Where is Nerlens?

[Ericb5]

It was last week. He said Simmons is a 4 defensively and would probably only play 3 if Dario was the one playing the 4 for the most part. Two centers would be rare unless they were playing someone like Memphis.

Believe what you want guys Brett has been pretty consistent about this.

I know he said that about Simmons playing the 4. It was the other things that you said that I want to read/hear. I haven't heard him say that Okafor is only a 5. Where did he say that?

Also, where did he say that Embiid is a better prospect than the other guys, and Simmons is better than Saric?

He never said Okafor "isn't a 4-man". Happy? So as they said in Dumb and Dumber, "...so you're saying there is a chance". Fact is, he barely mentioned Okafor at all in his plans going forward.

I'm just trying to establish what Brown said. Sixerscan said that Brown said that Okafor was a 5. If that is true then there will have to be a trade because it shows that they won't even try him at the 4.

The other part, that I am realizing now he didn't mean to attribute to Brown, was that Brown said that Embiid was better than Okafor and Noel, and that Simmons was better than Saric. All three of those things would surprise me if Brown actually said them, but I think that Brown said none of them, and that Brown only said that Simmons was a 4.

So basically, what he posted was his conclusion, and not actually what Brown said. That was the part that confused me.

[Sixerscan]

He said he's not going to play 2 big guys together except in very specific circumstances, and that If Simmons is playing 3 it would most likely be because Dario is at the 4. If you don't think that's the same as saying that he thinks they are only centers fine but I'm not sure how that changes anything. He made it fairly clear that he doesn't consider playing Simmons Embiid and another center a real option that will get a lot of minutes.

Wasn't trying to say he said that Simmons and Embiid are better prospects than okafor or Noel, though that seems pretty uncontroversial...

[phifans]

Sometimes its nothing to do with how Brown thinks. We all agree that a frontline of Embiid-Saric-Simmons seems more balanced. And we also know Noel/Okafor would request a trade or leave for free once they realize their long term future here are to battle for a back-up position. You either try to figure them out on the court(by try them at different situation to find a best scenery for everyone to involve) or solve the mess with trade. Just don't waste any talent we've tanked few years for no matter you like it or not. And I won't care about what Brown said until he actually wins some games for us.

[Kirk Van Houten]

C's fan, not trying to troll, no trade offers to make. But my guess is they think Jah might still be moldable into a 4- his face the basket game is amazing, if he can add a little bit of a shot, and drill in defensive effort/agility, it's not an unreasonable bet. And he's health insurance. Simmons may have the flexibility to play the 3, the 4, and the 1. And Nerlens is the odd man out, but they're not getting trade offers they like, are going to wait and see if other teams' fortunes change, either with injuries or internal dynamics. If they don't, he's either a QO or an extension, to get his money and be traded later. Clearly in a holding pattern now, though. Other angle is to trade him for a future pick, or try to get another team's sleeper reserve.

You talk more sense than half this board. I think your assessment is spot on as well.


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[LloydFree]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

[Ericb5]

He said he's not going to play 2 big guys together except in very specific circumstances, and that If Simmons is playing 3 it would most likely be because Dario is at the 4. If you don't think that's the same as saying that he thinks they are only centers fine but I'm not sure how that changes anything. He made it fairly clear that he doesn't consider playing Simmons Embiid and another center a real option that will get a lot of minutes.

Wasn't trying to say he said that Simmons and Embiid are better prospects than okafor or Noel, though that seems pretty uncontroversial...

It's not controversial, but it would have been surprising to hear him say it.

The fact is that if he isn't going to play Okafor at the 4, then he will need to be traded, unless Embiid busts. Period. Okafor is not a backup player.


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[Mik317]

He said he's not going to play 2 big guys together except in very specific circumstances, and that If Simmons is playing 3 it would most likely be because Dario is at the 4. If you don't think that's the same as saying that he thinks they are only centers fine but I'm not sure how that changes anything. He made it fairly clear that he doesn't consider playing Simmons Embiid and another center a real option that will get a lot of minutes.

Wasn't trying to say he said that Simmons and Embiid are better prospects than okafor or Noel, though that seems pretty uncontroversial...

It's not controversial, but it would have been surprising to hear him say it.

The fact is that if he isn't going to play Okafor at the 4, then he will need to be traded, unless Embiid busts. Period. Okafor is not a backup player.


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No one wants to be a backup player....BUT I could see a guy with Jah's skillset actually work well as an off the bench quick offense guy. Jah would often start games with a quick 10 easy points (before our guard went stupid and he got tired)....that is a useful trait for a 6th man type guy...especially against backup bigs and the like. However, Jah probably wouldn't love that role longterm soooo its a moot point but yeah. A similar guy like Enes Kanter flourished in a similar role in OKC (of course he probably starts now that Ibaka is gone..and also whined to get trade from Utah for wanting a starting role...sooooo).

As it stands (and with NO improvements, which hopefully isn't the case), I think Jah's offense only game is in fact exactly what you'd like out a bench guy actually.

again he (and his dad lol) won't stand for that so it is a moot point....however Jah is here for 3 years whether he likes it or not...and Embiid still can't be trusted.

[Ericb5]

He said he's not going to play 2 big guys together except in very specific circumstances, and that If Simmons is playing 3 it would most likely be because Dario is at the 4. If you don't think that's the same as saying that he thinks they are only centers fine but I'm not sure how that changes anything. He made it fairly clear that he doesn't consider playing Simmons Embiid and another center a real option that will get a lot of minutes.

Wasn't trying to say he said that Simmons and Embiid are better prospects than okafor or Noel, though that seems pretty uncontroversial...

It's not controversial, but it would have been surprising to hear him say it.

The fact is that if he isn't going to play Okafor at the 4, then he will need to be traded, unless Embiid busts. Period. Okafor is not a backup player.


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No one wants to be a backup player....BUT I could see a guy with Jah's skillset actually work well as an off the bench quick offense guy. Jah would often start games with a quick 10 easy points (before our guard went stupid and he got tired)....that is a useful trait for a 6th man type guy...especially against backup bigs and the like. However, Jah probably wouldn't love that role longterm soooo its a moot point but yeah. A similar guy like Enes Kanter flourished in a similar role in OKC (of course he probably starts now that Ibaka is gone..and also whined to get trade from Utah for wanting a starting role...sooooo).

As it stands (and with NO improvements, which hopefully isn't the case), I think Jah's offense only game is in fact exactly what you'd like out a bench guy actually.

again he (and his dad lol) won't stand for that so it is a moot point....however Jah is here for 3 years whether he likes it or not...and Embiid still can't be trusted.

Well let me revise what I said. He may not start, but he would have to back up the 4 and 5. He can't just back up one position is what I meant. He needs to play 30 mpg at least.

So if he can only play the 5 then he has no future here. Hey, that may be the case in the end, but I want them to make a concerted effort to play him at the 4 this year and see what happens. Unless we are stunting Simmons by making him defend the 3 too much that is.


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[eagereyez]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

I wonder if Hinkie thought that Okafor would be able to co-exist with Noel, or if he thought of him as trade bait. Regardless, his little experiment just killed Noel's value. Now people actually think that guys like Adams/Biyombo/Dieng are better centers than Noel. And by adding Simmons/Saric/Embiid to the front court, there's even less minutes for Noel to prove himself. Man, I'd be pretty pissed right now if I was him. No wonder he's showing signs of wanting out.

[Easymoney]

Okafor has been involved in far more trade rumors than Noel and is treated like garbage by a very vocal portion of our fanbase, yet he is still reppin' the team at every opportunity.

Jah has the mentality of a winner and that's why I believe he'll prove a lot of people wrong this year. Even if we do have to trade him because of Embiid, I have no doubt it will be for great value.

[76ciology]

Looks like both Nerlens and Jah aren't at the opening, but I saw Jah but no Noel at the team's video about the practice facility. Jah may still be dealing with his ankle but I think Nerlens is healthy. Probably just busy with Todd Wright at the beach doing push ups.

[76ciology]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

Agree with cutting with your losses early.

The difference is some here, like me, thinks it's too early to cut your loss with a talented player with physical tools that did well or atleast wasn't bad on individual standpoint (individual scoring/defense/rim protection) like Jah after just 50+ games of playing with a horrible team. Like BC said, if we are offered with something good then we'll do the deal but we won't be on a losing end of a deal just to clear a problem and be presented on a new one (deduction in total assets/talent).

We need to chill on making final/close decisions and favor rooting for them to succeed until a larger and more credible size of data tells us that X player is a lost cause in terms of player development or fit.

[LloydFree]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

I wonder if Hinkie thought that Okafor would be able to co-exist with Noel, or if he thought of him as trade bait. Regardless, his little experiment just killed Noel's value. Now people actually think that guys like Adams/Biyombo/Dieng are better centers than Noel. And by adding Simmons/Saric/Embiid to the front court, there's even less minutes for Noel to prove himself. Man, I'd be pretty pissed right now if I was him. No wonder he's showing signs of wanting out.

I don't think Hinkie drafted Okafor with any thought he could coexist with Noel or that he planned on Okafor being a long-term piece. I think one of three things happened:

1. After the Lakers selected his #1 guy (Russell) Management wouldn't allow him to select his #2 guy (Porzingis) because that would have been too much for the fanbase to take, after seeing them select a hurt Embiid and a "no-show" Saric, the previous year. Rather than being ridiculed for picking another "project", they forced him to take the commonly known, "name" player so the casual fans could celebrate something and see something tangible.

2. Hinkie got caught with his pants down, when the Lakers selected Russell and wrongly figured Okafor was the best "asset" left on the board and he would be able to trade him for a mint, eventually.

3. Hinkie and/or Ownership couldn't bear to take the ridicule from allowing the Knicks to get who they wanted at #4 while not getting enough from the Knicks in a trade-back. (Remember the Knicks didn't have any picks or young personnel, to trade-up).

I tend to believe there was a little bit of all three that motivated him to pick Okafor, but more of #1. Ownership wouldn't let him hurt the team's "brand" for a 2nd straight draft.

[eagereyez]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

I wonder if Hinkie thought that Okafor would be able to co-exist with Noel, or if he thought of him as trade bait. Regardless, his little experiment just killed Noel's value. Now people actually think that guys like Adams/Biyombo/Dieng are better centers than Noel. And by adding Simmons/Saric/Embiid to the front court, there's even less minutes for Noel to prove himself. Man, I'd be pretty pissed right now if I was him. No wonder he's showing signs of wanting out.

I don't think Hinkie drafted Okafor with any thought he could coexist with Noel or that he planned on Okafor being a long-term piece. I think one of three things happened:

1. After the Lakers selected his #1 guy (Russell) Management wouldn't allow him to select his #2 guy (Porzingis) because that would have been too much for the fanbase to take, after seeing them select a hurt Embiid and a "no-show" Saric, the previous year. Rather than being ridiculed for picking another "project", they forced him to take the commonly known, "name" player so the casual fans could celebrate something and see something tangible.

2. Hinkie got caught with his pants down, when the Lakers selected Russell and wrongly figured Okafor was the best "asset" left on the board and he would be able to trade him for a mint, eventually.

3. Hinkie and/or Ownership couldn't bear to take the ridicule from allowing the Knicks to get who they wanted at #4 while not getting enough from the Knicks in a trade-back. (Remember the Knicks didn't have any picks or young personnel, to trade-up).

Apparently Rob Hennigan, the Orlando GM, was infatuated with Porzingis. He wanted Porzingis to declare the year before. A deal probably could have been made with the Magic. Oh well, it's all in the past now.

[Andrew McCeltic]

C's fan, not trying to troll, no trade offers to make. But my guess is they think Jah might still be moldable into a 4- his face the basket game is amazing, if he can add a little bit of a shot, and drill in defensive effort/agility, it's not an unreasonable bet. And he's health insurance. Simmons may have the flexibility to play the 3, the 4, and the 1. And Nerlens is the odd man out, but they're not getting trade offers they like, are going to wait and see if other teams' fortunes change, either with injuries or internal dynamics. If they don't, he's either a QO or an extension, to get his money and be traded later. Clearly in a holding pattern now, though. Other angle is to trade him for a future pick, or try to get another team's sleeper reserve.

You talk more sense than half this board. I think your assessment is spot on as well.


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Thanks.. I mean it's just how these things tend to go. Probably the safest move is to try to trade him now the way Boston did Rondo, looking for a Crowder-esque sleeper. But that's a perfect example, we had an IT/Mclemore/3 1sts offer that didn't pan out (Rondo didn't want to go to Sacramento), ended up with a less appealing deal. Or we were talking Pierce to Brooklyn for an unprotected lotto pick (that went to Portland for Wallace, who drafted Damian Lillard), and when that evaporated, the next best offer was for a late 1st from Cleveland. Eventually the KG/Pierce deal came out of nowhere. But it's very tough to predict, and that's pretty much all luck/circumstance.

[Unbreakable99]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

I wonder if Hinkie thought that Okafor would be able to co-exist with Noel, or if he thought of him as trade bait. Regardless, his little experiment just killed Noel's value. Now people actually think that guys like Adams/Biyombo/Dieng are better centers than Noel. And by adding Simmons/Saric/Embiid to the front court, there's even less minutes for Noel to prove himself. Man, I'd be pretty pissed right now if I was him. No wonder he's showing signs of wanting out.

I'm tired of people saying Noel's value is killed. Says who? Do you know how many teams would want a guy like Noel? His value is good. Teams know how valuable he is.

[Unbreakable99]

It's not controversial, but it would have been surprising to hear him say it.

The fact is that if he isn't going to play Okafor at the 4, then he will need to be traded, unless Embiid busts. Period. Okafor is not a backup player.


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No one wants to be a backup player....BUT I could see a guy with Jah's skillset actually work well as an off the bench quick offense guy. Jah would often start games with a quick 10 easy points (before our guard went stupid and he got tired)....that is a useful trait for a 6th man type guy...especially against backup bigs and the like. However, Jah probably wouldn't love that role longterm soooo its a moot point but yeah. A similar guy like Enes Kanter flourished in a similar role in OKC (of course he probably starts now that Ibaka is gone..and also whined to get trade from Utah for wanting a starting role...sooooo).

As it stands (and with NO improvements, which hopefully isn't the case), I think Jah's offense only game is in fact exactly what you'd like out a bench guy actually.

again he (and his dad lol) won't stand for that so it is a moot point....however Jah is here for 3 years whether he likes it or not...and Embiid still can't be trusted.

Well let me revise what I said. He may not start, but he would have to back up the 4 and 5. He can't just back up one position is what I meant. He needs to play 30 mpg at least.

So if he can only play the 5 then he has no future here. Hey, that may be the case in the end, but I want them to make a concerted effort to play him at the 4 this year and see what happens. Unless we are stunting Simmons by making him defend the 3 too much that is.


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Why does Okafor have to play 30 minutes? He should be used like Kanter. Maybe some nights he plays 30 minutes but other nights he plays 15-20. He will come off the bench and I think he could be effective doing that. I would be lying if I said I don't wonder how he will play with Simmons and see if he gets easier looks though. He just doesn't warrant starting at this point though. If he improves and becomes an effective player and maybe works well with Simmons then maybe he could start but I doubt it. If Embiid is healthy he's not starting.

[eagereyez]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

I wonder if Hinkie thought that Okafor would be able to co-exist with Noel, or if he thought of him as trade bait. Regardless, his little experiment just killed Noel's value. Now people actually think that guys like Adams/Biyombo/Dieng are better centers than Noel. And by adding Simmons/Saric/Embiid to the front court, there's even less minutes for Noel to prove himself. Man, I'd be pretty pissed right now if I was him. No wonder he's showing signs of wanting out.

I'm tired of people saying Noel's value is killed. Says who? Do you know how many teams would want a guy like Noel? His value is good. Teams know how valuable he is.

His cumulative defensive stats were objectively worse than his rookie season. Overall he was only marginally better in his second year. That has a negative affect on his trade value. Maybe 'killed' is too strong of a word, but it's definitely lowered.

[Andrew McCeltic]

Reputation is fickle, Biyombo was a sleeper in Charlotte for years, they had no patience with him. He's still limited offensively, but his per-minute defense and rebounding stats were outstanding even as a 21 year old Bobcat/Hornet who barely spoke English. He'll be 'overpaid' in a year and a half if he struggles in Orlando.

Noel's defensive stats declined, some of that's him, some of that's context. No one's biting on trades because they're waiting for Colangelo to lower his asking price, and because Noel will be a restricted free agent in a year. He's above Biyombo and Dieng, Adams is pretty good and gradually improving. But Nerlens is also still an 'upside' guy.

Houston seems like a team who would have interest, but doesn't have much to offer. Maybe the Lakers (Clarkson?) or Toronto.

I think, and hope, Boston would still trade for him, or for Jah, but I think we're trying to keep cap space open, are worried about offense with Noel, defense/rebounding with Okafor, and whatever cap hold Nerlens would have next summer (even if we wait to re-up him, his hold will be 10 million-ish).

But I'm ready for Boston to do something, too, Horford was a nice pick-up but things feel kind of stagnant. I'd trade Smart or Rozier for Okafor, treat him as a project, and try to get a rebounder like Faried from Denver. Like Avery Bradley/filler for Faried/Gary Harris.

I feel like right now teams are all waiting for someone else to blink- if Rudy Gay gets traded soon, that could get the market moving.

The other factor that's unfair is how losing taints perceptions of player value. If Okafor or Noel had the same stats, strengths and flaws playing a minor role on a contender like Harrison Barnes did, they'd be just as sought after.

[LloydFree]

Regarding the position that we shouldn't waste these "great talents we've drafted": Teams make mistakes in drafts. Only teams like the 80's Bulls and the recent Thunder teams, hit on 3-4 drafts in a row. The 76ers tanked 3 years: They got 2 future stars (Embiid and Simmons). Mission accomplished.

Expecting to draft three straight stars is unreasonable. The 76ers blew the 2015 draft. Pure and simple. We'll just have to hope the 2014 and 2016 draft makes up for that. Worrying about the "tanked" 2014/15 season, being for nothing, is wasted energy. I'm not worried about getting a perceived "50¢ on the dollar" for these back-ups. Whatever they get will likely be just as useful to the team as what they trade away.

Agree with cutting with your losses early.

The difference is some here, like me, thinks it's too early to cut your loss with a talented player with physical tools that did well or atleast wasn't bad on individual standpoint (individual scoring/defense/rim protection) like Jah after just 50+ games of playing with a horrible team. Like BC said, if we are offered with something good then we'll do the deal but we won't be on a losing end of a deal just to clear a problem and be presented on a new one (deduction in total assets/talent).

We need to chill on making final/close decisions and favor rooting for them to succeed until a larger and more credible size of data tells us that X player is a lost cause in terms of player development or fit.

By what measure did Okafor play well?

Per game rank among all NBA Centers:

FG% : 29th
Rebs: 28th
Blks: 22nd
Ast: 26th
Stls: 41st
FT%: 27th

Advanced Stats:

Oh never mind... because advanced stats, when applied to Okafor, are nothing but voodoo, that don't take in account that he was "only 19" and played with "historically bad teammates."