“We Found Love in a Hopeless Place...” “We Found Love in Phila-del-phi-a!”
Entrench The Process!
The Sam Hinkie Reclamation Campaign is in full swing up in Philadelphia. That’s where giddy fans of the 76ers are about to enjoy a Saturday matinee pitting their newfound heroes against the Atlanta Hawks (12:30 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast, 92.9 FM in ATL) at The “Screw You, Wells Fargo!” Center.
The general manager during the Sixers’ deep dive down the NBA’s tanking rabbit hole, Hinkie jumped before he could be pushed last spring by a reformulated brain trust. He left behind a 7,000-plus word manifesto that could have just as easily been initially drafted during his first day at the job in 2013. While we all had a good laugh at Hinkie and the 76ers’ expense, one man took up the mantle to make sure The Process lived on. Through him. Or is that, through Him?
“He (Hinkie) Died For Our Sins”, hash-tagged Cameroonian-American 7-foot prospect Joel Embiid, having some semi-serious fun after a Sixer fan showed up with that sign on Draft Night. Months later, you’d have thought Embiid was speaking in third-person about himself, since the Philly Phaithful have transformed the center of their future into “J.E.sus!” My land, you’d think he had just turned Wishniak into wine!
Ever since 2014, while rehabbing from pre-draft surgery for a broken foot, Embiid recognized his legacy would be intricately tied to the 76ers’ brain trust. After all, these were the individuals who drafted him third-overall despite his injury, charted his rehabilitation every step of the way, and fended off critiques from a skeptical Phanbase still smarting from the 2012 Dwight Howard multi-team deal that netted them Andrew Bynum.
Well before anyone could be sure he’d be cleared to perform on an NBA court after two seasons off, Joel implored fans to begin calling him, “The Process.” He understood that the fans had to believe in the foundation Hinkie left behind. After all, Embiid recognizes, he IS the foundation!
Last season, it became evident that the pugilistic pivot Jahlil Okafor could not be the answer to his team’s long-term hopes. But for Jeff Teague spilling the beans about his nagging patella problem during the offseason (anytime I realize I might have to go back to Philly, my knee starts aching, too!), Philly Phorward Nerlens Noel would be rocking Georgia Granite Gray right now. And when 2016’s tantalizing top pick Ben Simmons went down with a broken foot of his own, Phorsaken Philadelphians found themselves desperate for something, anything worth clinging to.
Enter Embiid. He’s on a tight minutes-restriction, under orders from head coach Brett Brown. But, first through the preseason, then in 22 minutes of debut action on Wednesday night, he displayed the kind of boundless energy, ingenuity, and production that had 76ers fans leaping like they used to do in those 80s Toyota commercials. 20 points! 7 boards! Highlight-reel blocks! A three-pointer (thanks to all you "regular" people out there)! 7-for-8 from the charity stripe! You’d have thought his Sixers (0-1) beat Oklahoma City 103-97, not the other way around!
Pump the brakes?? There ARE no brakes, Thelma! You wanna talk about his 4 turnovers? Ain’t nobody got time for that! Wanna know the fastest way to get Philly Physicians Phlipping you the Double Bird Special? Bring up his 6-for-16 shooting from the field, go ahead, I dare you. Yeah, they’ve got your 47.1 usage percentage right here...
You’ll recall the days in 2010, when 2009 top-pick rookie Blake Griffin, coming off a year-long knee injury hiatus, suddenly morphed into “OMFG Blake Griffin! Must See BG!” That’s what Sixer fans are holding out for. They don’t want to just “trust” that Joel was worth the wait. They need to KNOW that. So, for 2016-17, the Human Instagram Post can do no wrong in their eyes.
Everyone knows there’s a shelf-life to Philly sports fans’ patience; Joel will become “Embood” soon enough. But for now, J.E.sus is THE reason for the season. Donovan McNabb must be somewhere wondering where all this patience is coming from.
One draft before Embiid, in 2013, Hinkie’s first tank job netted the Sixers their Point Guard of the Future with pick #11. And in his rookie debut (22 points! 12 assists! 9 steals!), knocking off the defending NBA champs, it sure looked like Michael Carter-Williams was gonna pan out, in spades!
Well, so much for that. Fast forward three years. MCW kicks off the 2016-17 season riding the pine in Chicago, behind Rajon Rondo, after being traded for the second time, this last time in exchange for Tony Snell. Coincidentally, the next point guard taken in that 2013 draft was selected by the Hawks at #17. And it seems like this one’s a keeper!
If you can excuse penciled-in All-Star point guard John Wall, like Griffin and Simmons a former #1 overall pick, for a lackluster season debut (3-for-15 FGs, 10 assists, 5 TOs) in Thursday night’s 114-99 loss by the Wizards in Atlanta, then you can certainly give a break to the Hawks’ freshly-minted, contract-extended starting point guard, Dennis Schröder, by three years Wall’s junior. While this was Wall’s first official game after offseason surgery on both knees, Schröder’s wrist had to be sore, certainly after signing all the papers on his 4-year, $62-million-plus contract extension.
Dennis managed to sink 6 of his 12 shots, but committed 4 turnovers and produced just 2 assists, generally bogging down the Hawks’ passing-oriented halfcourt offense. But he’s got all season, plus some of the next four, to work through the kinks and perfect his game. After all, if there’s anything Carter-Williams teaches us, it’s that your NBA career is going to peak at some point, don’t let it happen in October, especially against the Wizards and 76ers.
Washington’s big-time backcourt mates Wall and Bradley Beal (0-for-2 3FGs, 3 TOs) each had subpar offensive outputs thanks largely to forwards like Paul Millsap, Sefolosha, and Kent Bazemore checking them, everywhere from the 3-point line to right under the hoop.
Keeping Wall from springing free while Schröder and Malcolm Delaney struggled through screens kept Markieff Morris (22 points, 9-for-18 FGs), who couldn’t believe his luck, open on the weak side all night. The Hawks picked the right poison, and nobody on the Wizards, including Morris, had a defensive answer for Millsap (28 points, 11-for-20 FGs, team-high 6 assists). Whether the Sixers will remains to be seen.
The guard taken seven picks after Schröder in 2013 wound up in Atlanta, too, and he was the one who caught many Hawks fans ((looks in mirror)) by surprise on Thursday. After a horrific start to the preseason, Tim Hardaway broke out with 21 points (8-for-13 FGs, 3-for-5 3FGs), blistering the Wizards and managing to somehow outshine Thabo “Swissair” Sefolosha (6-for-8 FGs, 5 steals, 5 assists, 7 rebounds) off the bench.
Going from facing fellow Wolverine alum Trey Burke on Thursday to Nik Stauskas (5-for-5 2FGs vs. OKC) this afternoon, Hardaway should find a lot of open shots and green lights. Anything resembling a facsimile of his season-opening performance will be welcome. Philly is instructed to crowd the paint defensively, so former 76er Kyle Korver should find ample daylight, as well.
Embiid isn’t the sole reason Sixer fans are suddenly dropping their soft pretzels and rushing to The Center. Euroleague superstar Sergio “Spanish Chocolate” Rodriguez, last playing in the NBA as a 23-year-old with the Knicks back in 2010, is earning praise for becoming the steady hand the 76ers have lacked at the position for quite some time, as exemplified in his sturdy season debut (12 points, 9 assists, NO turnovers) versus Russell Westbrook and the Thunder. Sixer fans concur: nevermind Jrue, or MCW, or Canaan, or Ish… you, El Chacho, are our hope for the future at the point guard position! Until your contract runs out in April, at least.
There was a time when wearing a “DEFENSIVE REBOUNDS MATTER” T-shirt would put you at risk of getting booted off the Philips Arena floor, but it appears the Hawks (1-0) have had second thoughts about that. Against the Wizards, Howard nabbed 19 rebounds (12 defensive), most by any player in their Atlanta debut, and seemingly could have grabbed any many caroms as he wanted against his old Magic understudy, Marcin Gortat.
Howard will undoubtedly serve as a measuring stick in the minds of Embiid and his newfound legions of fans, but Dwight must remain true to coach Mike Budenholzer’s gameplans. With Rodriguez leading the charge, the Sixers will rely on plenty of roll men and lob cutters (from Embiid, to Euro-hope Dario Saric, to Okafor and Richaun Holmes) to finish in and around the paint, and Dwight must avoid overplaying and risking foul trouble.
In Philadelphia, they say, “Winning Isn’t Everything… Full Stop.” Hinkie is gone from the 76ers in body, but not in spirit. Brown and the Sixers’ management remain satisfied with a collection of hustling players willing to give it their all, even when they know their best isn’t usually good enough over the course of 48 minutes, or 82 games.
For the Hawks, the overriding objectives can be simple, if they want it to be. Share the ball, keep the Sixers off the free throw line, contest threes, secure rebounds, break out and convert transition points off live-ball turnovers. Put this game far enough out of reach, by the final quarter, that Coach Bud can grant his rookies (including St. Joe’s legend DeAndre’ Bembry… “The Hawk Will Never Die!”… and Taurean Prince) some extended playing time.
Let’s Go Hawks!
~lw3
