End of the Great Tank: A 76ers Dynasty [NBA 2K16, PS4]

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End of the Great Tank?

In a move that shocked many around the league, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie announced his resignation earlier today. Hinkie steps away from an organization that has been tanking for years, stockpiling draft picks and young assets for the future.
“The future is now,” newly minted GM Brandon McKenzie stated at his press conference. “Mr. Hinkie has put this organization in an enviable position. We are asset rich, with plenty of cap room to spare. And I'm promising you, fans of this proud franchise, that starting right now I am going to do whatever it takes to turn this team into a winner. Thank you.”
McKenzie, who has spent the last 3 seasons working closely with Pat Riley in Miami in an unnamed role, certainly has the confidence. What remains to be seen is if he can turn around a floundering 76ers organization. Only time will tell…

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A New Process...

McKenzie paced his new office, looking at the photos hanging on his wall. Wilt. Moses. Barkley. The Answer. At the end of the photos hung an empty frame. My frame...but whose photo will hang here?
He loved Nerlens’ defense but didn't think he fit along with Jah. So, who is more valuable? Who do I move?
--A knock--
“Mac?”
“Coach! Come on in. I wanted to talk to you.”
Head coach Brett Brown walked in, taking a seat next to McKenzie’s desk. “What's up, Mac?”
McKenzie never asked Brown to call him Mac, in fact he usually groaned whenever someone did, but for some reason it didn't bother him coming from his coach. “Brett, we gotta get you some help on the floor. We gotta start competing.”
“No arguments here...I love teaching. Love it. But losing takes its toll. Have anyone in mind?”
McKenzie smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do.” Mac glanced toward the photos on his wall. “Let's talk about Jah...about moving Jah.”

[trekfan]

Re: A New Process...

McKenzie paced his new office, looking at the photos hanging on his wall. Wilt. Moses. Barkley. The Answer. At the end of the photos hung an empty frame. My frame...but whose photo will hang here?
He loved Nerlens’ defense but didn't think he fit along with Jah. So, who is more valuable? Who do I move?
--A knock--
“Mac?”
“Coach! Come on in. I wanted to talk to you.”
Head coach Brett Brown walked in, taking a seat next to McKenzie’s desk. “What's up, Mac?”
McKenzie never asked Brown to call him Mac, in fact he usually groaned whenever someone did, but for some reason it didn't bother him coming from his coach. “Brett, we gotta get you some help on the floor. We gotta start competing.”
“No arguments here...I love teaching. Love it. But losing takes its toll. Have anyone in mind?”
McKenzie smiled. “As a matter of fact, I do.” Mac glanced toward the photos on his wall. “Let's talk about Jah...about moving Jah.”

^On board for any move away from Okafor. Honestly, he's not a bad player -- just too raw on defense to be any use for the next 2-3 years. Nerlens is a savant on defense and feasts off easy looks, which is ideal in a league that has so many guys who want to get their shots.

The better question is -- what are you gonna do about Embiid? He's another big who's more defensive than offensive, but he's also an injury risk. I'm of the opinion that a desperate team (IE, someone who consistently misses out on big name FAs) would take a chance on him.

Looking forward to what you're gonna do and following, of course.

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Re: End of the Great Tank: A 76ers Dynasty [NBA 2K16, PS4]

New Sixers Front Office Deals Rookies

If new 76ers GM Brandon McKenzie wanted to grab headlines, he certainly did that today. Whether or not it was a good trade will likely be debated for years to come. In a stunning move, the Sixers moved rookie center Jahlil Okafor to the Chicago Bulls for power forward Nikola Mirotic, veteran center Joakim Noah, and two future protected first round picks. Philadelphia also sends rookie guard TJ McConnell to the Windy City to complete the deal.

McKenzie stood behind the podium and read a brief statement formally announcing the trade: “Moving Jahlil was a tough decision. We have no doubt that he's going to be a very good player in this league, but we decided to move forward with Nerlens (Noel) as our guy down low. For Jah, it's a chance to go home and play. For us, we add a very promising Nikola Mirotic, as well as a passionate veteran in Noah to lead a young team.”

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A New Process...

Coach Brown paced his new boss’s office. “You better be right about this. For both of our sakes.”
“Nerlens is who we build around. A defensive stalwart, an offensive game that will grow. He’ll embody the toughness of this franchise. People are going to fear coming on here, and soon, Coach.”
“So, what next?”
“Joel. I love the kid. Love him. But we have an offer, and I don't know if he's ever going to play meaningful minutes for us. With Nerlens starting, Noah behind him...we have a chance to bring in Deron Williams.”
“Mac, that's going to be a nightmare! He's home in Dallas, and to bring him here, for a rebuild? He's not going to be happy.”
“They're rebuilding in Dallas, too. Sure, he's home. But I know Deron, we have a good relationship. And he’ll come play ball. I know he still has some in the tank. The draft is full of point guards; we bring one in next year, he learns behind DWill, then take over. This can work, Coach. This will work.”

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"Trader Mac" Strikes Again

The Philadelphia 76ers traded their second young big man of the week, moving oft-injured Joel Embiid to the Dallas Mavericks. In return, Philadelphia receives guard Deron Williams and center Zaza Pachulia.

McKenzie, a virtual unknown two weeks ago, is now the talk of the league after trading the number three pick in each of the last two drafts.

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Re: A New Process...

^On board for any move away from Okafor. Honestly, he's not a bad player -- just too raw on defense to be any use for the next 2-3 years. Nerlens is a savant on defense and feasts off easy looks, which is ideal in a league that has so many guys who want to get their shots.

The better question is -- what are you gonna do about Embiid? He's another big who's more defensive than offensive, but he's also an injury risk. I'm of the opinion that a desperate team (IE, someone who consistently misses out on big name FAs) would take a chance on him.

Looking forward to what you're gonna do and following, of course.

Thanks for checking it out! I had a hard time moving Embiid...just because I really don't know what his value is right now. Dallas seemed like a good spot, and I think Deron can help us for a couple of years. I'm toying with the idea of playing him at the 2, along side Ish Smith, to start the season. I'm one game in, and so far not incredibly impressed with Williams...but the roster still needs some work. And I need to learn how to play with them.

[trekfan]

Re: A New Process...

Thanks for checking it out! I had a hard time moving Embiid...just because I really don't know what his value is right now. Dallas seemed like a good spot, and I think Deron can help us for a couple of years. I'm toying with the idea of playing him at the 2, along side Ish Smith, to start the season. I'm one game in, and so far not incredibly impressed with Williams...but the roster still needs some work. And I need to learn how to play with them.

Bold trades. I don't hate them; I think you could have gotten more for Okafor from the Bulls. Noah+Portis and those two firsts would have been my go-to trade there, but to each his own.

And Embiid to Dallas is what I did, to (they fit the profile); good luck with Deron. I have always hated playing with him ... he's just too slow at the point with me. He's a fine sub, but he's a better two-guard, so I'd play him there (but, his minutes there will be at the expensive of your younger guys).

A backup frontline of Noah and Zaza is solid; those two vets are good for ten wins between them, easily. Love, would like to see him win a title, but he's one of the best teammates the NBA has. He'll be good leadership for this squad.

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New Look Sixers Hold On in Beantown

New 76ers general manager Brandon McKenzie jumped in to his role feet first, making two trades that were almost universally panned by critics. One game in to the new process, and everything looks to be coming up Trader Mac.

Philadelphia's new look Sixers jumped out to an early lead against Boston, a playoff team just a season ago, and held on for the first win in the McKenzie era. Brett Brown's team started Ish Smith at the point, with newly acquired veteran guard Deron Williams alongside him in the backcourt at the two, and Smith made his coach look like a genius in the first half. When the first quarter horn sounded, Smith had an already impressive line of 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. He deftly ran the pick and roll with Nerlens Noel, got to the basket with ease, and knocked down a deep three in the quarter. He was slowed down in the 2nd quarter, but led his team to a 50-39 first half lead.

The second half saw the Celtics fight all the way back, tieing the game twice, but never able to take the lead. The Sixers looked out of sorts offensively, but defensively they continued to block or alter many of Bostons shots in the paint.

When all was said and done, Philadelphia saw 4 of their starters reach double digits (all but ice-cold Deron Williams, who struggled to hit the most wide open of shots), led by Noel, Jerami Grant, and Joakim Noah all contributing 14 points.

The game wasn't always pretty, but it ended with a victory for the new look Sixers. And those have been few and far between in the past.

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A New Process...

McKenzie paced his office, adrenaline still pumping two hours after the final buzzer had sounded.
1 and 0. Undefeated. First place. He spent over 90 minutes on the phone, taking congratulations from his mom, his mentor Pat Riley, his predecessor Sam Hinkie even left him a message. The trades will pan out Mac reassured himself. You should have got more for Jahlil, they said. You gave up on Embiid for a has-been, they said. We'll show them! He continued pacing, watching highlights of Ish feeding Nerlens for a slam. Of Nerlens blocking one of Sullinger's shots into the 3rd row. And he ignored Deron lofting brick after brick. The trades will pan out...and we're going to surprise a lot of people.

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76ers Continue Shuffle

[Note: Writing this real life story into my franchise]

The Philadelphia 76ers continue to makeover their organization, this time bringing in Jerry Colangelo as Chairman of Basketball Operations and Mike D'Antoni as associate head coach. Colangelo, 76, is expected to work alongside general manager Brandon McKenzie as the Sixers try to transition from perennial losers to contenders in the East. D'Antoni, who has been a head coach for four different teams, is expected to take a big role with the offense.

"We're very excited to bring Mr. Colangelo and Coach D'Antoni aboard. They both bring a vast amount of experience and knowledge and I look forward to working alongside them," McKenzie said.

Skeptics around the league believe the Sixers are doing too much too fast, but the team finally seems committed to putting a winning product on the floor.

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[Game 3]

Cavs Run Sixers Off Court

After a disappointing (simulated) loss to the Utah Jazz, the Philadelphia 76ers had their hands full again, this time with the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers. And after two quarters of basketball, the Sixers appeared to be up to the challenge, trailing the Cavs by only 5 at the half, thanks to strong performances by Nerlens Noel and Nikola Mirotic.


In the 2nd half, things fell apart for the rebuilding Sixers.

Shots weren't falling from anywhere on the floor, and the combination of Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejoa, and Timofey Mozgov stymied Philadelphia's inside game. Forced to settle for long threes and bad-look jumpers, Cleveland pulled away in the third quarter and and cruised to a 108-89 victory in the City of Brotherly Love.

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Games 4, 5, 6

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