Despite being plagued by injuries the 76ers got their first win of the 2012 Orlando Pro Summer League Wednesday over the Brooklyn Nets, 79-71.  Justin Holiday once again led the way, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds.

The Sixers were without arguably their best player throughout the summer league thus far, Jacob Pullen.  Pullen sprained his right ankle, but thankfully x-rays were negative.  “Big Nik” Vucevic continued to rest his aggravated Achilles and rookie Maurice Harkless remained sidelined after injuring his hip yesterday against the Utah Jazz.

On the other side of things Lavoy Allen, who made his two-year $6 million deal official today, was in the starting lineup.  Rounding out the first-five for the Sixers was Holiday, Xavier Silas, Clay Tucker and Solomon Jones.

 
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As Sixers fans already know by now, last Friday the team announced that they’ve agreed to a one-year contract with former Clippers guard Nick Young for close to $6 million.  The team is also ready to use the amnesty clause on veteran forward Elton Brand, while Lou Williams’ time in a Sixers uniform is also now officially over.  Needless to say, last week was a busy week for the 76ers organization.

Young spent his first four-plus seasons with the Washington Wizards before he was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in March.

With the Wizards last season, Young averaged 16.6 points in 40 games (32 starts).  He drew the attention of the Sixers front office in an early-season match-up where he dropped 27 points while pulling down 7 rebounds in a losing effort vs. our 7-6.

It was his efforts in games like this that ultimately drew the Clippers interest in Young as they acquired him late in the season in a three-team deal with the Wizards and Nuggets.

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Well, no one can accuse the Sixers of being inactive during the 2012 off-season. 

Still, this latest move once again has us asking “What exactly is the game plan here?”

In a curious move, the 7-6 went out and acquired yet another wing player.  According to multiple reports, this time the front office pulled in Dorrell Wright (6-9; 205) from the Warriors for a future draft pick.  Wright was good for 10.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game last season for the Warriors in 27 minutes per night.  He owned a PER of 15.07 and has one year left on his current contract at $4.1 million.

With the drafting of Maurice Harkless (6-9; 205), the signing of Nick Young (6-8; 210) and now the addition of Wright an already crowded and confusing wing situation in Philadunkia nation has become complete chaos.  There has to be a big move coming, right????

More on Wright after the jump…  

 
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The 76ers once again found themselves coming up just short in the Orlando Pro Summer League, falling to the Utah Jazz 84-80 in day two’s opening game.

The good news is that the Sixers got off to a much better start today, attacking the basket early and shooting over 44 percent for the game.  Still, it wasn’t enough to secure a first W for the 7-6 down in Orlando.  Jacob Pullen and Justin Holiday led the way for the Sixers with 23 and 16 points respectfully.  Pullen got the start at point guard today following an impressive performance yesterday against the Pacers.  He continued to aggressively attack the basket and use his quickness to his advantage.  Despite his skinny frame, Holiday continued to find the ball, leading all Sixers with seven boards. 

Rookie Maurice Harkless had a nice basket from the lower block early, but once again seemed to disappear.  The rookie out of St. John’s certainly wasn’t playing bad, but struggled to create plays for himself off the ball.

 
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It was a slow start to the Philadelphia 76ers 2012 summer season as they fell to the Indiana Pacers 69-63 in their opening game of the Orlando Pro Summer League.

The Sixers and Pacers both got off to less then desireable starts, finishing the first quarter tied at 12 a piece.  Along with sloppy play and a few poor decisions, the 76ers couldn’t seem to get a jumper to fall and were even more reluctant to drive to the bucket.

The Sixers shot just 31.3% on the day, including dismal performances by Clay Tucker (2 for 12) and Xavier Silas who was (3 for 10).

First round pick Maurice Harkless played well, but was not overwhelmingly impressive.  The 6’8’’ guard-forward shot four of nine from the field and knocked down his only three point attempt of the game.

Harkless’ length and athleticism continues to be impressive on the defensive end, but being a little on the skinny side allowed him to be banged around a bit in the paint and pushed around by a stronger Lance Stephenson.  The 15th overall pick started the game for the Sixers and logged 23 minutes scoring nine points and grabbing five boards.

 
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As the League continues to swirl amidst free agent rumors, trade demands, offer-sheets and amnesty cases, the 2012 NBA Draft picks and other NBA hopefuls are gearing up for the summer league action.

As you probably know, the 76ers will join the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtic, Utah Jazz, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons in Orlando for the AirTran Airways Orlando Pro Summer League from July 9 – 13.  The 7-6′s first game is tonight at 5pm vs. the Indiana Pacers. 

The Sixers roster is headlined by recent first-round pick Maurice Harkless and  “Big Nik” Vucevic who in 2011-12 went from valued reserve to starter to DNP-CD.  Unfortunately Arnett Moutlrie who was acquired from the Miami Heat through a draft-night trade, will be unable to play due to a severe left ankle sprain. 

After the jump we’ll look at the names and bios of the players that will make up the 76ers 2012 OPSL roster… 

 
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Let’s take a journey through the magical land of the NBA off-season. 

In a special place where the Notorious BIG and Lil Kim once reigned supreme, there lived a “HOV” named Jay-Z.  This HOV and his majority owner friend from a continent far far away loved their basketball team so much that they gave Deron Williams $100 million, plus new toys to play with like Joe Johnson, and Gerald Wallace. 

Meanwhile, in  Hollywood, where the land of make believe truly exists (thanks in part to the abundance of dutiful plastic surgeons) Kobe Bryant was given the renewed dream of championship grandeur with the gift of an artful, mystical, point guard named Steve Nash.

And all across the valley of the NBA, hope was spreading as the principalities and powers brought Jason Terry to Boston, Jeremy Lin to Houston (unless the NYK match the offer sheet), Jamal Crawford to the Clippers, and Jason Kidd to New York.

Yes, even King James, who firmly sits on his championship throne, wants to delight in even more glee by recruiting Ray Allen (perhaps), the best marksman in the history of the land. 

But the greatest story of them all was the wondrous and glorious extension given to Spencer Hawes by the majestic power that is the Philadelphia 76ers front office.

THIS HAS JUST BEEN A LESSON IN SARCASM! 

Oh, and this is certainly no fairy tale for Sixers’ fans.

 
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Maurice Harkless has the look of an NBA player.  More importantly, he is an NBA Player.  Better yet, he should become an all star and multiple time member of the all defensive team.  He was great value with the 15th pick.  Harkless has the traits on a NBA player and history going for him.

Here are the positives.  Andre Iguodala and Doug Collins will be an immense help teaching the defensive aspects of basketball to Harkless, and he has all the tools to excel on that end on the floor.  Philadelphia is a very good passing team, which is a far cry from what Harkless experienced in his one year stint at St Johns.  Lastly, Philadelphia has good players. The better your 4 teammates on the court are, the better you will likely be.

That being said, he is coming into a situation that isn’t conducive to maximizing his talents.  It’s likely that Philadelphia is one of the 5 worst teams in the NBA for Maurice Harkless to be a rookie on.  Playing time, a lack of team 3pt shooting (attempts not %) and lack of inside scoring presence are issues for the Sixers that will hinder Maurice’s development in his rookie season.

However, the positives of drafting Harkless far outweigh the negatives as the negatives are short term issues and the positives will present long term returns. 

Now let’s look at history and the overwhelming evidence that Harkless was a great pick.
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