FanPost

Does this Start Now? The Case for Norris Cole.

Does this Start Now? The Case for Norris Cole.

When the Sixers began the media campaign, This Starts Now, it was awkwardly rolled out with Michael Carter Williams still in the flashy video.

At the time, the Sixers were starting to win a few games, on top of that we had Joel Embiid coming in 2015, Dario Saric in 2016, plus two first round picks in the upcoming June draft, ours and Miami's. Then the Sixers got what should've been another first round pick in 2015 with the Javale McGee deal. Shoot, we might even use our cap space on a player this year!

Things have changed since.

MCW was traded in a good deal with the Lakers for a first round pick that will in all likelihood be a top ten pick, and perhaps as high as #4.

Then tragedy struck, and we learned that Joel Embiid, the presumable cornerstone of the rebuild, the franchise talent, would have another surgery and miss another season.

We already knew we'd have to wait at least two years for Dario Saric, and we accepted it. We can wait the same for Joel. But it would've been more palatable if we'd have known about a two year wait from the beginning. Such is life.

We didn't get the #1 pick, OKC and Miami's first round picks didn't vest, and the Lakers took the prospect most likely to 'fit', D'Angelo Russell before we had a shot at him.

Making matters worse, the salary cap which most people assumed would rise to around $67M went all the way up to $70M, somewhat thwarting our strategy of sticking up teams in salary cap and luxury tax trouble by giving all teams an extra $3m cushion.

But things aren't all bad.

Losing Joel hurts less after Jahlil Okafor fell to us at #3. I had predicted we'd trade down if faced with that scenario. We didn't, and I'm glad. I still question his speed and quickness on defense, and I don't think its just a matter of getting in shape. That'll help. But I think he'll top out as an average defender at best. Which is fine, because his offensive game is that far advanced already and poised to get that much better. I wanted Towns, but there's still a very reasonable chance Okafor becomes the best player from this draft.

The Sixers also scored with Richaun Holmes. Bash summer league all you want. When somene sticks out of a crowd, just sit back and appreciate it. He was big and fast, nimble, played inside and out, and hustled on defense, getting rebounds and blocking shots. Even Utah fans were disappointed when he hit the deck and got injured.

If you had nothing else and started off with Jahlil Okafor and Richaun Holmes, you'd be in decent shape. I think they'll play very well together.

Then there was Furkan Aldemir grabbing boards, blocking shots and hitting threes. Jerami Grant looks like a better ballhandler. Jakarr is more confident. And Pierre Jackson seems healthy.

Then, the move of the summer. Getting shooting guard Nik Stauskas, a first round pick, two years of swap rights with SAC and the right to swap OKC/MIA with GS. Just because Stauskas was the #8 pick doesn't mean he's gonna walk right in and be the solution at the shooting guard spot. But I thought he was a legit late lottery pick, better than Gary Harris at least.

Although Stauskas' numbers last year were weak, he brings exactly what we need to the table, shooting and some play making. I'm glad he was aware and offended other teams attacked him on defense. Having Nerlens Noel to back him up should help.

So with Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, and Nik Stauskas, the biggest hole in our lineup is at point guard.

I like Tony Wroten. And if we do nothing else this summer, I hope he's healthy enough to start the season as our starter. I dig his attitude and, at 22, he's younger than 2015 first round picks, Jerian Grant and Delon Wright, I have no reason to believe he won't work on and improve all facets of his game. I hope we lock him up to an extension while his market value is depressed because of injury.

Still, I see Wroten as a Jamal Crawford, sixth man type, who comes in off the bench and has more or less free reign to reek havoc on defenses. Constantly and relentless assaulting the paint and getting opposing bigs in foul trouble.

So if this were actually to START NOW, if we are actually rooting for wins without any regard to ping pong balls and draft slots, I think there's a strong case for signing Norris Cole to be our starting point guard this year.

Can I start out by saying there weren't that many good free agent options at point guard this sumer anyway? The ones that were very good, e.g., Goran Dragic, probably wouldn't have signed with us anyway. I think the only young point guard on the market that was worth our time was Corey Joseph. Good move, Toronto.

Did you know that on top of not getting along very well with Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler just yesterday said his best position is point guard? I say that to say, there's a part of me who imagines the Sixers sending multiple first round picks, Isaiah Canaan and Hollis Thompson to the Bulls for Derrick Rose. If we're gonna do injured players, let's go all out. His $20M contract expires in summer 2017, when the cap will be up to around $115M, and we can either re-sign him if he did well, or go after someone else at that point.

Don't think that's gonna happen? Me neither.

Which brings us back to Norris Cole. If we're going to spend money on a free agent who isn't already a star, then it should be one who is cheap, relatively and who might have some untapped potential. At this point, it looks like it won't take more thand $3-$4M to sign 26 year old Cole. That's not much more than what Furkan Aldemir gets ($2.8M).

For the Heat, Cole played in the shadow of two primary ballhandlers, Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. Could he shine with a new environment and a real chance to perform?

Nooooooobody had any expectations for Ish Smith before he got to the Sixers. He hadn't gotten more than 15min/gm in any of his previous six seasons in the league, and he played for some pretty bad teams. Ish came to Philly and put Isaiah Canaan to shame and on the bench.

Norris Cole, though not a world beater, is in a significantly higher asset class than Ish Smith. Cole is one of only two or three free agents who will get more than the minimum. Smith may not get signed at all. After he got traded to New Orleans, in 24 minutes a game, Cole put up a slash line of .444/.378./743.

Compared to Ish Smith, Norris is taller, a better shooter, the same age, and a much, much, much, much, much better defender. Harassing opposing point guards is his calling card. If you're strictly into stats, his steals don't match his reputation. But if you ask Anthony Davis and other affiliated with New Orleans, they say Norris Cole was a "huge boost" last year and credtied him with helping NO make the playoffs.

It'd be nice to have a player on the team that knows how an NBA championship team practices.

We know that Brett Brown treasures defense first. If we're rocking out with Jahlil Okafor and Nik Stauskas, we're going to need someone who makes things difficult for the other squad. That's not Tony Wroten, who plays passing lanes for steals more than he confronts his man chest to chest. That's not Pierre Jackson, for the same reason. That is TJ McConnell and Scotty Wilbekin, but they have precious little else to give.

Cole is a competent three point shooter. And there's no reason to think that with our emphasis and training with three that he wouldn't get even better at it.

Matter of fact, let us sign Norris Cole to a multi year contract averaging around $4m, let him accumulate stats running our up tempo system, and I guarantee he'll be a valuable trade chip either at the trade deadline in February, especially considering $4M will be considered peanuts once the cap goes up again and again.

If we don't trade him, his presence next year will allow us to make Jamal Murray, Isaiah Briscoe, or whomever work for their spot and come along at their natural pace. You need three point guards. So how does Jamal Murray, Tony Wroten and Norris Cole suit you for next year?

Oh yeah, if we signed Cole to a $4M deal, we'd still have $8M in cap space. That's enough to help Miami or OKC get out of tax trouble, even though that market doesn't seem that lucrative anymore anyway. Portand has $15M in space and their GM Neil Olshey just admitted that they're tanking for next year. Denver will have cap space once they waive Papanikolau.

So is the only reason left for us not to bring in Norris Cole that we'll win too many games this year, which will put us out of the running for a star in next year's draft, like Ben Simmons?

Well, yes. The Sixers will win thirty (30) games with a veteran point guard like Cole next to Stauskas, Covington, Noel and Okafor, and a bench like TWroten, Pappy Jack, Hollis Thompson, Jakarr Sampson, Jerami Grant, Richaun Holmes, Carl Landry and Aldemir.

Winning thirty games and being in contention for most of the rest won't set the rebuild back, because we're going to add Joel Embiid and Dario Saric to that thirty win squad, and then draft a bunch of studs anyway--even if they aren't named Simmons or Ingram.

Consider that Cole isn't THAT good, so the Sixers pick will still be a high lottery pick, and we could even win it. We also have the off chance that Sacramento or Golden State wins it. If we get the #1 pick and also get the Lakers pick at say #5, then we're adding Ben Simmons, Jamal Murray, Embiid and Saric. We'd still have two more first round picks, and might even look good to a free agent.

Also consider that without Cole, the odds are slim that we get Ben Simmons anyway. We didn't get Andrew Wiggins, and we didn't get Karl Anthony Towns. And guess what? It worked out each time.

We have one of the best talent evaluators in the game. HoopsRumors just did a poll asking readers to vote on a 2013 re-draft. In a hindsight draft, Nerlens Noel was chosen #3 (behind Oladipo and Antentokounmpo) and MCW still rated #5. We got Noel with #6 and MCW with #11. KJ McDaniels, Jerami Grant, Saric, Holmes all deserved to be drafted higher than they were. Getting Isaiah Canaan is the one and only move we've made that's made me question Hinkie's judgment.

That speaks volumes. So long as the Sixers and the Lakers picks end up in the top ten, I'm more than confident Hinkie will find us two studs. In my opinion, the only reason the 2016 draft is considered weak is because there are fewer legit seven footers. Skal Labissierre is at the top of the class, and should be the main target for a team like Portland.

But for us, next year's draft is loaded with guards and wing players that would compliment Noel, Okafor, Embiid, Holmes and Saric. It's not a Simmons or nothing draft.

On one hand we could trade up for Simmons, if that's what Hinkie wants to do. His focus on getting a superstar and his collecting swap rights for this year might indicate that he thinks Simmons is worthy.

On the other, getting Norris Cole and having a thirty win season won't stop us from getting Murray, Briscoe, Justin Simon, Alonzo Trier, Dwayne Bacon... Not only will we have two high first round picks and low first round picks, we also have Denver's second round pick. We're not bringing five draft picks and Emibiid and Saric into the fold. So I have to assume Sam will be able to trade up or down to get whichever player not named Simmons he wants.

I'm greedy. I want a rebuild that will yield a championship, and I also want to watch the Sixers compete and win some games.

I think signing Norris Cole strikes that balance.




A user-created LB joint. The Liberty Ballers staff does not contribute to FanPosts.