One thing is looming in the heads of NBA fans everywhere this season: the stacked 2014 draft class. The plethora of incoming talent has lead many to believe that many teams will “tank” (lose intentionally) to secure higher odds of securing a top pick. The obvious prize is Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, an athletic small forward who may be one of the best prospects to come into the league since LeBron James. Teams who already aren’t in a great position to win now have dumped current assets to have a better chance at this years draft and in the future (think: Boston, Utah, Phoenix, Utah, etc.). The most blatant attempt at tanking appeared to be committed by the Philadelphia 76ers, who dumped all-star Jrue Holiday, didn’t try to re-sign Andrew Bynum, and shelved promising rookie Nerlens Noel for the rest of the season to recover from ACL surgery. The Sixers came out of the offseason bereft of actual NBA talent, with starters Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young the only quality “veterans” on the roster. The team even came below the salary floor, meaning they spent less on overall payroll than is required by the NBA. Las Vegas odds makers thought they would do so badly that their season win total over/under was initially 16.5 and their odds at winning the championship were 9,999/1. New coach Brett Brown was even quoted as saying that he had “six NBA players on the team right now,” meaning the rest hadn’t exactly proven themselves to be ready for NBA competition yet.
Unbelievably, in a development no one saw coming, the 76ers have came out of the first three games with three victories, including two against defending champion Miami Heat and the Derrick Rose-lead Chicago Bulls. The team’s incredible start with the most unsuspecting of rosters brought an interesting comparison to mind: the 1989 film Major League. For those unfamiliar with the movie, the new owner of the Cleveland Indians baseball team intentionally puts together a roster of has-beens and cast offs with hopes that the team will perform so badly and record such low attendance numbers that she will be able to justifiably move them to Miami the following year. However, with a combination of savvy, gutsiness, and a lot of luck, the Indians made the playoffs and brought fans back to the stadium.
Through the Sixers’ first three games, it appears the team is following the script to a tee. A team counted out by everyone has come out on top and given it’s fans a sliver of hope. Although the season is still very young, any sliver of success this season would be nothing short of miraculous. With that said, I've broken down some entertaining similarities between this Sixers team and the fictional Indians roster:
Brett Brown/Lou Brown
They even have the same last name! Both veteran coaches came to their respective teams as an incoming first year head coach with not a lot of experience leading at the top professional level. Lou coached for several years in the minor leagues and worked in a tire salesman in the offseason. Before this year, Brett was a longtime staff member of the San Antonio Spurs organization, first joining the team in 2002 as director of player development. Brett joined Gregg Popovich on the bench as an assistant coach in 2007. They both began their careers at their respective teams with very low expectations and managed to find success with unlikely players. Although Brett seems to have a good rapport with his player's and has lead them to early season success, I doubt he said anything close this particularly relevant speech to his team before the start of the season:
And after the Sixers completed their third win of the season, I can only imagine he delivered this gem to a surprised-to-actually-be-winning Evan Turner and company:
Although Brett might not be as boisterous or colorful as Lou, he's clearly made an impression on this Sixers team, leading them to three tough wins.
Michael Carter-Williams/Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn
Both rookies were high points for both teams, providing key performances in critical games when not a lot was expected of them. Carter-Williams was the 11th overall pick in the draft, but was just the sixth guard taken as several teams passed on him. A lot of emphasis was put on his mediocre-poor shooting ability, leading some decision makers to believe that he wouldn't be an outside threat at the NBA level. Boy has he proved those doubters wrong early. He's shot 8-17 (47%) thus far from three, showing little hesitation on every attempt. Although the scouting may have said to let him shoot those before the season, the same can't be said any more. Opposing wing players need to be aware of his long range shooting ability. It's also going to be tough from a match-up perspective for opposing teams because MCW is 6'6" (with a long 6'7" wingspan), 2-5 inches taller than most NBA point guards. Teams may need to make defensive adjustments so that a shooting guard or even small forward picks him up on the wing so he doesn't get easy shots over smaller point guards.
/>
Rick Vaughn also started out on the Indians as a rookie after serving time in a correctional facility. Vaughn also possesses a lot of innate talent, but lacked pitching control in the same way many people felt MCW lacked shooting range. Although Carter-Williams definitely isn't as hot-tempered as Vaughn, both found leadership roles and played pivotal parts in each team's success. Now if only MCW had an awesome walkout song and cross bone-clad black-rimmed spectacles...
Tony Wroten/Willie Mays Hayes
One of the most unsuspecting players on the Sixers roster, Tony Wroten has proven himself to be a worthwhile player in this league after getting limited minutes in Memphis as a rookie. Not short on confidence, Wroten has displayed indelible swagger and effectiveness through three games in which he played heavy minutes. The rangy shooting guard has played prolonged stretches as the primary ballhandler, added improbably good three point shooting, and played stingy defense at select times on the floor. Wroten shares many familiar characteristics as Hayes.
Willie, the quick base-stealer and explosive center fielder for the Indians, always provided a spark when the team needed him. Both players also display one of my favorite player attributes in sports: irrational confidence. Although they may not be the best at their respective sports, they both play like it anyway. Their brazen attitudes lead them to success. Hayes was so confident that he showed up to try out for the Indians even though he was invited to do so, and subsequently impressed coaches with his speed on the base paths. Wroten appears to have a bright future, and his competitiveness and fearlessness that’s going to make him better.
Spencer Hawes, Lavoy Allen, and Daniel Orton/Pedro Cerrano
The bigman trio for the Sixers, like most of their other players, have played notably well. Hawes, the butt of many jokes amongst Sixers fans, has provided perimeter shooting, rebounding, and really nice passing out of the post and at the top of the key. He’s always been know as an above average passer for a center, but the last few games have really highlighted his natural abilities. Lavoy, who former coach Doug Collins once lauded for “never giving a shit,” has also provided consistent back up play and accurate mid-range shooting. Orton, the former Kentucky big man who didn’t pan out as a first round pick for the Magic because of injuries, has also shined because of his work at the defensive end of the floor. He physical play has stopped some formidable opponents in the post and he’s gobbled up rebounds so far, including ten against the Heat.
Cerrano, certainly one of the more entertaining characters in Major League, intimidated teammates initially for his proclivities for voodoo and intense prayer. Hawes, Allen, and Orton all embody that enigmatic craziness in one way or another. I’ve included some of Pedro's best moments below:
The voice of both teams also comes through when watching both teams. Doyle, the blunt and optimistic radio announcer for the Indians, provided some colorful commentary throughout the team’s run. Openly biased by his fandom for the team, Doyle’s quips are highly entertaining, espousing ideas any fan would if they were in a similar position.
Zumoff also caries a similar role for the Sixers as the play-by-play television announcer for CSN Philly. Zumoff might not be as overt as Doyle, but it’s clear he has a passion for the team. Working with former NBA player Malik Rose, Zumoff is always upbeat and isn’t afraid to get carried away when the Sixers are doing well. Needless to say, he’s been noticeably cheerful during the last three games.
The Sixers have had an incredible start to their season. Before they played the Heat on Wednesday, it would have been ludicrous to think the Sixers would get three wins in the entire month of November. Although I’m still not entirely convinced they’ll compete in any substantial way this season, this first week of magic has given fans a lot to hope for.
No comments:
Post a Comment