FanPost

Can Hinkie put together the Sixers of 1983?



Since the season began, I've been watching the games, the front office moves, the fan commentary on all sorts of Sixer sites and have continually thought about the team when I should have been doing many other things. Maybe it's the severity of the winter up here in New York City but I think I've had enough. Honestly, my mind is all beat up reading endless commentary from Sixer fans who want this patchwork team to win meaningless games when the Tank and a long string of losses at the end of this horrible season would guarantee a top 5 pick at worse (the Knicks cannot win more than a couple more games with that pathetic bunch put on the floor) and perhaps the brass ring itself. I am amused by the running commentary from last night's contest with the Bucks where many LB contributors expressed extreme chagrin for the poor play from Ish Smith, a journeyman at best who is not likely to survive the week let alone have any impact whatsoever on the future of this team.

OK, enough. These games mean nothing at all other than the Sixers need to lose and no one needs to get hurt. We all know this. Mercifully, warm weather will soon be here and the regular season will be over. At this point, it looks like Philly will finish behind the Knicks and will get not only their own 1-5 pick but the Miami and the OKC selections as well. The pick of the Lakers is a longshot for sure but perhaps that's a good thing- it will be what it will be. It could convey this year or next- that's part of the intrigue and the fun. The professional basketball fans in LA are not that far removed from their team's greatness and as such they are not going to be happy watching loss after loss but that is a story for another day. At the end of the day, it looks like the Sixers will have Joel Embiid, Tony Wroten, three first round picks, four second round picks, McRae, maybe Saric, coming to join an emerging team with some solid players in Noel, Covington, Grant, etc. A lot of pieces on the Hinkie chessboard indeed.

So I got to thinking recently about the 76ers of 1983. I had upped my season tickets and sat behind the basket on the floor for every game at the Spectrum and just marveled at how it all fit together. Julius Erving was the star but it was clear that he could not take them to the Promised Land even with the assistance of Andrew Toney and Bobby Jones and Mo Cheeks. And then a Miracle occurred! Moses, the MVP of the NBA, was somehow acquired and Dawkins and Caldwell dispatched elsewhere. And it worked. It surely did.

The Sixers won in 1983 with a starting five, three or four substitutes, and the rest of the guys sitting there and waving towels and such. Malone, Erving, Bobby Jones, Cheeks, and Toney played most of the meaningful minutes. Iavaroni started but was never in the game at crunch time. Dependable Clint Richardson came in to spell the guards in a basic three-man weave as Franklin Edwards rarely played more than a couple minutes as Cheeks was rarely in foul trouble and played almost all of the game. Yeoman Clemon Johnson was there to spell the forwards and once in a while to give Moses a chance to catch his breath. And that was pretty much it. Earl "The Pearl" Cureton, Reggie Johnson, big Mark McNamara, and Russ Schoene (who?) were basically ghosts.

My point here is that in 1983 there were five "star" players on the team and really only two "superstars"- Moses and Doc. The rest of the team included those three or four named "good players" and then some guys who were practice fodder and occasional entrants into the games. Bringing this forward to the present day, it has become clear to me that Sam Hinkie really doesn't need to own all the draft picks and he knows that very well. He is looking for those five "star" players (sorry Mr. Ish- you're a pro and I greatly respect that but don't rent any apartments in South Philly just yet), those two "superstars" and four or five "solid" subs to bring that trophy back to town.

So I put this question to you all out there. Who on this team now, or to be acquired in the draft, or brought in through free agency will fit the bill as is set forth below? I suggest that Joel Embiid has a good chance to fill the huge sneakers of "The Chairman of The Boards" in the middle. And then..........can Joel duplicate the defensive prowess of Bobby Jones? Where can Sam Hinkie draft or sign another tandem in the back-court like Maurice Cheeks and "The Boston Strangler" Andrew Toney? Are there already Sixers in the fold that could ably duplicate or exceed the contributions of the Sixers bench in 1983? Is Covington maybe a Clint Richardson type? Where would Grant and Saric fit in here? Who has the stuff, Russell or Mudiay, to wear the mantle of Mo Cheeks and with precision direct a team for damned near 48 minutes a night? Where is our fearless sniper that can play the role of Andrew T.? And who in this entire basketball universe can the true genius Hinkie acquire with the Yankee Dollar or the golden draft pick that can be a worthy successor to the legend that was and is Dr. J.?

So, I put forth the supposition that we only need nine players and four of those can be lesser lights who can contribute meaningful minutes for starters who are getting whatever rest they need. Of course there is always the specter of injury and such and that's why we need those players who wear the team uniform and wait for their chance. I'd like to hear your views. Maybe the modern game needs more than 8-9 players a night although I don't think so with the right personnel. Anyway, something to ponder on a cold night with no game on tap.

WHO FILLS THE BILL?

SF- Erving

PF- B. Jones

C- Malone

PG- Cheeks

SG- Toney

SubG- Richardson

SubPF/C- C. Johnson

SubF- Iavaroni

SubG#2- Edwards

Well, back to the things that I should have been doing today. By the way, the late and very great Earl "Yogi" Strom was a good friend of mine and one of the nicest men I've ever known. I got to spend some down time with him on the golf course as well as seeing him handle the whistle at many contests at the Spectrum. He was one of a kind who adored his beer and made many of us laugh and laugh with his endless supply of stories relating to professional basketball and the folks that he knew from his long journey. Earl always treated the players of the NBA like men and he was beloved by so many including the little people of the game who he always had time for in his busy day. I very much miss him and hope my contributions to this site under his name would bring a chuckle and a call for another round of brew from a dear friend who was one of the best referees in NBA history.

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