May 19, 2017
To wrap up a busy week in the NBA, I have brand new Sixers Mailbag. Again, thanks to everyone who submitted questions:
@rich_hofmann if the Sixers draft Jackson, could that make them major players for JJ Redick? What kind of contract would you offer him?
— Julius Swerving (@GoingHard_inger) May 18, 2017
Redick has been linked to the Sixers in free agency rumors, and I wrote a little bit about them earlier today. First off, when Woj says something, it’s probably true. And make no mistake, Redick would be a perfect fit playing next to Ben Simmons as a three-point shooter that never, never needs the ball in his hands to make an impact (well, except when he’s catching and shooting, but you get what I mean).
As far what type of contract would be responsible for the Sixers to offer, it sounds like Redick wants in the $18-20 million range. I generally think that the years are more important than the dollars in this situation, and a four-year contract at those numbers would probably too much for a 32-year-old player. It depends on the years.
That said, a Redick-Covington-Jackson-Simmons-Embiid (listed in 1-5 defensive order) would be a pretty interesting starting lineup.
@rich_hofmann Don't see a lot of attention being paid to the fit with Simmons in transition. Jackson is a perfect match in this area
— Justin Byrd (@justinbyrd09) May 18, 2017
As someone who wrote about Jackson’s fit the other day, this is a fair point. It should definitely be noted that Jackson fits in every other regard, especially in regard to defense and pace. I don’t particularly see a glaring weakness in his game outside of his jumper. That’s a big deal though, and it’s definitely what the Sixers want to figure out most about Jackson.
@rich_hofmann in the off-chance LA *doesn't* take Lonzo, would that be a no-brainer for the Sixers in your mind?
— Kurt (@Kurt_BSH) May 18, 2017
I would lean towards yes here. The fit would be so good, as the Sixers personnel covers up Lonzo’s weaknesses. Some of the passing sequences between Ball, Simmons, and Saric would look like this:
@rich_hofmann I think Ball is 2nd best player in draft. Is it wrong to hope Sixers don't get him because I'd rather root against him than for him?
— Ricky (@ARicky5) May 18, 2017
I imagine there are more than a few people who share this opinion.
@rich_hofmann Does drafting Josh Jackson kind of mitigate the need to sign Covington to an extension or can we not afford to lose his shooting?
— Roc (@hardROClife) May 18, 2017
This was one of my initial thoughts once the Sixers landed the third pick the other night, because Jackson could overlap with Covington’s skill set in terms of his defensive ability.
I forget who made this concept up (so credit to them!), but my guess is the 26-year-old Covington would pass the Nene Test: Basically, would you be able to reasonably trade his contract a year after the extension kicks in like the Denver Nuggets did with Nene after signing a five-year, $67 million contract extension in 2011? Especially if the Sixers are able to keep RoCo’s future salary somewhat reasonable with an extension, my guess is that they would be able to move him.
More than just shooting, Covington is a two-way wing in a league that frankly doesn’t have many good ones. Even if the Sixers draft Jackson, my guess is the Sixers would still look to lock “Rock” up. And I’m certainly not ruling out that they could work really well together in a switch-heavy defensive lineup with Simmons.
@rich_hofmann Do you trust colangelo to make this pick?
— Brandon Frm NJ (@BrandonfrmNJ) May 18, 2017
Not more or less than most other general managers. I thought he did a nice job in last year’s draft, for what it’s worth. The Ben Simmons pick may not seem like a tough decision in retrospect, but there was a decent amount of people who wanted Brandon Ingram, who struggled mightily his rookie season. And TLC at No. 24 looks like a possible steal.
Colangelo hasn’t done too much of consequence yet outside of drafting Simmons, good or bad. This offseason is when we’re really going to see him start to earn his paycheck.
@rich_hofmann Lakers are selling Russell if Buyer takes Dieng or Mozgov contracts. What do Sixers offer?
— Dave Van Lenten (@PhillyHeel26) May 19, 2017
Nothing. I still can’t quit D’Angelo Russell, but I wouldn’t think about taking on those awful contracts.
@rich_hofmann How does Fox compare to John Wall coming out of college
— J (@Tehbest13) May 19, 2017
Wall was a better shooter even if that wasn’t a strength of his and also he had both higher assists and turnovers. Just looking at their frames, I think Wall was probably more solidly built than Fox. I’m a little worried about Fox defending against bigger guards.
But even though the comparison feels a little irresponsible to make considering how unique Wall is, it’s not totally unfounded. Their elite speed created havoc on both the offensive and defensive end of the floor. If Fox can just become a passable shooter, he has the chance to be really good.
@rich_hofmann Colangelo end of season talked about pf. Do you think ibaka on radar or would make any sense?
— Kevin Mahoney (@mahoney_kevin) May 18, 2017
I wrote about that subject here when Colangelo made those comments. tl;dr version: No effing way.
@rich_hofmann Draft Isaac and sign Holiday.... where does that rank the Sixers defensively in the NBA?
— The P.A.S.T. (@PhillyTrivia) May 18, 2017
Assuming Joel Embiid can stay reasonably healthy, they might be a Top-5 defense with Holiday and Isaac even if I wouldn’t recommend going that route. The Sixers were 10th in the league last season when Embiid played his last game at the end of January.
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