Sixers Q&A With a Friend of the Show

So we are obviously primarily an Eagles based outlet but don’t get it twisted. All five of us are truly 4 for 4. We may bleed green above all else but we’ve longed for Red Octobers, fought with the Broad Street Bullies and Trusted the Process.

As the Philadelphia 76ers are currently the hottest team in the eastern conference, there’s not a better time to talk to one of the most knowledgeable basketball minds in the city Joe Casey. Joe Casey is not only a friend of the show but he is a bit of a basketball savant. He’s currently a senior financial analyst for Fox Sports & Entertainment, a blogger for Busting Brackets and owner of an up and coming outlet MIP Scouting. Together we will take a quick dive into how he feels about the Sixers and their chances to bring the Larry to Philly for the first time in nearly 40 years.

When did you first really find your passion for the game?

I first found my passion for the game during high school. I knew that I wasn’t athletically gifted enough to compete at a high school level or a college level. I think that really locked me in to understanding that I had a passion for the game but needed to find a path that wasn’t on the court. The prospect of off court basketball operations brought me to Seton Hall. They have a pretty popular basketball program that was in a rut prior to the Isaiah Whitehead class. So I was able to reinforce my passion with quality basketball.

Being a graduate of a “basketball school”, how did that enhance your own fandom for the sport?

Yeah New Jersey is a basketball hub and I think that whenever you’re rooting for a team that’s good or has at least relative success in their respective playoffs it bolsters your fandom. The Pirates made the tournament every year I attended, looked to make the tournament last year before the COVID shutdown, and is on track to go again this year.  Anytime your team is successful it definitely increases your fandom. I also had the opportunity to work in the athletics department with Learfield Sports so I was able to attend every game and I got a “court side seat” to the action. I’ve seen some really good players from not only Seton Hall; but from opposing teams in the Big East so I think that definitely increases your fandom when you see quality basketball in a successful program.

What are your thoughts on the process and the results it’s yielded?

My first thought is that it’s a success because when you look at it in the longest view you clearly have the results that you were looking for. Obviously your optimal solution is a championship, but when the process started it was taking a mediocre team and putting them in a position to at least contend. The pre-process Sixers weren’t horrible but they were a mediocre team who were never going to win anything. In my opinion that is worse than being outright bad in sports. Now when the process began there were no guarantees, just a goal. The goal was bottoming out and getting multiple swings at the plate (the top of the draft). You did miss and you have had failures(Okafor/ Fultz), but even aside from our two stars the league is riddled with “processors”. Christian Wood has emerged as one of the better young centers, Jerami Grant is a defensive nightmare, RoCo has made an all NBA defensive team and Dario has carved out a niche as a solid role player; to name just a few. It may feel like a lifetime ago due to the state of the world currently, but just two seasons ago you were four (excruciating) bounces away from a conference finals appearance. Last year was a waste but now we’re back in a structure that is still reaping the benefits of the process. The pillars of our team are from assets created through the process. I think that people say the process wasn’t a success because we haven't seen a championship yet, but these guys are young and we’re in a position to experience even more success for years to come (barring injury).

Just to add to that; we live in a city that’s extremely passionate but extremely reactionary. This fanbase doesn't like when their teams suck and they can’t justify losing. Realistically the process was a cult following. It evolved from a philosophy, to a rallying cry, to a culture. Initially the majority of fans weren’t happy about it, the media wasn’t happy about it, but at the time other teams in the city were playing mediocre and nobody was nearly as upset. Now we got here to exactly where we wanted to be, a team with a real chance, and people aren’t happy that they’re not winning. You’re never going to please everybody and people are gonna say the process was a failure because it fits their narrative. However, when you look at it all in a broad view you got a bunch of bites at the apple and turned some of those opportunities into real trade chips and bonafide superstars.  Obviously they missed a few times but you hit when it mattered so the process overall was a success and that’s something that we will be able to lean on for hopefully the next decade.

What’s your opinion on Ben Simmons stagnant offensive game?

Ben Simmons stagnant offensive game isn't a real story in my opinion. Obviously we want to see Ben Simmons score  22 points a game and give us eight and seven but that’s just not who he is right now. I would love to see his aggression increase but for now I say; what does he bring the team?” What  is he doing to make us better? What do you do to elevate us? So in my opinion what he is doing right now on the court overall outweighs his offensive woes. Now if he comes out in the next 45 games and can’t throw more than three assists or grab more than seven rebounds that’s a problem. but until that happens…. which I don’t think it will, you can’t worry about his offensive game too much.

Right now you don’t even need Simmons to shoot but you need him to defend the best opposing player. You need him to rebound and assist at an elite level and give you those 15-18 points a game. I would like to see him take more shots but if he doesn’t it’s not gonna kill us. A very broad and loosely based example of this is what JJ was for the Sixers. He was a liability to say the least on defense, but you had defensive studs around him that hid Reddick's deficiencies and didn’t let him get exposed. Now on that train of thought you have guys on offense who space the floor that kind of hide Bens offensive struggles. He’s going to be under the microscope because he’s a star athlete in Philadelphia, but right now he is not essential on the offensive end and they’re still among the best teams in basketball.

Does Joel Embiid have a chance to win the MVP?

The short answer is yes. He would be the first big to win since Dirk Nowitzki. It’s been a pretty guard dominant award. Obviously Giannis won but he’s more of a point forward than a true big man. So I think that if he is to have a legitimate chance, three things need to happen.

First things first. For him to have a real argument in a 72 game season he has to play 55 to 61 games.

Second, the Sixers have to finish top three, probably top two in the conference because generally MVPs get the benefit of the doubt when they’re winning as a team.

Thirdly, he just needs to continue to do what he does. If he’s averaging what he is right now and also checks those two boxes he definitely wins with ease.

Do the Sixers have a chance to finally make it out of the 2nd round?

Yes. Clearly we have had second round issues, and I know we always say this year is different, but I genuinely think this year is different. I believe that the team is finally compatible with their stars. You haven’t had outside shooting really since Covington, Dario and JJ and they won 52 games that year. Last year was a wash. They sucked, they were a mess and it seemed like none of the pieces fit. It was slow, lumbering basketball with no spacing. Now you had a guy come in to fix it (Morey) and give them a real team. I think they’re the best team in the conference, even with Brooklyn in their current rendition. They can’t play defense and they can't guard bigs, we just so happen to have arguably the best big in the league playing the best basketball of his young career. I think as long as the role players on the Sixers stay consistent, which they’ve proven to do so far, we will succeed and get past the second round.

Who is your current favorite Sixer, all time favorite Sixer, and Your favorite process Sixer?

I would say my favorite current Sixer is Embiid. I think that he is the anchor and the straw that stirs the drink. When he is going well the entire team is elevated. He’s also the last true link to the Sam Hinkie process.

I think that my favorite all-time Sixers is Allen Iverson even though I didn’t get to see him play frequently at his peak. It just always felt like he was different when he was in the building even when he was on the other team. His tenacity and energy was an embodiment of the city;  his skill level and will to win are in the upper echelon of any player to ever lace them up.

It's hard to pick a favorite process Sixer. Tony Wroten or Hollis Thompson come to mind, I feel like those two really were pieces of the process. Wroten coined “trust the process'' he was the first to say it so definitely him. Thompsons shooting brought some excitement to a team without much to be had. Ohh, and also Christian Wood. I knew that he was going to be a problem before he ever got any real minutes. His athleticism and length were undeniable and I’m happy to see him succeeding.

Any player you would love to realistically add to this team?

Realistically I think we are a pretty complete team right now and you would have to look at the big picture. Whoever ends up on the trade block, you'd be looking at somebody who would be disgruntled. I Don't know if I want to mess with the chemistry too much right now, the vibes are great. If I had to pick, I think Kevin Porter Jr. would’ve been a great value pick up for a second rounder but unfortunately he went to Houston. Speaking of Houston, I would entertain the idea of adding PJ Tucker if it was swapping Mike Scott. I think their contracts match up pretty well and Tucker would be a nice 3 and D addition. Outside of that I would kind of hold I’m pretty happy with the team right now and as I said before I think they have a legitimate shot to make some noise.

Alright that just about wraps it up, anything you want to add that we may not have covered?

No, I think we pretty much covered all the big topics. I mean shameless self plug…. Go check out MIPScouting.com and BustingBrackets.com on Fansided. Oh and of course Trust The Process

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