2019-20 Around the NBA: Archived

[SleepingHero]

I think it is about time to start speculating who will replace Brett Brown next season

Honestly his FO shot him in the foot. 

Ask anybody last year what the biggest needs for the 76ers was and they'd tell you shooting. Not only did they let JJ Reddick leave because they thought 13 mil a year was too much, but they decided to sign Al Horford with their space.  And not a single person thought it was a good signing at the time. In a league where everyone was going small, Philly chose a big guy who couldn't share the court with Embiid. AND on top of that they overpaid too, handing him 100 million. Double whammy was signing Tobias Harris , who at best is a 3rd option, to a ridiculous 180 million contract.

Add on top of it that that Ben Simmons is an enigma of a player. He does incredible things, but cannot shoot. He can defend with the best, but has lapses where he has no energy/care. He has an ego the size of the sun and wants all the fame with no critique. Furthermore, the playstyle that lets Simmons best shine is antithetical to the environment that lets Embiid shine. 

Now if you're the coach and the FO has locked up 2 players to almost 300 million and didn't fix any of their previous problems and having to deal with the Simmons/Embiid playstyle mismatch (don't even get me started on Ben's shooting dilemma), no wonder why they've looked underwhelming. 

Philly is definitely going to have to choose between Ben and Joel. If they're smart they'd capitalize now while both have the most value. If I was them I'd call the Suns and ask for Ben for Booker. If Philly did that before the bubble I'm sure the Suns would've said yes faster than a cheetah chasing its prey. After their 8-0 run, they'd be rightly hesitant.