Most improved teams (win/loss record) in the NBA next season?

[MJohnnyboy]

Sixers huh?  Interesting.

I like Okafor, but that's bold.  They still don't have more than a few NBA rotation players at positions other than center, and they're probably going to try to play Noel and Okafor together for a lot of minutes, which probably won't work out very well on the offensive end.

The Sixers are going places, just not this year.

They only won 17 games.  I really think 34 is reasonable for them as Noel now is a full season removed from the injury (and the second year is always better than the first) and I do really like Okafor.  He was the most NBA ready of all players in the draft.  I expect Aldemir to make a big jump with a full season.  Thompson is still an incredible shooter.  Grant, Covington, Canaan, and Sampson should all improve.  Wroten is back.  They added Staukas.  I like Wallace and Landry for leadership potential.

It will all come down to Noel and Okafor, obviously, but I really think they are going to surprise a lot of people.

So who is going to be worse than Philly just out of curiosity?

In the East.  Detroit, Charlotte, New York, and Orlando

Wow. Those teams but not Brooklyn? I think almost all those teams are going to be better than the Nets. They have more diversified talent and an actual bench. The only positives from the Nets are their injury prone center Lopez, a deteriorating Joe Johnson, and decent but nothing special Thad Young, and that's still better than Philly. Philadelphia has no real proven talent. I think your faith in Okafor/Noel/Stauskas is kinda silly unless those guys prove to be stars right away, and I don't think they will be. I think the 76ers themselves aren't expecting that.

But hey, I guess we all gotta believe in something.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

It's not a real rumor, though -- it's conjecture relying (mostly) on the fact that he traded Jrue Holiday at his all-time highest value for the 6th pick as it's basis. That pick, of course, turned into Nerlens Noel, who will probably help NBA teams win more games than Jrue Holiday for the foreseeable future.

that and the MCW trade as well.  I'm not big on MCW as a starting PG so far but he's much better than who they've had at PG since that deal.

MCW isn't actually good at basketball, though, which pretty much everyone recognized (including MCW, who had to field trade rumors on the 2014 draft night, as I recall)

I agree that he isn't as good as some people here claimed.  winning a dubious (IMHO) ROY award does not mean someone is really good.  in his case, I think it emphasized the weakness of the draft class.

in any case, he's still better than any PG they've used since the trade.  speaks volumes about the quality of PGs they've had.

You realize the team was better following that trade right?

You talking about MCW and Philly?

The team was 12-41 when he was traded (22.6%) and went 6-23 after the trade (20.7%).  If anything they were worse, but I'd really call that more of a wash. 

If you want to go a little deeper, Philly was actually 11-30 (26.8%) in games MCW actually played in.  What are you going by that says Philly was better after the trade?

They went from getting outscored by 10.7 points per game to getting outscored by 5.8...

Their offense alone improved by like 6 points a game following the deadline.

They also were winning way more games before Brett Brown moved Noel to PF to get him used to playing with Embiid(hadn't re-injured himself at that point)despite not having another option at C to protect the rim. Seriously, Henry Sims and Furkan Aldemir played Center for entire NBA games. And honestly the last 5 games or so were the first time I thought the Sixers actively sanEdited.  Profanity and masked profanity are against forum rules and may result in discipline.ged it.

The stretch following the ASB prior to say the last 10 games or so was by far the best they had all year.

[RAAAAAAAANDY]

It's not a real rumor, though -- it's conjecture relying (mostly) on the fact that he traded Jrue Holiday at his all-time highest value for the 6th pick as it's basis. That pick, of course, turned into Nerlens Noel, who will probably help NBA teams win more games than Jrue Holiday for the foreseeable future.

that and the MCW trade as well.  I'm not big on MCW as a starting PG so far but he's much better than who they've had at PG since that deal.

MCW isn't actually good at basketball, though, which pretty much everyone recognized (including MCW, who had to field trade rumors on the 2014 draft night, as I recall)

I agree that he isn't as good as some people here claimed.  winning a dubious (IMHO) ROY award does not mean someone is really good.  in his case, I think it emphasized the weakness of the draft class.

in any case, he's still better than any PG they've used since the trade.  speaks volumes about the quality of PGs they've had.

You realize the team was better following that trade right?

better is a relative term in regards to that team.  that's like having your dog panting in your face and thinking "you have good breath, for a dog".  still dog breath.

So basically, you made up a bunch of stuff. Got caught not really knowing what you're talking about, and now turn to spouting off insults.

Got it. How was the MCW trade evidence Hinkie is going to blow the team up if they're "too good" again?

[Evantime34]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

[Moranis]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

Yeah, but all mediocre or bad teams should do that.  There is no point in keeping or paying role players, if you don't have your championship foundation in place.  That is why, for example, I saw no reason to keep Bradley for the Celtics.  He is a nice quality bench/spot starter on a good team, but serves no real purpose for Boston (except as a potential asset). 

[Moranis]

Sixers huh?  Interesting.

I like Okafor, but that's bold.  They still don't have more than a few NBA rotation players at positions other than center, and they're probably going to try to play Noel and Okafor together for a lot of minutes, which probably won't work out very well on the offensive end.

The Sixers are going places, just not this year.

They only won 17 games.  I really think 34 is reasonable for them as Noel now is a full season removed from the injury (and the second year is always better than the first) and I do really like Okafor.  He was the most NBA ready of all players in the draft.  I expect Aldemir to make a big jump with a full season.  Thompson is still an incredible shooter.  Grant, Covington, Canaan, and Sampson should all improve.  Wroten is back.  They added Staukas.  I like Wallace and Landry for leadership potential.

It will all come down to Noel and Okafor, obviously, but I really think they are going to surprise a lot of people.

So who is going to be worse than Philly just out of curiosity?

In the East.  Detroit, Charlotte, New York, and Orlando

Wow. Those teams but not Brooklyn? I think almost all those teams are going to be better than the Nets. They have more diversified talent and an actual bench. The only positives from the Nets are their injury prone center Lopez, a deteriorating Joe Johnson, and decent but nothing special Thad Young, and that's still better than Philly. Philadelphia has no real proven talent. I think your faith in Okafor/Noel/Stauskas is kinda silly unless those guys prove to be stars right away, and I don't think they will be. I think the 76ers themselves aren't expecting that.

But hey, I guess we all gotta believe in something.

I see Brooklyn as an upper 30/lower 40 win team. 

[celticsclay]

Sixers huh?  Interesting.

I like Okafor, but that's bold.  They still don't have more than a few NBA rotation players at positions other than center, and they're probably going to try to play Noel and Okafor together for a lot of minutes, which probably won't work out very well on the offensive end.

The Sixers are going places, just not this year.

They only won 17 games.  I really think 34 is reasonable for them as Noel now is a full season removed from the injury (and the second year is always better than the first) and I do really like Okafor.  He was the most NBA ready of all players in the draft.  I expect Aldemir to make a big jump with a full season.  Thompson is still an incredible shooter.  Grant, Covington, Canaan, and Sampson should all improve.  Wroten is back.  They added Staukas.  I like Wallace and Landry for leadership potential.

It will all come down to Noel and Okafor, obviously, but I really think they are going to surprise a lot of people.

So who is going to be worse than Philly just out of curiosity?

In the East.  Detroit, Charlotte, New York, and Orlando

Wow. Those teams but not Brooklyn? I think almost all those teams are going to be better than the Nets. They have more diversified talent and an actual bench. The only positives from the Nets are their injury prone center Lopez, a deteriorating Joe Johnson, and decent but nothing special Thad Young, and that's still better than Philly. Philadelphia has no real proven talent. I think your faith in Okafor/Noel/Stauskas is kinda silly unless those guys prove to be stars right away, and I don't think they will be. I think the 76ers themselves aren't expecting that.

But hey, I guess we all gotta believe in something.

I see Brooklyn as an upper 30/lower 40 win team.

which puts you at odds with vegas or any sort of power rating system anyone could employ to predict their actual results.

[D.o.s.]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

The borderline players are the players Hinkie is assuming/assessing to see if they have some spark other teams have missed. It's extraordinarily egotistical, in some ways, but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

I don't think Hinkie deals the player for the sake of trading him. There's a bit of Ainge and Morey there -- they're not going to take any deal they can, even if they don't believe that the player has a future with the team.

[celticsclay]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

The borderline players are the players Hinkie is assuming/assessing to see if they have some spark other teams have missed. It's extraordinarily egotistical, in some ways, but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

I don't think Hinkie deals the player for the sake of trading him. There's a bit of Ainge and Morey there -- they're not going to take any deal they can, even if they don't believe that the player has a future with the team.

How long is Hinkie's leash at this point?

[Who]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

The borderline players are the players Hinkie is assuming/assessing to see if they have some spark other teams have missed. It's extraordinarily egotistical, in some ways, but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

I don't think Hinkie deals the player for the sake of trading him. There's a bit of Ainge and Morey there -- they're not going to take any deal they can, even if they don't believe that the player has a future with the team.

How long is Hinkie's leash at this point?

I'd say he's got about three years for the team to be back in the playoffs with a young core talented enough to be capable of growing into a contender over next few years.

[celticsclay]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

The borderline players are the players Hinkie is assuming/assessing to see if they have some spark other teams have missed. It's extraordinarily egotistical, in some ways, but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

I don't think Hinkie deals the player for the sake of trading him. There's a bit of Ainge and Morey there -- they're not going to take any deal they can, even if they don't believe that the player has a future with the team.

How long is Hinkie's leash at this point?

I'd say he's got about three years for the team to be back in the playoffs with a young core talented enough to be capable of growing into a contender over next few years.

You give him 3 more years of not making the playoffs? By then the contracts of Okafor and Noel will be running out. I think Philly has to show signs of making the playoffs next year or it means none of their draft picks have panned out (plus they have been hurt badly by embiid potentially never playing).

[Who]

The MCW trade was evidence that Hinkie will always make trades where he gets a better asset for a worse one, not that he plans on trading away players if they get too good.

That Hinkie would deal a high upside prospect just because he was causing too many wins is probably inaccurate. However, if a rotation player without a high upside started playing well I would expect him to be dealt.

The current makeup of the team (high draft picks and boarder line nba players) indicates that Hinkie would deal a player for being too good if that player didn't have star potential. Isn't the idea that the Sixers are going to be bad and stay in the lottery to maximize their chances at a star with a high pick the entire strategy behind what Philly is doing? If a player without star potential plays well in Philly I think it is obvious he will be dealt.

The borderline players are the players Hinkie is assuming/assessing to see if they have some spark other teams have missed. It's extraordinarily egotistical, in some ways, but it is not necessarily a bad idea.

I don't think Hinkie deals the player for the sake of trading him. There's a bit of Ainge and Morey there -- they're not going to take any deal they can, even if they don't believe that the player has a future with the team.

How long is Hinkie's leash at this point?

I'd say he's got about three years for the team to be back in the playoffs with a young core talented enough to be capable of growing into a contender over next few years.

You give him 3 more years of not making the playoffs? By then the contracts of Okafor and Noel will be running out. I think Philly has to show signs of making the playoffs next year or it means none of their draft picks have panned out (plus they have been hurt badly by embiid potentially never playing).

I think Embiid's injury has cost them a year (a draft year, a top 3 pick) in their rebuild.

I think the added complication of J.Okafor and N.Noel playing the same position will cost them more time as well. Figuring out if they can play together or if they have to decide between the two of them. Then there is Embiid. Deciding what to do with him. Messy situation. 3 centers in 3 drafts in a row has cost them time in the rebuild and will continue to cost them moving forward until they figure that situation out.

I think Sixers need another top 5 pick because of Embiid. I don't think Okafor and Noel is enough of a foundation to push the team forward right away. Better to stay bad another year and pick up another top 5 lotto talent.

So, I think they'll have at least another year of being a bottom 5 team. Then more of a mid-lottery team (7th-10th pick range) as their young players improve the following year. Hopefully playoff contention the year after that (3rd season).

With a real genuine core that they can build a future title contender around as their youngsters continue to improve.

[Who]

I had expected Philly to build off of what they accomplished last season and become a 30 win type team this year. I thought Noel gave them a good foundation to build off of. Another top five pick this summer. Plus hopefully Saric coming over.

But Saric didn't come over. And then the draft didn't go great. They ended up with another center (J.Okafor) ... a player who will, at least in the early years, struggle to play alongside Nerlens Noel. So instead of having 2 star youngsters you can start building around. You have 2 star youngsters who both play the same position and can't really play together.

So I think Philly moving into that 30 win territory was pushed back another year (to 2016-17) ... because they took -- felt they had to take because of his talent -- J.Okafor in the draft.

[Evantime34]

I had expected Philly to build off of what they accomplished last season and become a 30 win type team this year. I thought Noel gave them a good foundation to build off of. Another top five pick this summer. Plus hopefully Saric coming over.

But Saric didn't come over. And then the draft didn't go great. They ended up with another center (J.Okafor) ... a player who will, at least in the early years, struggle to play alongside Nerlens Noel. So instead of having 2 star youngsters you can start building around. You have 2 star youngsters who both play the same position and can't really play together.

So I think Philly moving into that 30 win territory was pushed back another year (to 2016-17) ... because they took -- felt they had to take because of his talent -- J.Okafor in the draft.

Saric might not even come until 2017-2018 so that he isn't subject to the rookie scale (like Mirotic did. This would allow him to make a lot more money.

The Sixers have one more year of tanking left and then I think they will attempt to win games.

[PhoSita]

So I think Philly moving into that 30 win territory was pushed back another year (to 2016-17) ... because they took -- felt they had to take because of his talent -- J.Okafor in the draft.

I think that was definitely the right choice, though it does make their road more difficult. 

Okafor looks like the real deal to me.  Not the kind of big man that's en vogue this days, but I think he's likely to be the most productive player in this draft, and the most likely to become a reliable #1 scoring option.