An In-Depth Look Into 76ers' Rebuild

From the outside looking in, it may seem preposterous what the Sixers are doing in Philadelphia. Even from the perspective of actual 76er fans, the question of "What the hell are we exactly doing here?" arises. With the accusations of tanking and key players being traded, including a rookie of the year winner and a future Finals MVP, its easy to ask that question. Where is this franchise heading? Why the hell are we trading away all our promising players? Will we ever be a respectable team again? 

Well we at The FreeLancers will do our best to open the eyes of every NBA or 76er fan who reads this. We will break down every intricate detail of the 76er's rebuild with the hopes that some closure can be made. With the hopes of instilling some faith into people that this team will rise again.  We will start with the last playoff berth.

The 2011-2012 Lock-Out Year

The 2011 was the 4th time the NBA experienced a lockout. It delayed the the start of the 2011-2012 season, reducing the number of regular season games from 82 to 66. Teams could not trade, sign or even talk to players during this time period. Even with this drama looming, the 76ers still managed to finish 4 games above .500 under head coach Doug Collins and even made the playoffs as the 8th seed in the East. I know right? It is almost unfathomable to think that not to long ago, this 76er team was in the playoffs, actual making a not-so realistic run at a title. Here's a look at the depth chart and starting lineup.

Not a bad lineup considering what we are working with now in Philly. As we move on, let us watch how this roster will deteriorate over time. This team finished 35-31 and beat the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls in the first round of the playoffs. The Sixers then faced another injury-riddled team in The Boston Celtics the following round. They almost advanced. They lost the series in 7 games. Unthinkable, The Sixers were a game away from being in the Eastern Conference Finals. Wow. 
Here is where it all went downhill.

The 2012 Offseason: The Andrew Bynum Trade

After a promising year during the NBA lockout, the 76ers made a roster move that more or less sent this team into a rebuild. At the time, there was not to much question as to whether this deal would hamper the team at all. In fact, it was thought that this trade would boost the Philadelphia squad to a new level.
Here is the block buster trade in recap, it included 4 teams and some huge names:

The Sixers get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

The Lakers get Dwight Howard, Earl Clark and Chris Duhon.

The Nuggets get Andre Iguodala.

The Magic get Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Christian Eyenga, Josh McRoberts and protected first round picks from each team, and a second round pick from Denver.

This trade rocked the NBA. Lets take a look into who the Sixers lost. Andre Iguodala, the teams leader and captain has been sent to Denver. They lose their first round draft pick Mo Harkless, and quality bench player Nik Vucevic in this trade. Hindsight will tell you that the Sixers just lost a quality scorer and rebounder in Vucevic and a Finals MVP. Now, lets take a look at who we received. We received a valued veteran in Jason Richardson and a perennial all-star center in Andrew Bynum. Jerseys flew off the counters. After a promising 2011-2012 year, all things were looking up.

Except when hindsight kicks in, and you realize Andrew Bynum would never set floor as a 76er. That's right, we all remember the terrible hair-styles on the bench, we remember the jerseys, we remember the bowling injury to Bynum's foot. What we do not remember was the baskets because there weren't any. Bynum would never play for the 76ers and was then traded to the Cavs. The team just gave up Iguodala, Vucevic, and Harkless, for Jason Richardson. In hindsight, this was awful. But in fairness, no one could have seen this coming.

The General Manager who made this decision, Tony DiLeo, was let go because of it. The man hired to take his place would send this 76er team into a new era. An era of losing.

The Sam Hinkie Era

Sam Hinkie had been hired to the General Manager position and would soon make many moves that will leave you to scratch your head. The 2012-2013 season would not go as well as previous seasons. The 76ers would finish 34-48, good for 9th in the East. Doug Collins would resign. Many thought Collins was running from a terrible situation that was ready to start its rebuild. However, he stated that he was missing his family and needed to reconnect. The 2012-2013 season was a dud. The team lost the players mentioned in the trade above, but also lost Lou Williams to free agency as well as Elton Brand to the Mavs in an amnesty trade. So here is a look at the 76er starting lineup entering the 2013 Draft:

PG- Jrue Holiday
SG- Nick Young
SF- Evan Turner
PF- Thaddeus Young
C- Spencer Hawes

Not a terrible lineup to work with. There is some young talent here. But what will Hinkie do with it?

2013-2014 Season: Hinkie Makes His Mark

Hinkie made his first splash during the 2013 NBA Draft. Boy were fans upset with this one. We already saw a fan-favorite leave for a Big Man with knee injuries. We learned our lesson right? Sam Hinkie and the 76ers would trade point guard Jrue Holiday, beloved in the city who was holding on tight, to New Orleans, for Kentucky Center and 6th overall pick, Nerlens Noel. Who, yes, just came off a devastating ACL-tear. The Sixers also picked up a 2014 protected pick from NO. The Sixers also acquired Michael Carter-Williams, point guard from Syracuse, with the 11th overall pick. The team acquired two young talents and a future draft pick at the expense of Jrue Holiday. Before things get too confusing, here is a look at the new 76er
lineup heading into the 2013-2014 season.

PG- Michael Carter-Williams
SG- Hollis Thompson
SF- Evan Turner
PF- Thad Young
C- Spencer Hawes

Wait wait wait! Where is our new Center Nerlens Noel? Why is he not starting? Well, that was because of a reaggrevation in Noel's injury that kept him out the entire 2013-2014 season. This couldn't happen again right? The team just could not catch a break. Another big man, lost to injury.

The team still had no head coach. Sam Hinkie would hire former San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Brett Brown to lead the team into the 2013-2014 season. Fans, although still upset about Noel not playing, saw hope that a man who had been so accustomed to winning in San Antonio, could bring some of that magic to Philly. Well, there was anything but magic in Philly. The 2013-2014 was one of the worst seasons the team had had in its entire franchise history. The team finished 19-63, while losing 26 consecutive games along the way.

Before the 2014 trade deadline, Sam Hinkie made more moves. Moves that would forever be questioned. Evan Turner was traded to the Pacers, Spencer Hawes was traded to the Cavs, and Lavoy Allen was also traded. These moves garned an aging Danny Granger, Henry Sims, and a total of 5 2nd round picks.

In hindsight, these trades have helped the team dramatically. And seeing what the moved players have become helps the cause even more. At the time, fans had been heartbroken to see that playoff team be completely broken apart. Here is the starting lineup after the 2013-2014 season:

PG- Michael Carter-Williams (Rookie of the Year)
SG- Tony Wroten
SF- Hollis Thompson
PF- Thaddeus Young
C- Nerlens Noel

Before the 2014-2015 season could start, Sam Hinkie had another trick up his sleeve. Once the season had commenced, Hinkie traded Thaddeus Young to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Miami Heat's 2015 first-round pick, Luc Mbah A Moute, and Alexy Shved. Another devastating blow to a fanbase that was getting frustrated.

 

2014-2015 Season: More losing

The 2014 NBA Draft would only bring more questions as to what Sam Hinkie was thinking. With the third pick in the 2014 draft, the Sixers picked Kansas center Joel Embiid. More and more outrage ensued because the Kansas big man had also endured many lower-body injuries, just like Bynum and Noel. In the same draft, the Sixers also had the 12th pick which they used to acquire power forward Dario Saric, another big man who had played overseas. To this day, we have not seen Embiid nor Saric play a minute for the Sixers because of injuries and international technicalities.

Many Philadelphia fans began to lose faith as the Sixers continued to draft big men who had injury issues. At this point, Bynum has gone, Noel has yet to play, and the team is expecting Embiid to also miss the upcoming season.

Another dreadful season was ahead. The Brett-Brown-led 76ers went 18-64 in the regular season. However, whatever Sixers fans were left still had hope because the team had the reigning Rookie of the Year, Michael Carter-Williams. Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse, Hinkie traded MCW and K.J. McDaniels to Milwaukee for JaVale McGee, Isaiah Canaan, a protected first-round pick from the Lakers and Thunder, and a second-round pick.

At first glance, it seemed as though the Sixers were losing on purpose, trading away all young talent, including the 2014-2015 Rookie of the Year. Yet, if you take a deeper look, the moves Sam Hinkie made during his current tenure have put the 76ers into a great position to draft new players that will fit the mold while also clearing up enough space to make big moves in free agency.

Here's the starting lineup after the 2014-2015 season:

PG- Isaiah Canaan
SG- Hollis Thompson
SF- Robert Covington
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Henry Simms

By now, if you are a Sixer fan, you're getting laughed at by the rest of the league. There isn't much to hold onto here besides an abundance of draft picks, Noel and Embiid's potential, and a 2015 lottery pick.

2015-2016 Season: The 2015 Draft

In this draft, the Sixers obtained the third-overall pick. Philadephia fans had hoped to land Ohio State's DeAngelo Russell to replace MCW at the point guard position. However, the Lakers picked Russell at two, leaving Philly to draft another big man for the third consecutive year. This center was named Jahlil Okafor from Duke University. If you thought it couldn't get any worse, it did in the current 2015-2016 season. 

If you didn't know, the Sixers started 0-28 this year, the record for the longest losing streak in American sports. Jahlil Okafor was the small and dim light that shined in Philadelphia thus far. Okafor is averaging 17.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG this year, thrusting his name into the Rookie of the Year conversation.

Here's the starting lineup to date:

PG- Ish Smith
SG- Jakarr Sampson
SF- Robert Covington
PF- Nerlens Noel
C- Jahlil Okafor

The Future

So what does the future hold for this team? This season is a loss. The Sixers are projected to have these picks in the upcoming draft: 1st, 17th, and 28th, all within the first round. Embiid's health is still a question as he has yet to step on the court because of injury setbacks, Saric is still in Croatia, and the combination of Okafor and Noel has actually hurt the team.

We know fans don't want to hear it, but trading Jahlil Okafor while he still has value may be the best option for the Sixers. Okafor is dead-last in plus minus in terms of helping on the court. Nerlens Noel seems to be a better fit and the front court would be crowded if they keep all three big men. Embiid has the greatest potential of all three, but has no trade value as he has yet to play. Okafor may be next on the list to go from Philly.

This all may be overwhelming to Sixer fans, but they have to trust in Sam Hinkie's ways and believe that the accumulation of draft picks will pay off.

Here's what Sixer fans have to look forward to:

• Two talented big men in Noel and Embiid (presuming Embiid will be healthy in 2016-2017)
• Dario Saric coming to Philly from Croatia
• The projected number one overall pick, which in all likelyhood will be power foward Ben Simmons
• A valuable big man in Okafor who could get traded for more assets
• A good amount of cap space to use to bring in free agents, such as Harrison Barnes, Brandon Jennings, Mike Conley, or Demar DeRozan.

It is a scary time for the organization, but Sixer fans should be looking up. The best way to get better is through the draft (i.e. Thunder and Bulls) and not by buying your players (i.e. Nets). We will soon find out whether Sam Hinkie's plans will ever work. Continue to be patient and let the plan unfold. Hinkie just might be onto something.