While I'm laying in bed willing this hangover to go away, I thought about the Sixers, as I always do in the friendly confines of my covers. It's been a talking point in recent years that the team hasn't filled out the roster to capacity. Thirteen or fourteen guys seemed like as far as management was willing to go. But Doug Collins has talked about going full tilt so this could be the year. (Sign Of A Bad Team Alert: You get excited about the prospect of signing the 15th guy on the team).
Since Jrue Holiday is the only true point we've got, it's assumed that The Last Man will be a point guard. Candidates? Yes please.
Chris Quinn (Yahoo! Stats) (Schroeder) (Silly Pic)
He's currently on the training camp roster so that works in his favor. On the flippie, he has played just eight minutes in preseason just far. While he did hang around longer than James Florence, this doesn't bode well for his chances of making the team. Quinn has limited (read: none) upside, but he's a smart player with a jump shot. For the last guy on this roster, I'd want someone that could possibly grow into a decent role player. Quinn should get a shot somewhere else once he's done trying to get Dexter exposed.
Javaris Crittenton (Yahoo! Stats) (Silly Pic)
Crittenton's a decent rebounder for a point guard, though he has no real outside shot to speak of and his free-throw shooting can best be described as "terrible," though he's a decent distributor and could develop into a really solid backup point guard.
- RU's Jon L, last year
I've been borderline lovesick over Javaris since his freshman (and only) year and Georgia Tech. Maybe it's because he and Thaddeus Young looked good in gold, but I loved what the dude brought to the table. He's a 6'4 point guard with a nice slashing game and with the right coach, he could be, like Jon said, a great backup. Having recently been cut by Charlotte, he is available for the veteran's minimum. But his career has been filled with off the court issues and frustrated coaches. Being a part of the Lakers Pau Gasol deal probably didn't help either. There's a good chance that if he doesn't commit to being a basketball player, he'll end up in Europe sooner rather than later. Still a good amount of potential though.
Tweety Carter (Yahoo! Stats) (Irrational Inspiration) (Silly Pic - Falcon Punch)
I loved the Tweet at Baylor, especially in his senior year when he committed to distributing and facilitated an offense with LaceDarius Dunn and Ekpe Udoh. He's a quick, strong guard with a nice outside shot. His first step isn't as impressive as Sherron Collins, nor is he as strong with the ball, but he's compact and his range extends to the NBA three. If we're looking to bolster our cool names quota in light of Royal Ivey's departure, Tweety may be what they're looking for.
Jerel McNeal (Yahoo! Stats) (Me) (Schroeder) (Silly Pic)
Throwback! I have been all bout it bout it over McNeal since the '09 mock drafts were cool. This list may have become a cheat sheet for guys who could get me into bed, but I think Jerel's got an NBA game somewhere and I'm just the guy to find it. He's a tweener that should commit himself to playing the point. He'd have to bulk up to use his size to his advantage when quickness would be leaning the other way, but he's a smart player and I'm convinced that on a team where he's not the number one option, he'd slide into a role very nicely. Plus we'd get to see manhugs from he and Wesley Matthews whenever we faced the Blazers.
Jeremy Wise (D-League Stats) (Silly Pic)
Wise averaged a decent five assists per game for the Jam (decent because he usually shared duties with someone else) and scored efficiently. Golden State brought in a lot of point guards, but Wise is a really solid prospect who consistently improved over the course of the season.
- Jon L, July '10
Another biggish guard with distributing qualities, Wise spent last year with the D-League Bakersfield Jam and went undrafted. As a lefty that shot 38% from the field, contributing to a true shooting percentage of 62.2% (wow), he's worth taking a look at. His rebounding numbers a pretty putrid, but it's not like you need your backup one to bang down low. A 99 Drtg is super nice, which makes his 0.199 win shares per 48 minutes great to look at. If we're talking realistic, I think Wise is my pick here.
Of course, all of this could be moot if they don't sign a fifteenth man. But isn't everything I write moot?
Last man on the roster: who ya got?!