Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Already, the conspiracy theorists are working overtime on the latest announcement by the Philadelphia 76ers that last year’s lottery pick, Joel Embiid, has had a setback. The 7-footer missed the entire season with a stress fracture of the right foot. GM Sam Hinkie said in a statement that a recent CT scan, performed in Los Angeles, revealed less healing than anticipated at this point.
Some people in Philadelphia are saying that this is just a ploy by Hinkie to make picking another big man more palatable to a Philadelphia fanbase demanding that the logical choice of guard D’Angelo Russell of Ohio State, be the team’s first pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. The fact that the Sixers even revealed this news, when they did not have to, was curious in and of itself.
Everyone knows by now that Hinkie prefers what he calls “assets” over players, but that’s a temptation he should avoid at all costs now, even with the latest injury setback. It’s not a foregone conclusion that the first two choices in the draft will be the two big men, Karl-Anthony Towns and Jahlil Okafor, but it is close. So that leaves the No. 3 choice as Russell and the Sixers should draft him no matter what Embiid’s’ status turns out to be. Even if the Los Angeles Lakers surprise people and pick Russell at No. 2, the Sixers should resist the temptation to pick one of the two remaining big men and go for guard Emmanuel Mudiay, a former SMU recruit who played last season in China.
The Sixers need talent, not assets, and Russell or Mudiay would be the best talent fit available for their current needs. They are fine in the middle with Nerlens Noel and do not need to add another big man at this stage of their rebuilding process. Despite Embiid’s uncertain future, the Sixers need to pick the players who can help them win sooner than later.
Mike Gibson is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @papreps , “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
