2035-2036 76ers Preseason Press Conference

[Keepit100]

Back at it again

Last season's playoff push was a dud. As soon as I got that first DM asking if I was interested in a trade for points it was just too tempting to fall back on bad habits and pass up the now for the future...again. And once you commit to something you might as well go all-in. So I just kept flipping. And flipping. And flipping some more. Au revoir Randy Abney, Marvin Bagley III, Patrick Edmunds, Glenn Irvine, Romeo Langford, Colin Smallwood, Tyler Ulis, and Clay Waters. As my man, Wynonie Harris said back in 1952

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Finished the year with 30 wins and got lucky in the draft lottery to move up to #3. The trade offers started to come in immediately as Justin Patton was the draft unicorn everyone was clamoring for this year. I liked Patton's potentials (like a poor man's James Wiseman), but I didnt have the time and more importantly the points to justify selecting him at #3. There was a lot of talent being offered my way from other GMs and interesting discussions for sure, but I just didnt see the return I wanted to go all-in and forego the lottery completely. So I traded down to #4. And then to #6, and finally #7 and picked up #23, #24, and #26 along the way. Daniel Oturu was sitting there at #7, and I knew when the draft started he was one of my favorite targets all along so I was pleased at getting him at a value play. I drafted Lorenzo Davis out of Wake Forest at #24 and look forward to seeing him develop behind Cassius Winston at point guard. I ended the draft with another splash on the second day when I shipped off Damontas Sabonis and Clifton Cage to Atlanta to free up $75M for UFA. My oldest player on the team now was 25 years young, and his name was Winfred.

UFA was interesting. Landed Ernest Long on a max deal (sorry AB), Randy Abney on a $25M 2+1, and Joe Sherrill for $9M. I really wanted to solidify the paint with proven scorers and sometimes you gotta entice veterans to join a struggling team with an overpay here and there. I liked all three of them for their toughness inside and the fellas bring a lot of big-game, postseason experience. This is especially important for the 76ers as they get ready to make the leap from perpetual lottery team to perennial playoff contender.

Lastly, training camp produced another solid day for the 76ers, much to our fans' delight. Wiseman is still growing at his meteoric B/P pace. Obi Toppin and Diakite are now B/B and Cassius Winston and Oturu are in the G/B club now. The guys put in a lot of hard work in the gym this offseason and are looking forward to reap the rewards on the simulated hardwood.

Overall, I am excited to see the guys make some noise this year in the Alpha Conference. The Mourning Division definitely got stronger with the Magic cashing in their rookie chips to reacquire He Who Shall Not Be Named and land Josh Schumann. The Bucks got younger and more versatile across the board with Carter/Haile/Olney/Pastor. The Cavs are quietly developing a formidable starting 5 led by Chris Ridley and UFA acquisition, Mo Bamba. The Nets just keep adding more firepower to their backcourt with Kyle Kuzma in UFA and reloaded for the future with Peter Harker & Fang Shou to replace Luka Doncic. Lastly, the Knicks landed the ageless wonder, Wanderlei Silva to make the Alpha Conference's All-Star selection for starting Center that much more interesting.

No playoff promises from me this year, but the 76ers are getting closer (I hope) to competing for a spot. Philly is still one of the youngest teams in the league, with only 3 players over age 25. Looking at the team as a whole I would like to retool the bench this year so expect to see some finalized trades from Philly, as per the usual. All in all, just continuing to trust the process and look forward to another interesting season.

Any questions?

Projected starting lineup
PG: Cassius Winston
SG: Obi Toppin
SF: James Wiseman
PF: Ernest Long
C: Randy Abney

[Eazy P]

How many trades do you plan on making this season?

The only other GMs I knew that made trades At a high rate early on in their Sim career was Doug and Nick back in the day.

[Keepit100]

How many trades do you plan on making this season?

The only other GMs I knew that made trades At a high rate early on in their Sim career was Doug and Nick back in the day.

I actually went back and counted, and I've averaged 8/yr for the past couple of seasons since James Wiseman was drafted. I'd like to say take the under this year, but I am already at 3 and we have not even played 1 second of ball yet so maybe next season I'll start to cool the jets and not flood the thread page.

[garbageman]

Not too many teams have remained patient with their youth as new GMs, opting to compete right away. In those situations, a playoff run provides valuable experience, even if it's not necessarily a championship build. Other teams who have played it patiently find that lack of playoff experience is more of a barrier than expected.

With that in mind, how long are Philly fans going to be asked to keep trusting the process?

[greepleairport]

Where does a guy like Mamadi Diakite fit in with your roster this year? Very strong young player with a bright future, but you already have a lot of newly acquired talent at the one and two. Is this where and why you'll continue to look at trades this year?

[MexicanMamba]

If you do continue to be a wheeler and dealer this season, do you see your focus being on adding more quality veterans to give your youngsters more examples to follow a winning formula or getting even younger? Your goal to re-tool the bench would point to the former however perhaps you want the bench to have every young leg available.

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[Keepit100]

Not too many teams have remained patient with their youth as new GMs, opting to compete right away. In those situations, a playoff run provides valuable experience, even if it's not necessarily a championship build. Other teams who have played it patiently find that lack of playoff experience is more of a barrier than expected.

With that in mind, how long are Philly fans going to be asked to keep trusting the process?

Good question. Foolish or not, I think this current set of rookies is my ride-or-die gang as 76ers GM. Philly fans have been more than patient with me these past 5 years and have seen a few highs and a whole lot of lows over my GM tenure. I am definitely playing with fire heading into RFA the next couple of seasons with no glimpse as to how these guys perform in the playoffs, but I dont think fans will be seeing as much roster upheaval these next couple of seasons because I am committed to signing these batch of rookies long-term and surrounding them with talent to compete. I hope this year gets me a free look at some playoff action because I have seen the benefits of getting some experience under your belt like the Lakers have had with Delmar Lopez and the Mavs with Geoff Rickly and Burt Gibson. Hopefully with some luck breaking my way, it can happen.

[Keepit100]

Where does a guy like Mamadi Diakite fit in with your roster this year? Very strong young player with a bright future, but you already have a lot of newly acquired talent at the one and two. Is this where and why you'll continue to look at trades this year?

Yeah, Diakite has been such an absolute gem and it is always fun to have a set-and-forget kinda guy that you can plug into the lineup and know you will get quality production, regardless of how long he is on the court.

I think similar to the beginning of last season, I'd like Diakite to come off the bench and provide a spark to the 2nd unit. I think he can be a mismatch against 2nd units because of how fast he is developing his inside game offensively, but it still gives him time to continue refining his defensive technique. In terms of trading for more interior help, if there is an offer on the table I'm happy to consider like always but right now I like what I have going on here in Philly

[Keepit100]

If you do continue to be a wheeler and dealer this season, do you see your focus being on adding more quality veterans to give your youngsters more examples to follow a winning formula or getting even younger? Your goal to re-tool the bench would point to the former however perhaps you want the bench to have every young leg available.

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yeah, as much as I like experimenting with rookies all over the court I think now is the time to transition to getting more veterans aboard so I will keep an eye out to add some experience and balance out the youth on the team.

[AngryBanana]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome news:

Who are you higher on as a prospect with both developing so well, Winston or Toppin?


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[JNR]

GWR: Who do you see the offense running through this season?

[Keepit100]

Chet Youbetcha, Dimmadome news:

Who are you higher on as a prospect with both developing so well, Winston or Toppin?

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Toppin in the immediate future because he is ready to contribute now. Ask me again in a couple of seasons, and I think it will be CW because of how versatile a threat he can be if can shatter his skill potential ceilings via TC

[Keepit100]

GWR: Who do you see the offense running through this season?

Long with a splash of Wiseman

[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: With payday coming up soon for Wiseman, Winston, and Toppin, what kind of production are you hoping to see from them this season? Is there any concern that you might have to cut ties with some of your talent quickly to avoid plunging deep into the tax before a true contender is built?

[Keepit100]

Random Reporter: With payday coming up soon for Wiseman, Winston, and Toppin, what kind of production are you hoping to see from them this season?

Improved efficiency across the board. Take better shots. Dont get beat so easily on defense. Dont foul out of games too early. Just play smarter, really.

The guys have played hard, but they know that there has been nothing to play for these last couple of seasons except pride and individual accolades. It is starting to change now as they mature and their responsibility to lead a team to contention becomes a reality. If they begin to develop good habits now there will be a moment sometime in the future where if they make the right decision or two it will make all the difference.

Random Reporter: ...Is there any concern that you might have to cut ties with some of your talent quickly to avoid plunging deep into the tax before a true contender is built?

Sure, if I get too reckless with my outside spending this trio may break up sooner than I hope, but I will try to ensure that does not happen. I have seen time and time again that you have to keep your options open when it comes to young talent and if you tether yourself too much to someone you can and usually do get burned before it is all said and done. I really like this group of rookies but if the right deal comes along that plan can change real quick.

[IamQuailman]

Will your team be at the top of the division this season or will fans be mourning all over again? (i'll show myself out)

[Keepit100]

Will your team be at the top of the division this season or will fans be mourning all over again? (i'll show myself out)

Get the banner ready, #2 seed here we come.

The 76ers are here to stay because It's Morning Again in Philadelphia

[Bowtothebill23]

In the moment of the draft, you have to make the decision you think gives you the best possibility of success. Sometimes, even the best of those decisions turn out not to be the most optimal with hindsight. With your string of trades in the draft, is there any trade, with hindsight of how the picks shook out, that you think you could've handled better with the benefit of hindsight? Or do you think you were able to extract the most value possible?

[Keepit100]

In the moment of the draft, you have to make the decision you think gives you the best possibility of success. Sometimes, even the best of those decisions turn out not to be the most optimal with hindsight. With your string of trades in the draft, is there any trade, with hindsight of how the picks shook out, that you think you could've handled better with the benefit of hindsight? Or do you think you were able to extract the most value possible?

Interesting question. In terms of the actual players in the draft, Daniel Oturu was #1 on my draft board because of how far along I am developing Wiseman, Toppin, and Winston + Diakite's natural surge. I figured sitting at #3 I could start trading down without much risk at all of losing him to another GM. Since several other lottery teams behind me are further behind in their player developmental cycles I assumed they would be more keen to select a project-type player in the 18-20 age range instead of a 22 year old PF who could play 10-12 min right now but doesnt get the benefit of extra time to develop in the weight room.

Looking back now I think each individual trade accomplished what I wanted when the draft started. Trading with Portland gave me draft capital I planned to pawn off in a future trade and the means to select my backup PG while Denver and Orlando sent over points. Apart from just trading out completely for a star player (I was pretty close on that front) I think I maximized the potential return the best I could, given the time constraint.