CFP wrote:I'm surprised there isn't more Atkinson talk

I'm not. I don't see what he has done to deserve another head coaching job right away.

i like billy d. definite upgrade over brown. he's no grand slam, but would be a solid B+ hire. i agree he's not some great strategist, but at least has a counter move or two. he's dealt with superstars, he's had the deck reshuffled there having to make different pieces fit and he's played with lineups with non spacing bigs. so he checks some boxes for the sixers.

granted the shine wore off of him since his first year, but that roster and core has changed over the years and it was easy to write his teams off and i think he got them to play better than predicted, but it seemed like when he did and he made you believe in them, disappointed come playoffs after that first year tho.

i'm a little worried about the front office shakeup. analytics definitely has to be a tool in pretty much every sport. the key is finding that right amount, it is like a recipe. it's also important to have people who are good at interpreting it. i always hate going from one extreme to the other.

SixerLed3 wrote:

Multiple league sources don’t expect executive vice president of basketball operations Alex Rucker to be back next season. Brand has received a lot of criticism for the Sixers’ shortcomings and poor decisions. However, Rucker has been heavily involved behind the scenes in a lot of the decision-making, according to sources. Philly originally hired him as VP of analytics and strategy in October 2016 after seven years as the Toronto Raptors' senior analytics consultant.

Sources have said assistant GM Ned Cohen and VP of strategy Sergi Oliva were also involved in the decision-making. Oliva had a lot to do with determining the Sixers’ rotation and substitution patterns based on the analytics, according to sources. He was an integral part of the coaching meetings and presented the coaches with an analytics sheet to consult during ames.

Time will tell who the Sixers opt to let go, or if they will re-assign Cohen, Oliva or others in their front office. But a change is definitely coming.

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/philade ... 00908.html

Is it common for the front office to dictate the rotations for the coaching staff like that? Can't tell if Pompey is just a horrible writer or not, but that's what it suggests. I'm sure every staff has analytics teams that provide data to suggest which rotations are effective and against what teams, but moreso as a guide for the coaching staff.

What good coach would want to come here if they don't control their own rotations?

probably brown relied more heavily on those sources because he just wasn't a very good game day coach. don't think he was forced to. you don't pay a guy let's say 5 million a year to have a couple guys making 1/5 of him dictate his decisions.

bring back ben falk.

Interesting thought if we do pick up Billy D - does he advocate for acquiring Paul and if so could we get him for Tobias + filler - id think Presti would want to not take on another salary like that but it was also clear from last season there isn’t much of a market for Paul. I’d do it for the Sixers just bc 2 fewer years on Paul’s deal and he’s still a more valuable playoff player - athletically I think he looked quite good still in bubble too

Also

*rips bong* we’re following the Thunder model

Eddie Jordan wrote:Can't tell if Pompey is just a horrible writer or not

He is

I think parting ways with Donovan shows that Presti knows the CP3 wave is unsustainable, and that he's smart enough to seize this moment to unload what was very recently considered an albatross

I'm down, assuming we preserve draft capital. Feels like we're kind of stuck these next couple years in which Paul could give you a puncher's chance.

Grotewold wrote:

Eddie Jordan wrote:Can't tell if Pompey is just a horrible writer or not

He is

I think parting ways with Donovan shows that Presti knows the CP3 wave is unsustainable, and that he's smart enough to seize this moment to unload the contract

The contract extension negotiation had to be mostly between their cheapskate owner and Donovan though. Presti wouldn’t have been the one making the decision on Donovan’s max salary

joe table wrote:Also

*rips bong* we’re following the Thunder model

Fultz was our James Harden. Jonathon Simmons was Kevin Martin.

joe table wrote:Interesting thought if we do pick up Billy D - does he advocate for acquiring Paul and if so could we get him for Tobias + filler - id think Presti would want to not take on another salary like that but it was also clear from last season there isn’t much of a market for Paul. I’d do it for the Sixers just bc 2 fewer years on Paul’s deal and he’s still a more valuable playoff player - athletically I think he looked quite good still in bubble too

Donovan gone is the beginning of a rebuild that will most certainly include trading Paul. Paul won’t have a ton of value and the assets OKC got to take him on (as well as the assets from the separate PG trade) are enough that I imagine the ask will be reasonable.

I think the problem is that CP will likely have a big say in his location, and I imagine Miami will be higher on that list than Philadelphia.

That said, I would trade Matisse and 21 along with Horford for cp

Money doesn’t work on that trade Paul’s # is 41M

The heat are also saving their cap space for Giannis

I’m not a fan of attaching significant assets to Horford in order to trade him for another problem contract.

Gimpy wrote:I’m not a fan of attaching significant assets to Horford in order to trade him for another problem contract.

Agreed which is why I’m wondering whether Tobi and Scott would get it done

horford and brand are pretty tight and now if you bring in billy d... don't think he's going anywhere right away. i'm guessing the only way he gets moved is if he wants to leave.

city didn't pick the sixers' proposal for the waterfront.

ReadingPhilly wrote:city didn't pick the sixers' proposal for the waterfront.

Chose the group affiliated with a murderer over the one with Scott O'Neill

Eddie Jordan wrote:

SixerLed3 wrote:

Multiple league sources don’t expect executive vice president of basketball operations Alex Rucker to be back next season. Brand has received a lot of criticism for the Sixers’ shortcomings and poor decisions. However, Rucker has been heavily involved behind the scenes in a lot of the decision-making, according to sources. Philly originally hired him as VP of analytics and strategy in October 2016 after seven years as the Toronto Raptors' senior analytics consultant.

Sources have said assistant GM Ned Cohen and VP of strategy Sergi Oliva were also involved in the decision-making. Oliva had a lot to do with determining the Sixers’ rotation and substitution patterns based on the analytics, according to sources. He was an integral part of the coaching meetings and presented the coaches with an analytics sheet to consult during ames.

Time will tell who the Sixers opt to let go, or if they will re-assign Cohen, Oliva or others in their front office. But a change is definitely coming.

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/philade ... 00908.html

Is it common for the front office to dictate the rotations for the coaching staff like that? Can't tell if Pompey is just a horrible writer or not, but that's what it suggests. I'm sure every staff has analytics teams that provide data to suggest which rotations are effective and against what teams, but moreso as a guide for the coaching staff.

What good coach would want to come here if they don't control their own rotations?

Like you said, this is Pompey writing this who (a) frankly I don't think could explain what "analytics" really means or the role it plays in today's game if you asked him to and (b) is notorious for carrying water for whatever source is willing to give him information.

So is it more likely Brown was really just mindlessly following whatever these people tell him? (And I can think of a variety of examples of Brown sticking with a lineup even when the +/- data was bad, most notably starting Fultz for a month last year and then sticking with Horford in the starting lineup for much of this year.)

Or is it more likely that it was just part of the calculation that virtually every team in the league makes when making their rotations and Pompey either doesn't get the distinction or is just parroting what someone in the front office said because they want to put the blame on someone other than themselves?

MoBettle wrote:

Eddie Jordan wrote:

SixerLed3 wrote:

Multiple league sources don’t expect executive vice president of basketball operations Alex Rucker to be back next season. Brand has received a lot of criticism for the Sixers’ shortcomings and poor decisions. However, Rucker has been heavily involved behind the scenes in a lot of the decision-making, according to sources. Philly originally hired him as VP of analytics and strategy in October 2016 after seven years as the Toronto Raptors' senior analytics consultant.

Sources have said assistant GM Ned Cohen and VP of strategy Sergi Oliva were also involved in the decision-making. Oliva had a lot to do with determining the Sixers’ rotation and substitution patterns based on the analytics, according to sources. He was an integral part of the coaching meetings and presented the coaches with an analytics sheet to consult during ames.

Time will tell who the Sixers opt to let go, or if they will re-assign Cohen, Oliva or others in their front office. But a change is definitely coming.

https://www.inquirer.com/sixers/philade ... 00908.html

Is it common for the front office to dictate the rotations for the coaching staff like that? Can't tell if Pompey is just a horrible writer or not, but that's what it suggests. I'm sure every staff has analytics teams that provide data to suggest which rotations are effective and against what teams, but moreso as a guide for the coaching staff.

What good coach would want to come here if they don't control their own rotations?

Like you said, this is Pompey writing this who (a) frankly I don't think could explain what "analytics" really means or the role it plays in today's game if you asked him to and (b) is notorious for carrying water for whatever source is willing to give him information.

So is it more likely Brown was really just mindlessly following whatever these people tell him? (And I can think of a variety of examples of Brown sticking with a lineup even when the +/- data was bad, most notably starting Fultz for a month last year and then sticking with Horford in the starting lineup for much of this year.)

Or is it more likely that it was just part of the calculation that virtually every team in the league makes when making their rotations and Pompey either doesn't get the distinction or is just parroting what someone in the front office said because they want to put the blame on someone other than themselves?

Yeah, it kinda feels like within the organization the "analytics people" might just be anyone that can do a pivot table in excel. I don't doubt that there was a push outside of just Elton to get Horford, and probably some metrics that suggested it would pummel the eastern conference. Just a weird way to frame the Horford deal I guess. Love how Keith ends his articles with a one sentence conclusion like an elementary school book report.

that betting commercial where AI does the step over "recreation" is at once hilarious and pathetic