59 days - and a million questions - until Sixers' preseason opener

Fifty-nine days. That is when the Philadelphia 76ers will take the court in Bilbao, Spain for their first preseason game. Their October 6 debut will feature a totally revamped roster, a rookie who will be on the bench in street clothes in Nerlens Noel and a new head coach.

That's right, a new head coach. While one still hasn't been named since Doug Collins stepped down on April 18, they will have to have somebody barking directions by then, presumably by the time the team opens training camp in late September/early October.

So why the delay in finding a new head man, after all, 12 other teams in the NBA were able to find one since the end of the season.

Perhaps owner Josh Harris and company are waiting on a hire to save money. They have last year's assistant coaches, led by Michael Curry, running the basketball operations and they are all on salary through the upcoming season. Hiring a coach would take another chunk out of the payroll.

Or maybe new general manager Sam Hinkie is trying to decide if bringing someone in this year to oversee what is certainly going to be a horrific season is a feasible plan, that simply moving Curry up to the head spot is just a simple solution. It is common for players to work out together prior to training camp at the team's practice facility at PCOM, and Curry has been overseeing those workouts for the past couple of weeks.

And speaking of players, who is going to be on this roster?

Right now you're looking at Thaddeus Young , Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and rookie Michael Carter Williams as possible starters. There is still no shooting guard on the roster – or any other legitimate shooter, either. Three players on the roster - Royce White (anxiety disorder), Jason Richardson (knee surgery) and Noel (torn ACL) - may not even step foot on the court this season. Kwame Brown is under contract, but it would be a shock if he's in the team's plans at all. Justin Holiday is available and the team has an option to keep him at $790 thousand this season, but what is his future in the NBA? That leaves Lavoy Allen and Arnett Moultrie as the remaining serviceable players.

Not real enticing, huh?

The Sixers will have to sign some free agents to fill out the roster . . .

How will the Sixers answer these questions? Get the full story on PhillyDailyNews.com.

Not a subscriber? Use promo code H26N for access.