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Trying to figure out where the Sixers go from here

    by Mike Kern
    Published 
It won't be long now until the Sixers get to pick first in the NBA draft and take either Ben Simmons (most likely) or Brandon Ingram, both of whom have played one year in college. Which is the same amount of time their last three picks, all taken in the top six, spent as an undergrad. Simmons or Ingram could be the key to the future, the guy who really helps get the Sixers back to whatever in maybe a few years. Funny, but I thought Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor were supposed to be those guys. Or at least one or two of them. Just saying. But Embiid has yet to play, and Noel and Okafor seemingly can't play together. One is good on defense, the other on offense. But neither seems to give you both. That's the puzzling part, to me. If you're going to be picking this high, this often, you'd like to have more answers by now. I'm funny that way.
Back in the 1990s, the Sixers were in the lottery five straight times, picking no lower than sixth in any of those years. For all of their troubles/heartache they ended up with Sean Bradley, who according to some was going to revolutionize/transform the game, Sharone Wright, Jerry Stackhouse, Allen Iverson (in 1996, the last time they chose No. 1) and Keith Van Horn, whom they immediately dealt for Tim Thomas. What they got out of all that was one trip to the Finals, in 2001, which was memorable. But other than that they won one playoff series apiece in 1999, 2000 and 2003. Oh, well. And that's with Allen Iverson. If Larry Brown had gotten his way and traded him in 1999, a move Matt Geiger blocked because he wouldn't agree to the terms, none of that might have happened. Which I guess is my way of trying to say that this stuff isn't easy to fix, even if you've been brutal for a while.
I know hopes are high, because really, it can't get worse. They were near-historically bad last season. And they still don't have a lead guard, a shooting guard, a small forward or maybe a center. Did I miss any position? Hey, maybe Embiid is going to play, and play well. That seems to be what the Sixers are thinking, or else I don't think they'd be looking to move either Noel or Okafor. Given the history of big men who've had foot problems, going all the way back to Bill Walton, that could be risky. But what else are you going to do? Maybe Dario Saric finally comes over and actually strengthens the perimeter. Maybe either Noel or Okafor stay and become decent players. Maybe they get some guys who can shoot for a change. I wonder if anybody has noticed that while the Sixers have been building their foundation with big guys, the rest of the league seems to be going in another direction. The last thing you want to be is two steps behind the learning curve, which admittedly can be a moving target.
If they take Simmons, what role does he play? Point forward? Point guard? It seems like what he does best is have the ball in his hands. Can he co-exist with a real live point man? I think we're going to find out. Maybe they work out a deal with the Lakers and get Simmons and Ingram, which means you just got even younger. The Timberwolves had Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, the last two No. 1 picks, and won 29 games. But they're headed in the right direction, from all accounts. Heck, the Sixers would triple their win total if they won that many next season. And perhaps the biggest unknown is whether Brett Brown can coach. We haven't had a chance to find out. I think he can, but we won't know for sure until he has something legit to work with. The process, I'm afraid, is still way closer to the start than the finish. And that's OK, if the end-game turns out to be what we're all wishing for. It's just that the cautious realist in me (see what happens to you when you're 58 and have lived in a town that's won two titles in 33 years) wants to see more before I get too carried away with this pending transformation. Sorry, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Of course, you could be the Warriors and take Steph Curry at 7 in 2009, Klay Thompson at 11 two years later and Draymond Green in the second round in 2012. Kind of makes you wonder if they just got lucky or sincerely knew what they were doing. Not that it matters. They're playing for their second straight title. Now it's time for the Sixers to start making some right decisions, so that maybe by 2018-19 or 2019-20 they can at least be one of the teams in the East that has a chance. LeBron will be winding down by then, wherever he's playing. Of course, with all the money that's going to be available when the salary cap goes through the roof, there's no telling who might wind up where. And the Sixers could be part of that, too, although I don't think Kevin Durant is coming here anytime soon (as some have fantasized). There are a lot of things that have to happen for the Sixers. You usually don't go from 10 wins to, say, 50 by getting Simmons. Embiid has always been the major player in all of this, and that scares me. I hope my fears are unfounded, but ...
The best thing the Sixers have going for them right now is most of the East isn't all that. That could change, but at the moment the power is predominantly in the other conference. You might not feel as upbeat about what's ahead if you had to beat out San Antonio or Oklahoma City just to get to the semifinals against Golden State. Then you'd probably need even more assets. And we've been through that. Speaking of which, maybe the best move this offseason is not to move anyone and let what you have play together for 80 games to try and get a better idea of what works and what doesn't. It's a thought. But if they do move Okafor, please don't send him to the Celtics. Trade him as far away as possible. The last thing my frustrations need to see is him being a 20-and-10 man for someone in the same division for the next decade. See what so many years of wandering in the wilderness has done to my fragile psyche?
See you on the 23rd. May the force be with us. Because who can possibly take any more imploding?
    MK
    Mike Kern
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