Cooney: Sixers deal signals change of pace

You wouldn't think that a trade involving Jerami Grant would necessarily signal a drastic turn in The Process, and perhaps in the long run it really won't play a huge factor. But the acquisition of Ersan Ilyasova from the Oklahoma City Thunder signals a huge turnaround to the way Brett Brown is going to coach this team moving forward.

Since his arrival here in the summer of 2013, the San Antonio descendant has preached his desire, and belief, that in order for this organization to compete it had to be one of the best teams in the league when it came to pace (number of possessions per 48 minutes). He hasn't changed his thoughts one iota since his hiring, reiterating numerous times that running and shooting threes is the future of the league.

Well, the style that will someday rule the league doesn't look like it's going to be happening here any time soon.

In obtaining the 29-year-old Ilyasova, the Sixers acquired a tough veteran who knows the league, can play a little bit of defense, is a leader in the locker room and, most important, a legitimate outside-shooting threat who will spread defenses.

And the reason a spreader is needed is so the Sixers can get the ball into the lane to Joel Embiid. Not so they can run better or so they can launch and make more threes, but so that they can let their 7-2 stud force himself to the boxes or to a spot along the baseline and go to work - whether it be a Hakeem shake, a midrange jumper or a power move to the basket.

The thinking of how this team should play changed drastically Tuesday before the Sixers' matchup with the visiting Orlando Magic, a game in which Embiid had 18 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes in a 103-101 loss.

As is their custom, the Sixers also got a future first-round pick (protected Nos. 1 to 20), which turns into two future second-rounders if not conveyed.

Brown talked of Ilyasova complementing Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, of getting the big guys the ball and playing through them. While it seems a no-brainer as you watch the ever-growing offensive skills of Embiid, just three games into his NBA career, which was stalled by a surgically repaired right foot that cost him 2 1/2 years away from the game, it is a 180-degree turn from the way the organization had said it wanted to play.

"What you're getting in Ersan is a veteran NBA player with a very clear skill set that complements our two interior 'five' men," Brown said. "He can shoot. He has an identifiable NBA offensive skill in that he can stretch the floor and he's played that position kind of his whole life, where he's had a big 'five' man and he's been a stretch 'four.' I think with Dario and Ersan, they're very similar in that they have played 'four' their whole life, Dario more 'three' and Dario is growing his perimeter game. Our focus is to get those big guys the ball as much as we can and play off them.

"Ersan's skill set is that he can shoot, which is very timely with what we're trying to do."

And that could be the key, what they are trying to do now. When rookie Ben Simmons suffered a fractured foot at the end of training camp, it changed everything about the team offensively. The Sixers lost their only player with the ability to create something just about every time he touches the ball.

Right now, they're missing his ability to lead this team on the fastbreak, his terrific eye in getting the ball to open shooters and his interior passing game that will greatly assist the offensive games of Embiid and Okafor.

For now, though, when Ilyasova joins the team in the next couple of days, it seems clear that getting the ball to Embiid and Okafor is paramount, which lends to a slower type of game than Brown probably would prefer.

"No, that's the trade-off, we lost a flyer," Brown responded about whether Ilyasova can help in the transition game. "We've got a veteran player. That's not his purpose for coming here. Since we've all been here, you've heard me talk about the pace versus the post and the importance that I still think it is. I've got to take the realities of our roster and coach it. So that's not a part of his immediate things. He's not a flyer. So we're going to have to make some adjustments for that.

"Stuff like this you don't take lightly. It's a significant move. Although many might not see it, in my world it is. We've done massive amounts of homework. It's our job to put pros around young guys - Ben and Dario and Joe and Jah. We study it all and with that I give Bryan (Colangelo) credit. He's trying to help us in a situation that we need some help. The injuries, that we are all aware of, forces some of this. You're trying to remain competitive and get a positionally balanced type of roster."

For now, that will probably mean more post play. When Simmons returns, that will change. Then it will be time to figure it out all over again.

@BobCooney76

Blog: philly.com/Sixersblog