SIXERS-
As expected, the 76'ers took point guard Markelle Fultz last night at the no. 1 pick.The trio of Fultz, Simmons and Embiid look awesome on paper. But reality is that Fultz and Simmons haven't played a minute in the NBA, and Embiid only has 31 games under his belt.
Hopefully this trio remains healthy this season and beyond. The Sixers medical staff will need to clear these guys to play back-to-back games and more than 28 minutes a game. Depth will be key, in case minutes are limited. This is where GM Colangelo needs to supplement his stars, and hopefully that process began last night.
After Fultz, the Sixers took a Latvia center in a trade with Orlando,and in the second round, selected an Australian front=court player named Johan Bolden.
Bolden hopes to play with Philadelphia this year, and hopes to play in the Summer League. The Latvia center may be stashed away for the future, but the Sixers gave up a 3030 first rounder to get him, so he should be an important piece of the rebuild.
The Sixers have sold a record 14,000 season tickets so far. The city is buying into this young squad, literally. It will take time for the players to settle in and jell. Coach Brett Brown will be under the gun to win now, after 4 years of expecting to lose.
It will be interesting if Colangelo picks up a free agent or two, a veteran to compliment the kids, maybe a shooter like J.J. Reddick.
Making the playoffs this season is a realistic goal. Getting their feet wet in the post season would be a valuable experience for this Sixer team.
For the first time in years, I may jump on the bandwagon and attend a Sixers game , if I can get a ticket.
NBA DRAFT-
* Looks like the Bulls got fleeced when they traded star Jimmy Butler to Minnesota. The Timberwolves are building a good, young team in center Karl Anthony Townes, small forward Andrew Wiggins and Butler. The Wolves are in the west, however, so making the playoffs alone will ne a challenge.
* What is Boston doing? The Celtics traded away the no. 1 overall pick to Philly for the no. 3 pick and a future selection. GM Danny Ainge should've gotten more. Plus he let Butler slip by to Minnesota. A proposed deal for New York Knick Kristop Porsingis fell through, with New York asking for too much in return.
So, to me, Boston got a lesser player in Jayson Tatum, and didn't get the star they need to catch Cleveland.
* Same with Sacramento, a perpetual loser franchise. Once again they baffled with their choices last night, going for projects. =Hopefully the Sixers keep that 2019 no. 1 draft pick from the Kings. They ar ebad now and will never get better.
Speaking of Porzingis, he would look great in the front court alongside Embiid. But the Sixers don't have the firepower now to get Porzingis. They can't trade another first round pick now, and the Knicks aren't stupid enough to take an Okafor plus something else.
PHILLIES-
The Phils won yesterday, only their second win in the eight-game home stand, stopping their 5-game losing streak and preventing the Cardinals from sweeping their season series. Still, it wasn't a happy afternoon at Citizens Bank Park,
First, Odubel Herrera made yet another base running blunder, getting picked-off at third base. That was bad enough. But then he proceed to walk at a slow snail-like pace back to the dugout.
He is alazy bum, a Rule 5 dumb baseball player who will never get any better.
But his lackadaisical attitude goes back to manager Pete Mackanin and his soft approach to his players this season. There is no accountability, no consequences for bad behavior. The players can walk all over Mackanin and they know it, without fear.
Herrera was in the line-up instead of being benched or fined for running through a stop sign in the 9th inning of Wednesday night's game.
Second, releiver Pat Neshak threw only five pitches in the 8th inning to get out of a jam. He refused to pitch the 9th when MacKanin supposedly asked him to close the game. Neshak is a diva. I love the way he pitches and he has been the one bright light in the horrid bullpen.
The Phils are hoping to flip him in a trade next month and get a decent prospect in return. But if he can't pitch everyday , and only for an inning at a time,who wants him?
Mackanin needs to be fired, if only because he has no discipline ion this team and the players have tuned him out.
The fans don't care anymore. Looks like the players have given up too. Can it egt any worse?
* I have expected someone in the media to step up and rip the Phillies for the embarrassment they are. Shills like Todd Zelecki and Jim Salsbury make excuses for brown-nose GM Matt Klentak,
Ther eis no Stan hockman in town anymore. Or even a Bill Conlin.The few honest media members calling it like it is are Larry Andersen and Angelo Cataldi,
Marcus Hayes would be the guy to write a major article, disecting the pathetic franchise. He called for the firing of Eagles GM Howie Rossman last winter. Klentak, Mackanin, Andy MacPhal, and even owner John Middleton ( otherwise known as Moe, Larry, Curley and Shemp)need to be taken down.But who, in hte curent Philly media, can or will do it?
FLYERS- the Flyers pcik no. 2 tonight in the NHL Draft. Forward Nonal Patrick now looks like the pick. Adding young scoring depth will be key as well.
The schedule came out yesterday. Interestingly, there is no Christmas/New Year's holiday trek to the west coast to free the Wells Fargo Center for ice shows. Instead, there are small trips out west, beginning with an opening four-gamer with San Jose, Los Angeles and Anaheim, before finishing the trek to powerful Nashville. A potentially brutal way to open the season. The home opener iss et for Sat. October 14 vs. the Washington Caps,
Overall, it's a pretty balanced schedule. The first games against ezpansion Vegas GoldenKnights is Feb. 11 at Vegas and March 12 at home against the Knights.
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