This article is part of our NBA Waiver Wire series.
The Philadelphia 76ers announced this week that Jerry Colangelo - the former owner of the Phoenix Suns and driving force behind USA Basketball - would join their front office as some sort of advisor to the owner/power behind the throne role. A day later, CBS' Ken Berger confirmed what many suspected; that Sam Hinkie had been replaced as general manager in every meaningful way.
RIP, #trusttheprocess, 2012-2015
Like every other human with a more-than-passing interest in the NBA, I've got plenty of opinions on Hinkie's run in Philly, but this isn't the time for a pro or anti-tanking hot take. I'm far more concerned with any moves Colangelo might make between now and the February trade deadline, and how we might take advantage.
The most obvious flaw in Philly's roster as presently constructed is the bias towards frontcourt players. Hinkie clearly followed a "best available player" philosophy when drafting - a sound strategy when rebuilding. But that left him with three four/five types - Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid - and another three/four in Dario Saric. That's already created some positional conflict. Noel and Okafor don't really fit in the same frontcourt; Noel is probably best off diving to the basket as a pick-and-roll finisher, which is hard to do when there's a person the size of his Dookie teammate occupying space on the low block. Embiid - assuming he's ever able to play - complicates matters even further.
Now, if Philly ownership had put me
The Philadelphia 76ers announced this week that Jerry Colangelo - the former owner of the Phoenix Suns and driving force behind USA Basketball - would join their front office as some sort of advisor to the owner/power behind the throne role. A day later, CBS' Ken Berger confirmed what many suspected; that Sam Hinkie had been replaced as general manager in every meaningful way.
RIP, #trusttheprocess, 2012-2015
Like every other human with a more-than-passing interest in the NBA, I've got plenty of opinions on Hinkie's run in Philly, but this isn't the time for a pro or anti-tanking hot take. I'm far more concerned with any moves Colangelo might make between now and the February trade deadline, and how we might take advantage.
The most obvious flaw in Philly's roster as presently constructed is the bias towards frontcourt players. Hinkie clearly followed a "best available player" philosophy when drafting - a sound strategy when rebuilding. But that left him with three four/five types - Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor and Joel Embiid - and another three/four in Dario Saric. That's already created some positional conflict. Noel and Okafor don't really fit in the same frontcourt; Noel is probably best off diving to the basket as a pick-and-roll finisher, which is hard to do when there's a person the size of his Dookie teammate occupying space on the low block. Embiid - assuming he's ever able to play - complicates matters even further.
Now, if Philly ownership had put me in charge, I'd be shopping Noel. His profile is actually similar to that of another promising youngster Philly traded away - Michael Carter-Williams - in that he's generally well-regarded around the league, but starting to show some warts. A lot of the criticism directed Noel's way recently - that he hasn't been as active on defense, that he's reaching instead of moving his feet - are probably related to the general crappiness of that franchise.
I'd be looking for a guard or a wing scorer, but I wouldn't say no to even yet still more draft picks.
It is far too soon to give up on Okafor, despite his recent legal troubles. And as I've mentioned in this space before, improved play from the Sixers' guards could give Okafor's production a significant boost.
(An aside to Josh Harris - I would have taken the job for a lot less than you're paying Colangelo. Just, y'know, for future reference.)
Charlie's Generic Team Update
Timing is everything, and last week, my timing was poor. I picked up D'Angelo Russell right before Byron Scott decided to limit his - and Julius Randle's - playing time. I grabbed DeMarre Carroll right before he got hurt. And I gambled that Markieff Morris would start playing like himself again.
Ouchie.
This week I'm making some more aggressive moves. I'm giving up on Morris and cutting ties with Derrick Rose (it's not you, Derrick, it's me), in favor of Kelly Olynyk and Devin Booker.
Picks for the Week
As always, we're shooting for a cross-section of players who will be available for the taking in both shallow and deep talent pools. Percent-owned stats are based on a default Yahoo League with roto scoring; your mileage may vary. If you have a question about a specific player feel free to hit me up in the comments or on Twitter @charliezegers.
Kelly Olynyk (12 percent) - Yes, Boston has too many options in the frontcourt. But Olynyk has been very effective, even at around 20 minutes per game. I'm hoping his improving all-around play will inspire Brad Stevens to adjust his rotation a bit, which is why I'm adding Olynyk to replace a gimpy Markieff Morris.
Jon Leuer (26 percent) and Alex Len (38 percent) - The injuries to Tyson Chandler and Morris may really help the Suns in the long term, as both Len and Leuer have really stepped up in the last week. Leuer's play may make it easier for the Suns to part with Morris, whose name is coming up regularly in trade rumors. And Chandler is best off when playing limited minutes anyway; don't be surprised if Len starts cutting into the veteran's playing time.
Omri Casspi (31 percent) - Like Kosta Koufos (43 percent), who was featured in this space last week, Casspi is getting a significant boost in playing time with Willie Cauley-Stein sidelined.
Iman Shumpert (7 percent) - Shump will be available for Friday's game and may see his first action of the season. Don't expect immediate dividends - he's been sidelined for two months after wrist surgery and will almost certainly show a great deal of rust.
Devin Booker (3 percent) - Just as Alton Brown hates "mono-taskers" in the kitchen, I generally prefer not to keep one-category players on a fantasy roster. But here's the thing… when you've got a budding young three-point specialist that's shooting .541 from the field, you find a spot for him.
