan, but the bracket on which a championship banner, if there is to be one, will hang. In order:
He traded Nerlens Noel and hinted strongly that Jahlil Okafor will be available in trade again in the offseason. That was their muffled all-clear signal on Embiid. The Sixers believe — they are not just saying, but they truly believe — that Embiid, ever tormented by injury, will be an enduring NBA force.
That was not true when they drafted Okafor, despite insisting it was not as an insurance policy against further Embiid brittleness. They had doubts. But Embiid’s early-season excellence, which made him a strong All-Star Game candidate, was convincing enough to the Sixers that they felt comfortable unclogging their depth chart at center.
That the Sixers continue to trust their sports scientists, and thus limit Embiid’s playing time to the point where they recognized that it has compromised the perception of their truthfulness, is a signal that they expect Embiid to be a full-time force next season.
He essentially gave away Ersan Ilyasova, making those stretch-four minutes available to Saric, who is about to nose to the front of the Rookie of the Year race.
In itself, it was a minor move, even with Ilyasova having provided nice shooting and length to an improving team while being a valuable mentor to the younger Saric. He was on an expiring contract and would have wanted some longer-term security. If Saric had not proven to be as good, and probably much better, than the Sixers had expected, an extended commitment to Ilyasova would have made sense.
Saric, 22, is not just a good player; he is likely to be a great one, able to rebound, pass, defend, finish, run and rarely exhibit fatigue.
“The play of Dario Saric and the importance that he is going to have in the future of this team,” Colangelo said, “enabled us to make that move and apply a lot of those minutes to our young, developing players like Dario and others.”
He officially mothballed Simmons, giving the rookie’s surgically repaired foot additional opportunities for therapy. Theoretically, that will make Simmons ready for the kind of season in 2017-2018 that the Sixers envisioned for this season.
“It would have been ideal to see how he would have fit with Joel and other things,” Colangelo said. “But he is the kind of player, if you put him on the court, he is going to play and make players better. And we feel that we are going to continue to make choices as we continue to build this roster.”
One move, then another, then another, then clarity.
The Sixers may not be right, that Embiid, Saric and Simmons will provide the necessary threepointed star to yield a championship. But, Embiid has Hall of Fame ability. Saric has the skills to be an All-Star Game regular. Even if Simmons, as some observers warn, is more likely to be a third star on a good team but never the superstar that his hype suggests, it does make for a firm foundation for basketball excellence.
“We’re going to do this with measured steps,” Colangelo said. “We don’t want to race out and do something to put ourselves in a position to lose the opportunity we have right in front of us. I think the opportunity is enormous, and I think that if we handle this the right way, we’re going to be very happy, and I think the fans will be very happy.”
Finally, that might be as simple as one, two, three.