Kev4029
Footballguy
Here is the rest:
Jeff Goodman: I know the Sixers are terrible, a laughingstock in the NBA last season and even more so this season. Sam Hinkie is trying to rebuild the franchise through the draft, and that means losing as many games as possible, which means putting together a group of players that just isn't capable of beating other NBA teams.
But that doesn't mean they can't beat the top college team, and by the way, it's not even clear that Kentucky is the top college team yet. Kentucky looked like a team that could roll through the season without a blemish in its blowout win over Kansas in Indianapolis. The Wildcats also looked plenty vulnerable in the first 25 or 30 minutes against the likes of both Buffalo and Boston University, two teams predicted to finish in the bottom half of their leagues.
There's still a significant gap between the bottom-tier NBA players and many of the top college guys. Sure, this Kentucky team has plenty of McDonald's All-Americans (which means nothing at all) and a handful of guys who will make a career in the NBA. But they aren't ready to compete with NBA players yet.
Bilas: Kentucky may not be fully prepared to play an NBA game against NBA players, but the Sixers don't really have a roster full of NBA players. They have a roster that includes many players who could not make the roster on another NBA team. On the roster are Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson, JaKarr Sampson, Robert Covington and Brandon Davies, all nice college players, but none of whom were drafted. In fact, the Sixers have seven players who were not drafted out of college. Of the players who were drafted, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant (injured) and K.J. McDaniels are not skilled offensive players. The best scoring options are Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten, who are both good players, but it's not like the Kentucky guards would have to confront Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook.
Kentucky is bigger than all but four NBA teams, so size would not be an issue. Experience would be, but as you mention, Philadelphia is not trying to win. The Sixers have gotten really bad in order to get really good down the line -- they're at the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. Also remember that John Calipari can keep relentless pressure on opponents and wear them down; his defense can be absolutely stifling.
Goodman: Kentucky may be capable of playing with the Sixers, but I'm not buying that they would beat even the NBA's most dismal team. Not in a seven-game series, not once in a seven-game series, and not once in 15 attempts. Karl-Anthony Towns is ultra-talented, but he can't handle the physicality just yet -- even against guys like Sims or the 23-year-old Davies. He has difficulty doing it right now in college. We'll see that a year from now, when Towns is putting up modest numbers as a rookie and having trouble adjusting to going against bigger and stronger players. I'll take NBA veteran Mbah a Moute over Alex Poythress. I'll take McDaniels over Devin Booker. Again, not even close.
Sure, the Sixers have some questionable starters with Thompson and Sims, but there's no one on the Kentucky roster who can make shots at the same rate as Thompson. Who are you taking right now out of the two offensively challenged big men? UK's Willie Cauley-Stein or the Sixers' Nerlens Noel? I'll take Noel.
The combo of Carter-Williams and Wroten would absolutely throttle Andrew Harrison and Tyler Ulis. That's the biggest difference between the two teams.
I wouldn't even flinch before taking Thompson over Aaron Harrison at this juncture. Trey Lyles has a much higher upside than Sims, but Lyles is just 19 years old and has a few college games on his résumé. Sims is 24 and has four years of college to his credit and a few years in the NBA.
Bilas: It's true, Kentucky is not an overwhelmingly potent offensive team, and does not score with great ease. While clearly the most talented team in the college ranks, Kentucky can be beaten if it faces another one of the top teams in the nation and has a bad shooting night, which I expect the Wildcats to have here and there. But I still believe they could beat the Sixers.
The facile response to the question of whether Kentucky could beat an NBA team is that Kentucky has eight or nine guys who can play in the NBA, while the Sixers have 15 guys who are playing in the NBA. Well, that is deceiving. Several of Philly's players have no business in the NBA -- the Sixers have eight players who make less than $1 million per year, which is hard to do with this collective bargaining agreement and salary cap.
Kentucky could beat Philadelphia. It's possible. But that says less about how good Kentucky is and more about just how historically bad Philadelphia is. The more pertinent question this team is facing is whether it is the worst team in NBA history. If Kentucky could beat Philadelphia, the next question is whether Philadelphia would really qualify as an NBA team.
Goodman: The spread of 17 points or so that Las Vegas oddsmakers put out a few days ago seemed a little high at first, but now that I think about it, it's probably fairly accurate.
It comes down to men against boys.
I'll go with the men.
But that doesn't mean they can't beat the top college team, and by the way, it's not even clear that Kentucky is the top college team yet. Kentucky looked like a team that could roll through the season without a blemish in its blowout win over Kansas in Indianapolis. The Wildcats also looked plenty vulnerable in the first 25 or 30 minutes against the likes of both Buffalo and Boston University, two teams predicted to finish in the bottom half of their leagues.
There's still a significant gap between the bottom-tier NBA players and many of the top college guys. Sure, this Kentucky team has plenty of McDonald's All-Americans (which means nothing at all) and a handful of guys who will make a career in the NBA. But they aren't ready to compete with NBA players yet.
Bilas: Kentucky may not be fully prepared to play an NBA game against NBA players, but the Sixers don't really have a roster full of NBA players. They have a roster that includes many players who could not make the roster on another NBA team. On the roster are Henry Sims, Hollis Thompson, JaKarr Sampson, Robert Covington and Brandon Davies, all nice college players, but none of whom were drafted. In fact, the Sixers have seven players who were not drafted out of college. Of the players who were drafted, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Nerlens Noel, Jerami Grant (injured) and K.J. McDaniels are not skilled offensive players. The best scoring options are Michael Carter-Williams and Tony Wroten, who are both good players, but it's not like the Kentucky guards would have to confront Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook.
Kentucky is bigger than all but four NBA teams, so size would not be an issue. Experience would be, but as you mention, Philadelphia is not trying to win. The Sixers have gotten really bad in order to get really good down the line -- they're at the bottom of the league in almost every statistical category. Also remember that John Calipari can keep relentless pressure on opponents and wear them down; his defense can be absolutely stifling.
Goodman: Kentucky may be capable of playing with the Sixers, but I'm not buying that they would beat even the NBA's most dismal team. Not in a seven-game series, not once in a seven-game series, and not once in 15 attempts. Karl-Anthony Towns is ultra-talented, but he can't handle the physicality just yet -- even against guys like Sims or the 23-year-old Davies. He has difficulty doing it right now in college. We'll see that a year from now, when Towns is putting up modest numbers as a rookie and having trouble adjusting to going against bigger and stronger players. I'll take NBA veteran Mbah a Moute over Alex Poythress. I'll take McDaniels over Devin Booker. Again, not even close.
Sure, the Sixers have some questionable starters with Thompson and Sims, but there's no one on the Kentucky roster who can make shots at the same rate as Thompson. Who are you taking right now out of the two offensively challenged big men? UK's Willie Cauley-Stein or the Sixers' Nerlens Noel? I'll take Noel.
The combo of Carter-Williams and Wroten would absolutely throttle Andrew Harrison and Tyler Ulis. That's the biggest difference between the two teams.
I wouldn't even flinch before taking Thompson over Aaron Harrison at this juncture. Trey Lyles has a much higher upside than Sims, but Lyles is just 19 years old and has a few college games on his résumé. Sims is 24 and has four years of college to his credit and a few years in the NBA.
Bilas: It's true, Kentucky is not an overwhelmingly potent offensive team, and does not score with great ease. While clearly the most talented team in the college ranks, Kentucky can be beaten if it faces another one of the top teams in the nation and has a bad shooting night, which I expect the Wildcats to have here and there. But I still believe they could beat the Sixers.
The facile response to the question of whether Kentucky could beat an NBA team is that Kentucky has eight or nine guys who can play in the NBA, while the Sixers have 15 guys who are playing in the NBA. Well, that is deceiving. Several of Philly's players have no business in the NBA -- the Sixers have eight players who make less than $1 million per year, which is hard to do with this collective bargaining agreement and salary cap.
Kentucky could beat Philadelphia. It's possible. But that says less about how good Kentucky is and more about just how historically bad Philadelphia is. The more pertinent question this team is facing is whether it is the worst team in NBA history. If Kentucky could beat Philadelphia, the next question is whether Philadelphia would really qualify as an NBA team.
Goodman: The spread of 17 points or so that Las Vegas oddsmakers put out a few days ago seemed a little high at first, but now that I think about it, it's probably fairly accurate.
It comes down to men against boys.
I'll go with the men.
Last edited by a moderator:
