Winter is Here: Welcome Dario Saric

[tk76]

And so the legend begins.

[Negrodamus]

It's going to be so much fun having two guys that love to whip the ball around. As long as they are smart with their passes, this offense could be looking pretty great by next season.

[marcush]

Will be a great test for Brown also. If we are getting nothing from off the ball screens and cuts then it's largely on him. This team can now be "coached" offensively.....

[Eyeamok]

I'm glad he's here...looks like a quality player...but he's not the freakin messiah.....The only reason you guys are over reacting is because Master Scam drafted him.

I knew it was just a matter of time before Sam crossed your lips. You just can't help yourself.

Perhaps fans are excited because it is another quality player to add to the team. A player that has matured over the last few years who could come in and make an instant impact. Just maybe that's the reason.

You really need to let go of your obsession with Sam and come join the rest of the fans united supporting a team going forward. Put aside the bickering about Sam.....unless that is what defines you as a fan. If so carry on.

I never want to talk about Hinkie ever again....but I get annoyed seeing the numerous posts on these threads constantly praising him...and how he should still be here....and how he's not going to get the credit....etc...

Yep you defined yourself.

[NYSixersFan]

I knew it was just a matter of time before Sam crossed your lips. You just can't help yourself.

Perhaps fans are excited because it is another quality player to add to the team. A player that has matured over the last few years who could come in and make an instant impact. Just maybe that's the reason.

You really need to let go of your obsession with Sam and come join the rest of the fans united supporting a team going forward. Put aside the bickering about Sam.....unless that is what defines you as a fan. If so carry on.

I never want to talk about Hinkie ever again....but I get annoyed seeing the numerous posts on these threads constantly praising him...and how he should still be here....and how he's not going to get the credit....etc...

Yep you defined yourself.

As a die hard Sixers fan and a brilliant basketball mind...thank you!

[tk76]

(from the twitterverse)

[76ciology]

Will never happen. Won't be able to guard 1's or 2's. Defense is half the game.

Agree. But there are handful of good SGs with negative RPM like Klay, Harden or Wesley Matthews. And aside from Harden, seems like most of star wings are SFs like George, Kawhi, KD& LBJ. While most SGs are non-elite scorers and mere 3&D complimentary scorers.

Between guarding LBJ&KD at SF and disappointing you guys that he won't be able to protect the rim at PF, I'd probably take the lesser evil and have him guard SGs. Well, unless you are not confident with his mobility.

You are the one who constantly posts about rim protection at the 4, don't lump everyone else in. Sure, rim protection is great at any position but its only mandatory at C. So much of guarding PFs these days is about how you handle the perimeter, can you switch.

How do you expect him to be able to chase SGs around screens off the ball? It just wouldn't work and you don't need to actually see things fail before you make the call on things like that.

I suspect the theory to play him at SG is more geared around getting Jah minutes at PF.....

He's too slow guarding SF.

How did he do guarding Giannis and Gallinari last week?

This.

Is guarding Giannis and gallinari much difficult than guarding Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, Jr Smith, Cj Mcculom or Reddick?

[mrfantast1c]

Agree. But there are handful of good SGs with negative RPM like Klay, Harden or Wesley Matthews. And aside from Harden, seems like most of star wings are SFs like George, Kawhi, KD& LBJ. While most SGs are non-elite scorers and mere 3&D complimentary scorers.

Between guarding LBJ&KD at SF and disappointing you guys that he won't be able to protect the rim at PF, I'd probably take the lesser evil and have him guard SGs. Well, unless you are not confident with his mobility.

You are the one who constantly posts about rim protection at the 4, don't lump everyone else in. Sure, rim protection is great at any position but its only mandatory at C. So much of guarding PFs these days is about how you handle the perimeter, can you switch.

How do you expect him to be able to chase SGs around screens off the ball? It just wouldn't work and you don't need to actually see things fail before you make the call on things like that.

I suspect the theory to play him at SG is more geared around getting Jah minutes at PF.....

How did he do guarding Giannis and Gallinari last week?

This.

Is guarding Giannis and gallinari much difficult than guarding Devin Booker, Khris Middleton, Jr Smith, Cj Mcculom or Reddick?

Yes it is much different, I couldn't imagine saric trying to chase those guys off ball around screens. It would be a disaster. He's definitely a 4 defensively, maybe a 3 occasionally defensively. But he is definitely not a perimeter defender for long stretches of the game. Just wouldn't make sense to put him in that situation. Simmons can play the 3/4 defensively, saric can play the 4/3 defensively.

[Johnny Firpo]

Saric made tremendous strides on defense in the last two years. He will be a net positive defender at either of the 3/4 spots. His positional defense is excellent. Shot blocking is overrated at the 3/4 positions, it's not really a determining factor, more like a nice plus. Positional defense is much more important, and Saric made virtually unprecedented improvements there. I mean, I certainly don't remember a European player improving that much on defense in such a short span. The same is true about his shot. Going from average to achieving the 50/40/90 against Euroleague competition. He got close in the Turkish League too, playing over 30 games, scoring on 48/41/82 efficiency. That's a combination of around 60 games, on close to 60%TS I imagine. The kid is vastly improved as a scorer, shooter.

[Johnny Firpo]

I like Saric (and European players, coming from Europe myself) but it's a different talent level and very different expectations.

Compared to the NBA, the average talent level is obviously lower, but it's vastly better competition than the NCAA. You should have high expectations towards Saric, because he is a great all-around talent, with elite skills, and he will be playing in an era tailor-made for his abilities.

[deep6er]

I hate to even put this here, but it is relevant. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20160715_Cooney__Early_reviews_of_Saric_are_mixed.html

I sometimes think that Bob Cooney is actually 1,000 monkeys at 1,000 typewriters and occasionally by sheer luck they string together a couple paragraphs that have the names of Sixers players in them and the Daily News runs it without any editorial review. Just read his lede and then laugh about how this man has a job writing about sports.

[Kirk Van Houten]

I love the comment "what about when he has to guard players like LBJ & KD " It's called team defense. Even the best defenders (leonard / draymond) get there ass handed to them by those guys.

[JoeyOtis]

I'm glad he's here...looks like a quality player...but he's not the freakin messiah.....The only reason you guys are over reacting is because Master Scam drafted him.

You need to update your knowledge on him, as a prospect, he's objectively as exciting as Simmons or Embiid. And I'm not a Sixers fan. I guess you are one of those fans who hate/don't trust Euro players.

Nah, that's not it. Howard Eskin just hates Hinkie and everyone he's drafted.

Eskin was already talking junk on Simmons the other night on the news, complaining about him not hitting jumpers. He's one of the biggest clowns in the media, he probably hasn't watched a minute of Simmons playing.

[Saric]

He will need time to adjust, no doubt about that. Good thing with Dario is that he can play whatever role coach want from him. I expect much struggle in first year or two, specially with shoot and defense, but he is hard working guy, hustler and just great, high IQ basketball player, and I am sure that one day he will be very good NBA player.

[Saric]

And yes, he is modern power forward, and that should be he's position. I think that he can coexist with Simmons.

[NYSixersFan]

Seems to me like Saric is a cross between Luis Scola and Kukoc

[LloydFree]

I hate to even put this here, but it is relevant. http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/sixers/20160715_Cooney__Early_reviews_of_Saric_are_mixed.html

I sometimes think that Bob Cooney is actually 1,000 monkeys at 1,000 typewriters and occasionally by sheer luck they string together a couple paragraphs that have the names of Sixers players in them and the Daily News runs it without any editorial review. Just read his lede and then laugh about how this man has a job writing about sports.

His comparison of the hype surrounding Saric being similar to the hype for Eric Lindross is absurd, but some of the questions about Saric's ability is real. It's hard to project Saric, because he is so slow. We don't know which parts of his game will translate.

[76ciology]

Looking back, how much of a robbery is that Payton-Saric deal? Much more the Noel-Holiday deal.

One thing not mentioned was the involved protected pick we got back from the Magic.

It's top 11 protected this year and top 8 protected this year, which I think is something that would be valuable next year, since I don't see us having a bottom 8 record in the league in 2018.

[Negrodamus]

I'm glad he's here...looks like a quality player...but he's not the freakin messiah.....The only reason you guys are over reacting is because Master Scam drafted him.

I knew it was just a matter of time before Sam crossed your lips. You just can't help yourself.

Perhaps fans are excited because it is another quality player to add to the team. A player that has matured over the last few years who could come in and make an instant impact. Just maybe that's the reason.

You really need to let go of your obsession with Sam and come join the rest of the fans united supporting a team going forward. Put aside the bickering about Sam.....unless that is what defines you as a fan. If so carry on.

I never want to talk about Hinkie ever again....but I get annoyed seeing the numerous posts on these threads constantly praising him...and how he should still be here....and how he's not going to get the credit....etc...

I'm so happy to read this. It bothers you to see Hinkie be vindicated by the process working out. I don't know, it kinda makes me want to talk about him waaaay more.

[WVU]

If it weren't for Sam Hinkie and his genius, none of this would have been possible