That was… Underwhelming
With the trade deadline passing today, many moves were made across the league, as expected. While a ton of trades happening at the deadline isn’t anything new, it was quite possibly the wildest trade deadline in the history of the NBA. The last of the Nets’ “big three” was dealt early this morning to the Phoenix Suns, creating another superteam in the NBA.
Kevin Durant wasn’t the only blockbuster trade by the Nets, as they sent Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks just a few days prior. It’s safe to say that the Western Conference got a lot tougher while the Eastern Conference isn’t as intimidating. This is, without a doubt, a great thing for the Sixers, as the Durant to Boston rumors could’ve been scary. The game between the Sixers and Celtics last night could very well have been a preview of the Eastern Conference Finals. Our bench got exposed, and it became even more apparent that we needed a new backup center. On the final day before the trade deadline, Morey would have to work some magic to get an improvement from Montrezz Harrell.
Let Morey cook?
Ah yes, the infamous NBA Twitter saying, let _ cook. The hope was that Sixers fans would be able to say this multiple times today en route to a phenomenal trade deadline. Things started off well, getting an improvement from Thybulle offensively, along with a couple of second-round picks. They got their stretch win and would be set with someone like Drummond to anchor the bench.
Unfortunately, Daryl Morey didn’t do anything else of importance, keeping an open hole at the backup center position. Even splitting the minutes between Harrell and Paul Reed would be a liability, especially in the playoffs. It’s hard to envision this team doing anything significant in the postseason without a better backup big. Perhaps the Sixers will run more small ball lineups with Tucker, but even then, it won’t be ideal by any means. After a phenomenal trade deadline last year, Morey followed it up with a stinker. Hopefully, with some rotation adjustments, they can at least make it past the second round.
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Categorized:Sixers