The love affair with Philadelphia

[gpap]

Because for whatever reason, some are more tempted by "potential" and "what could be" rather than proven talent.

Not that I don't have any interest in trading for Noel because I would, but that's essentially what it stems from.

[celticsclay]

Because for whatever reason, some are more tempted by "potential" and "what could be" rather than proven talent.

Not that I don't have any interest in trading for Noel because I would, but that's essentially what it stems from.

I can understand Noel. I can understand Embiid.

I can't understand the thread right now where posters are arguing about how good Henry Sims and Hollis Thompson are. I wouldn't expect that on the 76ers blog, much less ours.

[Emmette Bryant]

The Sixers are a long-time rival surpassed only by the Fakers.  I don't like them and I hate cheez whiz on a steak sandwich. Also think Hinkie's going to crash and burn myself.

I am glad to see someone else acknowledging them as a rival rather than some great experiment. I don't believe I have ever seen posts about great moves the Lakers are making here...

I want Philly to get really good so I'll feel great when we kick their ass.

[Who]

Because they are (Philly) rebuilding the way many fans wanted Ainge to rebuild the Celtics.

A total rebuild (tear down roster completely, be a 15-20 win team) primarily via the draft in early stages. Multiple top 5 picks with hopes of landing the #1 overall pick. Acquire multiple top talents via draft and build around them.

Philly are the (current) poster child for the total rebuild and commitment to building up via high lottery draft picks ... so they are the team that gets used as a comparison from fans who want Ainge to rebuild the Celtics in same direction (total rebuild, build through draft) rather than Ainge's current choice of rebuild (keeping young talent, staying competitive enough to miss out on high lottery picks, trying to trade + FA his way up). 

[Ilikesports17]

I think part of it is that its easy to love Phillys rebuild from afar where you dont have to watch that miserable team on the court for the past 3 years.

I would love for the C's to get a top 10 pick but that LA game on its own nearly made me nauseous. I couldnt handle 2 seasons of straight up trying to lose.

[csfansince60s]

Chamberlain, Grier, Wally Jones, Billy Cunningham, Chet Walker, Lucius Jackson, Chocolate Thunder, The Doctor, Bobby Jones, Moses, Cheeks and Toney all evoke disdain from me.

Screw the Seventy Stinkers.

I went to the last game against them in the Garden a couple of weeks ago when we spanked them and enjoyed Gino Time. No matter what the official attendance was, at least a full 1/3 of the Garden was empty. How does that not hurt the NBA brand? I'll bet the vendors LOVE to see that D-League "team" come to town.

EDIT: TP to the OP. Sick of hearing about this pathetic team.

[tazzmaniac]

I have had an account on this board since pretty close to the beginning but have not really witnessed our fan base have such a collective crush on a fellow team as we seem to have here with the 76ers. Right now we currently have 3 front page topics on Philadelphia and we every couple of weeks (or more frequently) we have a thread on Embiid, Noel and previously, the value of MCW.

I get that the 76er's are doing something that seems fairly unique in terms of tanking by drafting injured players, drafting foreign players and being at the salary floor the last few seasons. That being said this stuff seems a little over the top. Are they a lot of posters second favorite teams? I know that we have a few regular posters that have come over from Philly forums (they have admitted as much in threads), but are there more then a couple? Are the 76ers the second favorite team of a lot of posters? Have they not been good at the same time as for so long that we forget they are a division and historical rival?

I personally think they have some really nice pieces in play with Noels, Embiid and either 1 or 2 upcoming top 5 draft picks. However, there are teams like Minnesota with Dieng, Wiggins, Lavine and an upcoming top 5 pick that appear to have an equally appealing future (not to mention more existing veteran talent). I can't even recall a single thread talking about how great Minnesota's future looks. What about Milwaukee? They have Giannis (board favorite), Jabari Parker, MCW and an interesting piece in Henson. That seems like a really bright future to me too.

Anyone care to explain this Philly phenomenon to me and why they are held in so much higher regard than the other young and potentially up and coming teams? Is it just more philly fans here?

I'm not sure what 3 front page stories you are referring to.  The forum posts that I recall have generally been started by bashers of tanking in general or the Sixers and Hinkie specifically.  Just because I'm interested in the Sixers doesn't mean I'm not interested in other teams with young talent like the Bucks and T-Wolves.  So why am I interested in the Sixers? 

1) The Sixers are in a similar rebuilding phase.  If the Celtics were championship contenders, I'd be more interested in the other championship contenders and the moves they were making. 

2) Embiid.  After watching Embiid at Kansas, I really wanted him as a Celtic and wanted Ainge to trade up to get him.  Even though we didn't get him, I'm interested in Embiid's development and want him to become the next great NBA center.  Personally I don't like this era of overemphasis on 3pt shooting and would love to see some dominant centers return to the game. 

3) Noel.  He's a Boston area kid so he might actually want to come to the Celtics as a free agent.  His development over this season has been quite good and interesting to follow. 

4) If the Sixers get a top 2 pick that might free up, Embiid or Noel for us.  This also applies to the T-Wolves and freeing up Dieng for us. 

5) I like Hinkie's bold, audacious multi-year plan to not worry about winning in a quest for stars.  The individual moves he has made have been quite deft in acquiring a bunch of extra draft picks while maintaining excellent cap space.  Will it work?  What move will he make next?  When will the Sixers switch over and make a push for the playoffs?  It is just interesting to follow, discuss and speculate about. 

 

[BornReady]

accumulating picks is good but u know you have to hit on these picks

like utah they had to hit on hayward and gobert (despite not being successful this season they look like a nice core drafted)

hopefully ainge hits with the next few drafts
smart looks like a hit, avery is a hit'
undecided on olynyk, sully, young

[Eja117]

I have had an account on this board since pretty close to the beginning but have not really witnessed our fan base have such a collective crush on a fellow team as we seem to have here with the 76ers. Right now we currently have 3 front page topics on Philadelphia and we every couple of weeks (or more frequently) we have a thread on Embiid, Noel and previously, the value of MCW.

I get that the 76er's are doing something that seems fairly unique in terms of tanking by drafting injured players, drafting foreign players and being at the salary floor the last few seasons. That being said this stuff seems a little over the top. Are they a lot of posters second favorite teams? I know that we have a few regular posters that have come over from Philly forums (they have admitted as much in threads), but are there more then a couple? Are the 76ers the second favorite team of a lot of posters? Have they not been good at the same time as for so long that we forget they are a division and historical rival?

I personally think they have some really nice pieces in play with Noels, Embiid and either 1 or 2 upcoming top 5 draft picks. However, there are teams like Minnesota with Dieng, Wiggins, Lavine and an upcoming top 5 pick that appear to have an equally appealing future (not to mention more existing veteran talent). I can't even recall a single thread talking about how great Minnesota's future looks. What about Milwaukee? They have Giannis (board favorite), Jabari Parker, MCW and an interesting piece in Henson. That seems like a really bright future to me too.

Anyone care to explain this Philly phenomenon to me and why they are held in so much higher regard than the other young and potentially up and coming teams? Is it just more philly fans here?

TP. 

[Ilikesports17]

I have had an account on this board since pretty close to the beginning but have not really witnessed our fan base have such a collective crush on a fellow team as we seem to have here with the 76ers. Right now we currently have 3 front page topics on Philadelphia and we every couple of weeks (or more frequently) we have a thread on Embiid, Noel and previously, the value of MCW.

I get that the 76er's are doing something that seems fairly unique in terms of tanking by drafting injured players, drafting foreign players and being at the salary floor the last few seasons. That being said this stuff seems a little over the top. Are they a lot of posters second favorite teams? I know that we have a few regular posters that have come over from Philly forums (they have admitted as much in threads), but are there more then a couple? Are the 76ers the second favorite team of a lot of posters? Have they not been good at the same time as for so long that we forget they are a division and historical rival?

I personally think they have some really nice pieces in play with Noels, Embiid and either 1 or 2 upcoming top 5 draft picks. However, there are teams like Minnesota with Dieng, Wiggins, Lavine and an upcoming top 5 pick that appear to have an equally appealing future (not to mention more existing veteran talent). I can't even recall a single thread talking about how great Minnesota's future looks. What about Milwaukee? They have Giannis (board favorite), Jabari Parker, MCW and an interesting piece in Henson. That seems like a really bright future to me too.

Anyone care to explain this Philly phenomenon to me and why they are held in so much higher regard than the other young and potentially up and coming teams? Is it just more philly fans here?

TP.

Heres my theory, many fans wanted us to tank, and Philly is doing it to the extreme. Hell if you do this in 2k you probably even get fired. (is that a thing I havent played in a while). As C's fans as I hope most here are, we see them as what could have been and this is the ultimate grass is always greener scenario for 2 reasons.
1. The typical fact that we see opposing players highlights and brightsides and ignore their downsides( the philly apologists loved McDaniels and MCW till they got traded then all of a sudden "those guys werent star material, and its good that they are gone" (paraphrased).
2. This part I get, I have watched like 5 sixers games this year. I havent suffered through the suckage. I havent had to watch my team suck relentlessly. Watching your team get blown to shreds is not fun, it just isnt. We as C's fans dont watch them suck, we just take note when Noel has a huge game or when a report about Embiid comes out or when we look at mock drafts. We dont suffer the pain but we look at the results and say I want that.

Now Im not saying the tankers wouldnt still be tankers but it makes it easier to be on board with the tank when you dont have to watch the abomination that is placed on the basketball court like the thing that happened in the recent Lakers 76es game.

[Eja117]

I would also put Orlando, the Knicks, and possibly the Lakers ahead of Philly's future. I don't think Philly has a future and I think their "plan" is absolutely a fraud. I think they are just trying to sell their fans on hope. Rather that just be a bad young team like Orlando (which is absolutely light years ahead of Philly) they are pretending they are the smartest trickiest cleverest young bad team out there. Yes they could win the lottery, which would make things interesting but anybody could win the lottery and they aren't in the best position to win it by any means. 

They may very well be assembling a lot of young talent, but are they developing it? Orlando is. Milwaukee is. Boston is. The Lakers are. The T Wolves might be.  They didn't develop MCW.

[tazzmaniac]

I have had an account on this board since pretty close to the beginning but have not really witnessed our fan base have such a collective crush on a fellow team as we seem to have here with the 76ers. Right now we currently have 3 front page topics on Philadelphia and we every couple of weeks (or more frequently) we have a thread on Embiid, Noel and previously, the value of MCW.

I get that the 76er's are doing something that seems fairly unique in terms of tanking by drafting injured players, drafting foreign players and being at the salary floor the last few seasons. That being said this stuff seems a little over the top. Are they a lot of posters second favorite teams? I know that we have a few regular posters that have come over from Philly forums (they have admitted as much in threads), but are there more then a couple? Are the 76ers the second favorite team of a lot of posters? Have they not been good at the same time as for so long that we forget they are a division and historical rival?

I personally think they have some really nice pieces in play with Noels, Embiid and either 1 or 2 upcoming top 5 draft picks. However, there are teams like Minnesota with Dieng, Wiggins, Lavine and an upcoming top 5 pick that appear to have an equally appealing future (not to mention more existing veteran talent). I can't even recall a single thread talking about how great Minnesota's future looks. What about Milwaukee? They have Giannis (board favorite), Jabari Parker, MCW and an interesting piece in Henson. That seems like a really bright future to me too.

Anyone care to explain this Philly phenomenon to me and why they are held in so much higher regard than the other young and potentially up and coming teams? Is it just more philly fans here?

TP.

Heres my theory, many fans wanted us to tank, and Philly is doing it to the extreme. Hell if you do this in 2k you probably even get fired. (is that a thing I havent played in a while). As C's fans as I hope most here are, we see them as what could have been and this is the ultimate grass is always greener scenario for 2 reasons.
1. The typical fact that we see opposing players highlights and brightsides and ignore their downsides( the philly apologists loved McDaniels and MCW till they got traded then all of a sudden "those guys werent star material, and its good that they are gone" (paraphrased).
2. This part I get, I have watched like 5 sixers games this year. I havent suffered through the suckage. I havent had to watch my team suck relentlessly. Watching your team get blown to shreds is not fun, it just isnt. We as C's fans dont watch them suck, we just take note when Noel has a huge game or when a report about Embiid comes out or when we look at mock drafts. We dont suffer the pain but we look at the results and say I want that.

Now Im not saying the tankers wouldnt still be tankers but it makes it easier to be on board with the tank when you dont have to watch the abomination that is placed on the basketball court like the thing that happened in the recent Lakers 76es game.

I go over to the Libertyballers site to check up on Embiid and Noel.  For the most part, they seem quite happy with Hinkie's approach.  He's gotten things turnaround quickly from the Bynum trade bust.  He even got back their 2017 1st rounder that was lost in the trade. 

MCW has some potential but he's a hot mess of inefficiency.  What I find funny is how the Philly bashers proclaimed MCW wasn't that good before Philly traded him but now pump up how he was ROY and decry the trade.  Hinkie made a good decision to trade MCW for the quite good Lakers pick.  Noel is playing better since the trade and was quoted as saying that Ish Smith is the first real PG that he has played with.  So it doesn't sound like Noel and MCW were that compatible and Noel is obviously the more valuable asset.   

[indeedproceed]

One team that I've loved to watch when they win and that drives me nuts when they lose is the Magic, as eja mentioned.

They're either really close or they're a thousand miles away from being good. Payton looks like a keeper, Oladipo looks like a keeper, Tobias Harris looks like a keeper, Vucevic looks like a keeper, really what they need is a lengthy springy help defender at the 4, and A-Aron Gordon could very definitely fill that role. Could be a okay team next year, could be pretty good one in 2. If I'm envious of any team in the Eastern conference that's in a similar stage of 'rebuild', its the Bucks, or the Magic.

The Sixers, I think they're interesting. Like watching a tightrope walker. They're almost more interesting because they might fall.

[SHAQATTACK]

They keep taking the same player.  So they have ten centers ,  like in Utah found out , only one star center will ALL the glory.  Be the man , play the lead role .

So they have no other players ......they need to get the other four positions at some point , or their TEN lottery pick centers will say screw this , pack up and bolt.

Like Washington took Wall and Cavs Irving........why should all those centers want to stay on a D league team with a nothing coach and GM.....plus a ticked off fan base getting the shaft year after year.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

I would also put Orlando, the Knicks, and possibly the Lakers ahead of Philly's future. I don't think Philly has a future and I think their "plan" is absolutely a fraud. I think they are just trying to sell their fans on hope. Rather that just be a bad young team like Orlando (which is absolutely light years ahead of Philly) they are pretending they are the smartest trickiest cleverest young bad team out there. Yes they could win the lottery, which would make things interesting but anybody could win the lottery and they aren't in the best position to win it by any means. 

They may very well be assembling a lot of young talent, but are they developing it? Orlando is. Milwaukee is. Boston is. The Lakers are. The T Wolves might be.  They didn't develop MCW.

What exactly are the Lakers developing? And the TWolves have Wiggins jacking long twos as they rest healthy players to tank. They essentially turned the #16 pick into half a season of the KG retirement tour via Thad Young.

And take a look at Jerami Grant the pro vs the college player. He's got a long way to go but you don't turn a guy who never shot a 3 in college into a league average 3P shooter without development.

Also, Nerlens Noel might be one of the 5 best defensive rookies ever and is creeping towards 70% at the FT line post ASB so...