The Philadelphia 76ers continue revamping the organization, hiring former Rockets GM Daryl Morey as President of Basketball Operations.
The Sixers finally got their man. They pursued Morey two years ago, and the decision-makers of this team have taken shape. Now the focus turns to 2021 as Philadelphia figures out their roster in advance of the start of the year.
Morey joins GM Elton Brand in the front office, along with new head coach Doc Rivers. Rivers, who stepped down from the Los Angeles Clippers following their second-round defeat in the NBA bubble, was hired on October 3rd.
Fresh Starts from the West
Both Rivers and Morey quietly ended their tenures with their respective teams in search of a new start.
Morey began his front-office career in Houston back in 2006. With a focus on advanced statistical-based analysis, the hire reflected the Moneyball (by Michael Lewis) roster management strategy.
In his thirteen years as General Manager, Houston never had a losing record and went to the playoffs nine times, including two Western Conference Finals. The leader of the team and the analytics coup for Morey was MVP James Harden, acquired back in 2012 via trade.
For Rivers, he was the man in charge of the high-priced Clippers team, led by offseason acquisitions Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Unfortunately, LA, one of the title favorites, underperformed in 2020, losing to the Denver Nuggets in the second round.
The early exit and possible locker room discontent gave Rivers a chance to find a new role, and he was hired quickly by Philadelphia.
The Sixers know the capabilities Rivers has as a head coach, winning the 2008 NBA Championship with the rival Celtics.
Getting to Work
The NBA is finalizing their schedule for the 2021 season, and there’s hope the season can begin around Christmas. Free agency and the draft will be this November.
After a disappointing year for Philadelphia, they let go of head coach Brett Brown, coach of the team since 2013.
Philly is led by their All-Star combo, center Joel Embiid and point guard Ben Simmons. After never advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals with this duo, there have been rumors that Simmons and Embiid need to be broken up.
Whether that’s true remains to be seen, and it will be Morey and Brand’s job to right the ship and figure out who to build around and where holes need to be filled.
Philadelphia has some large contracts on the books for the foreseeable future in Al Horford (3 years, $80.7 million) and Tobias Harris (4 years, $139 million). What Morey and the statistical-analysis tools he brings tells the team to do with these contracts will be interesting to keep an eye on.
Philly will select 21st in the upcoming NBA Draft, which is currently scheduled for November 18th. The Sixers opened at 41-1 odds to win the 2021 NBA Championship.
