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Sixerville: Hinkie's & Brown's biggest priority? Figuring out the roster

Even after firing assistant coaching staff, questions surrounding the team's roster still swamps all else.

               The plans reach well beyond this upcoming season - partially into next, certainly into the years beyond. President and general manager Sam Hinkie has a piece in place in new coach Brett Brown that he hopes will be here to be a part of the overhaul, but after Brown, who knows who else will be part of the reconstruction.
                There is hope for high draft picks (a probability after the upcoming season) and there will be plenty of money with which to play after this season (as only Thaddeus Young and Nerlens Noel are, as of now, under contract for 2014-15).
                But what about now? What is on the immediate agenda for Hinkie and Brown?
                Well, there is plenty. Hinkie had stated that he was going to bring in some of his own people, perhaps in scouting, maybe upper management types. Maybe even an assistant general manager who can take some of the load of Hinkie, who seems to be the only person (besides Brown, now) making personnel decisions. And Brown is still without a coaching staff after it was announced last week that Michael Curry, Aaron McKie and Jeff Capel, all assistants under previous coach Doug Collins and all under contract, had been relieved of their duties. That certainly has to be a priority.
                But even more than those topics, there is a bigger priority, and it is this: Who is going to be on the roster for this season? Though winning a lot of games isn't ideal right now in this rebuilding process, embarrassment isn't either. And unless there is a deal in the works that brings in multiple players, or unknown, highly-skilled free agents, the roster could be quite head-scratching.
                Let's take a look:
                Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and rookie Michael Carter-Williams are most likely starters. As of now, there is no shooting guard, unless Turner plays that spot and Young moves to the "three" and Arnett Moultrie moves into the lineup. If that's the case, expect opposing teams to pack in zones and dare the Sixers to shoot the ball.
                Anyway, that's five players. Lavoy Allen will be one of the first bigs coming off the bench. That makes six. Then it becomes real murky.
                Jason Richardson is most likely out for the season following major knee surgery late last season. Rookie Nerlens Noel, who tore the ACL late in his lone year at Kentucky, might not play until after the new year, if at all. Kwame Brown is under contract for a whopping $3 million, but he'll most likely be waived, with the team eating the salary, and Royce White's anxiety disorder may never get him out of a Delaware 87ers uniform.
                Second round pick Arsalan Kazemi, a 6-7 forward out of Oregon, is a hustler who has a nose for the ball, but is terribly undersized to match his game, which possesses little offensive skills for a small forward spot. James Anderson? Probably a teammate of White's in Wilmington. 
                Could open auditions soon be held for a shooting guard or two? A backup point guard? Maybe a veteran who can help guide the many youngsters through what is sure to be a painful season. 
                Looking to the future, unfortunately for fans of this franchise, means one or two very lean years. It will be games of evaluation, stretches of time when youngsters need to prove their value. Carter-Williams will have ample minutes to attempt to transform into a legitimate lead guard. Turner may be getting his last chance to prove not only to the Sixers but to the league that he is a valuable commodity. Hawes and Allen are both playing out expiring contracts and now appears to be the time for Moultrie to prove his worth.
                Not exactly a roster to excite many. But it will be a lot worse if it turns out to be an embarrassment. Some more moves have to be on the horizon. Don't they?               The plans reach well beyond this upcoming season - partially into next, certainly into the years beyond. President and general manager Sam Hinkie has a piece in place in new coach Brett Brown that he hopes will be here to be a part of the overhaul, but after Brown, who knows who else will be part of the reconstruction.

There is hope for high draft picks (a probability after the upcoming season) and there will be plenty of money with which to play after this season (as only Thaddeus Young and Nerlens Noel are, as of now, under contract for 2014-15).

But what about now? What is on the immediate agenda for Hinkie and Brown?

Well, there is plenty. Hinkie had stated that he was going to bring in some of his own people, perhaps in scouting, maybe upper management types. Maybe even an assistant general manager who can take some of the load of Hinkie, who seems to be the only person (besides Brown, now) making personnel decisions. And Brown is still without a coaching staff after it was announced last week that Michael Curry, Aaron McKie and Jeff Capel, all assistants under previous coach Doug Collins and all under contract, had been relieved of their duties. That certainly has to be a priority.

But even more than those topics, there is a bigger priority, and it is this: Who is going to be on the roster for this season? Though winning a lot of games isn't ideal right now in this rebuilding process, embarrassment isn't either. And unless there is a deal in the works that brings in multiple players, or unknown, highly-skilled free agents, the roster could be quite head-scratching.

Let's take a look:

Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and rookie Michael Carter-Williams are most likely starters. As of now, there is no shooting guard, unless Turner plays that spot and Young moves to the "three" and Arnett Moultrie moves into the lineup. If that's the case, expect opposing teams to pack in zones and dare the Sixers to shoot the ball.

Anyway, that's five players. Lavoy Allen will be one of the first bigs coming off the bench. That makes six. Then it becomes real murky.

Jason Richardson is most likely out for the season following major knee surgery late last season. Rookie Nerlens Noel, who tore the ACL late in his lone year at Kentucky, might not play until after the new year, if at all. Kwame Brown is under contract for a whopping $3 million, but he'll most likely be waived, with the team eating the salary, and Royce White's anxiety disorder may never get him out of a Delaware 87ers uniform.

Second round pick Arsalan Kazemi, a 6-7 forward out of Oregon, is a hustler who has a nose for the ball, but is terribly undersized to match his game, which possesses little offensive skills for a small forward spot. James Anderson? Probably a teammate of White's in Wilmington.

Could open auditions soon be held for a shooting guard or two? A backup point guard? Maybe a veteran who can help guide the many youngsters through what is sure to be a painful season.

Looking to the future, unfortunately for fans of this franchise, means one or two very lean years. It will be games of evaluation, stretches of time when youngsters need to prove their value. Carter-Williams will have ample minutes to attempt to transform into a legitimate lead guard. Turner may be getting his last chance to prove not only to the Sixers but to the league that he is a valuable commodity. Hawes and Allen are both playing out expiring contracts and now appears to be the time for Moultrie to prove his worth.

Not exactly a roster to excite many. But it will be a lot worse if it turns out to be an embarrassment. Some more moves have to be on the horizon. Don't they?

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