With Nerlens Noel back in the line-up last night for the 76er’s the boys from Philadelphia were able to get another win against a struggling Houston team.  The Sixers beat down on the Rockets for the majority of the game winning 92-71.

Noel played again last night after getting a rest for Game 2 on Sunday.  Noel played an average game at best only scoring 8 points. At times he struggled grabbing rebounds and looked a little sloppy on transition defense.  He did however show signs of the great player Philadunkia nation hopes he will turn out to be.  Noel had three big blocks and a play in which he striped his defender and took it back the length of the court and threw it down with a two handed flush.

However there was some concern about Noel’s health as he seemed to tweak his ankle during the game.

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For Philadunkia nation, the Orlando Pro Summer League is worth watching for many reasons.  We get the chance to see our 2014 high 2^nd round draft picks take the floor.  We get to see Travis Bader, the 3-point specialist, fight for a spot on the team.  Fans also get to see the emergence of high-flying, St. Joe’s product Ronald Roberts, Jr. making highlight reel plays.

All of these players are reasons why fans are tuning in to watch the 76ers in Orlando, but these rookies aren’t the main attraction.  What keeps fans glued to the television is the mystery that is Nerlens Noel.

The defensive center finally took the floor on Saturday afternoon for the 76ers after a year of rehabbing a torn ACL.  The debut of Noel was a sight for sore eyes, especially for Sixers fans, who struggled through the team’s 19 win season in 2013-14.

Not known for his offensive touch, Nerlens did a great job in his first action of the summer, finishing with 19 points and 4 steals.  .  Noel’s summer league debut was great, but what can we expect from him during the regular season?

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Tough physical basketball was the name of the game being played Sunday as the Sixers defeated the Thunder 84-73.

Even better for Philadunkia nation was that the Sixers won big without even having to bring out their star center Nerlens Noel.  Don’t worry; Noel’s knee is fine after putting up 19 points Saturday in his debut game against the Orlando Magic.  The Sixers staff is just sitting him as a precautionary strategy and letting the big man get some rest to finish out this week, then preparing to take off to Las Vegas for another summer league appearance.

There’s no doubt that the 7-6 showed up to play today as they blew past the Thunder.  I looked up at one point to see that the Sixers had taken a 16-point lead, which ended up being their biggest lead of the night.  Ware, Bader, Roberts, and McDaniels all put on a clinic offensively and most importantly looked like each one of them was confident playing their own game.

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A promising and competitive showing was seen from the 76ers yesterday as they played their first game against the home team, the Orlando Magic in the opening day of the Orlando Pro Summer League.  The Sixers were defeated by the Magic 83-77 but a lot can be taken away from the first game down here in sunny Florida.

First, Nerlens Noel had his NBA debut and it didn’t take long at all for him to make a strong impact. Noel had the first field goal of the game with a tremendous dunk that shook Amway Center only 30 seconds after tipoff.  Every Philly fan can breathe a sigh of relief because Noel looked confident and comfortable for not playing a competitive game of basketball in over a year.  Noel finished with 19 points against the Magic.  The big man also knocked down an outstanding 7-7 free throws proving that he has been working very hard on that part of his game.

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On Monday the 76ers announced that Sam Hinkie had decided to waive shooting guard James Anderson bringing an end to his predictable time in a Sixers uniform.  The Sixers claimed Anderson off of waivers on July 16, 2013 and at the time he was hailed as an undervalued talent who owned a lethal jumper from deep.  Most of that turned out to be false.

Anderson appeared in 80 games last year for the Sixers, starting in 62 of those games,  and averaged 10 points, 4 rebounds and shot a paltry 32.8% from three.  Anderson did show an ability to drive the ball to the cup, but his lackluster performance from behind the arc, the fact that he was a liability on defense and salary cap factors led to his release by Hinkie.

The release of Anderson saves the 76ers about $1million dollars, but more importantly the move now opens up a wing spot in the 76ers’ first five.  So once again this year, the 76ers will head to training camp wondering who will be the starting shooting guard on opening night

After the jump we’ll examine the candidates to fill that spot.

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Philadunkia nation fan there is very good chance that we won’t see our first round talents from the 2014 NBA Draft suit up for the team this year.  With Embiid nursing his broken foot for the next six to eight months and Saric playing in Turkey for at least the next two years, the only prospects from Draft14 we’ll see on the court next season will be those Sam Hinkie selected in the second round.

When all the wheeling and dealing was done last Thursday night, Hinkie ended up bringing home four 2^nd round selections, and with the double tank…I mean…another rebuilding year coming up 2014-15, it’s highly likely that this group of second round picks will make the Sixers’ roster and one or two of them may even play significant minutes for Brett Brown this coming season.

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Here’s the way I look at Sam Hinkie and the 76ers 2014 NBA Draft:

You have been dating a woman for a significant period of time — let’s say 9 months.   She has some issues that need work, but overall the gal is cool.  There have been some bumps in the road along the way.  However, as a whole things have gone fairly well and you really like the long term potential of the relationship.

As you approach the relationship’s one year anniversary (June 2013 to June 2014) you plan a special night for the two of you.  It has been communicated to you (although not verbally) that she too is excited about this big happening (Draft night 2014) and that your loyalty and time over the last year will be greatly rewarded.

The night goes perfectly and as you arrive back at your place, she heads into the bedroom to change into something “more comfortable”.  When she returns your gal has on flannel pajamas.  Next she heads to the fridge and grabs a pint of ice cream.  Then she plops on the couch and puts on a chic flick.

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We have reached the “sources say” portion of NBA Draft week, which means right now there are more lies and misdirections floating around the rumor mill than Swaggy P photos on Instagram.

Even though Hinkie is the most tight lipped GM is the League, he isn’t immune to the sources syndrome that has kicked into hyperdrive in the last 24 hours.  Multiple reports have the 76ers sticking at No. 3 and drafting either Dante Exum or Joel Embiid.  A number of other reports claim the Sixers are desperate to move up and are working hard to make that happen on Thursday night. One thing is for sure, the 76ers and their front office people will be in the spotlight at the 2014 NBA Draft.

So, we asked our scribes to assume Sam Hinkie’s role for a minute and submit ideas for both scenarios.

Answers and ideas after the jump.

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With the 2014 NBA Draft just two days away, we though we would check in with the online mock drafts and review how Joel Embiid’s foot injury has impacted the “expert’s” for which direction the 76ers will go on Thursday night with the third pick.

Needless to say, Embiid’s injury has created a good deal of chaos for Sam Hinkie at the No. 3 spot.  Prior to Embiid’s injury and subsequent surgery, Hinkie was likely going to draft whichever Top 3 prospect — Embiid, Parker and Wiggins — was still on the board when the Sixers went on the clock. Now, all bets are off and the Sixers appear to be a the wildcard of the teams in the Lottery portion of the 2014 Draft.

Thus, when I gathered the “expert” opinions from around the world wide web, I was very surprised to discover only two schools of thought on what Hinkie will do on Thursday night.

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