Tag: Elton Brand

Daryl Morey credits Elton Brand, rest of Sixers staff for draft night success

Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey gives the credit to Elton Brand and his staff for the team’s big draft night on Wednesday.

Daryl Morey was brought in to be the President of Basketball Operations for the Philadelphia 76ers to try and turn this team around following a tough 2019-20 season. However, no one man can do it by himself. He has to have good staff around him in order to succeed.

Morey walked into a situation in Philadelphia where they needed to fix a lot of issues. They had to move off of Al Horford’s contract, they had to bring in some shooters to space the floor for Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid to operate, and they needed flexibility.

They achieved those goals on draft night on Wednesday.

“Extremely happy,” said Morey. “It’s important that the guys fit and the guys are here for multiple years. We’re big on developing and building through the draft. We have two young superstars in their prime and we want to put around them guys they can build with.”

Morey had some help from general manager Elton Brand as well as the other new additions to the front office, Peter Dinwiddie and Prosper Karangwa. It has been a wild offseason for the team so far with a front office overhaul in an abbreviated offseason. They all came together fairly quickly so they can make the moves they had to make in this 2020 draft to improve the team and they came away with great fits in Tyrese Maxey, Isaiah Joe, and Paul Reed along with the two big trades.

“I think it was great synergy,” Morey added. “Elton Brand and his team of Peter and Prosper [who] just joined, it was such a great team effort. Obviously, tons of prep goes into this to be ready for any scenario that comes up. We’re excited about the picks and the fit with the roster. You can’t say enough about Tyrese, Isaiah, and Paul. We’re thrilled with their selections.”

Morey was successful during his time with the Houston Rockets due to the fact that he had a good staff around him. He used those other guys in the building and he delegated responsibilities to them in order to keep them engaged.

Now, there are more Rockets executives around the league taking on bigger roles and Morey wants to do the same in Philadelphia.

“That’s a big priority for me,” he explained. “I think you see why there’s now five or six account executives from Houston on other teams, it’s because I push a lot of responsibility on them. If you got a good team, it’s really important to use them, make them excited and engaged. A big part of Elton and I working together and why he was excited for me to join is so I can learn from him and hopefully, he picks up some stuff from me. My goal will be in not too many years is there is a ton of 76ers executives around the league and I think it can really happen.”

The big thing Morey emphasized after the draft was that he did not want to come in and pretend that he knew all of the answers. He wasn’t in Philadelphia and he did not watch their games every night. Obviously, he was focused more on the Rockets and he referred more to Brand and the rest of the staff.

“One big thing that was important to me was to not come in and think I know,” he stated. “Honestly, if you watch a roster every day, every game, which I didn’t and Elton did, and Vince Rozman did along with their team, I listened a lot when I got here. I tried to just overlay some of the approach and technique, but if I came in and said ‘I have the answer’.”

The fact that a guy who has had the success that Morey has had can come in here and realize that he does not know this roster and willingly admit that is something that the team can build with. That shows leadership and it shows that he trusts his staff. This is a good start to the Morey era in Philadelphia. [lawrence-related id=39264,39261,39258]

Stanford’s Tyrell Terry has kept in contact with Sixers through draft process

Stanford prospect Tyrell Terry has kept in touch with the Philadelphia 76ers during this draft process.

The Philadelphia 76ers are getting set for an interesting draft night on Wednesday that will be done virtually as everybody stays safe from the global pandemic. Due to the current state of affairs, their contact with prospects has had to be done through Zoom calls.

One prospect that they have kept a lot of contact with is Stanford’s Tyrell Terry who has been a popular mock draft pick for Philadelphia at 21. They had a draft interview with Terry early in the process, but as the draft itself comes closer, the Sixers appear to have continued interest in the shooter.

“I did a Zoom interview with them a while back,” said Terry on Tuesday. “My agent has been in contact with them as well. Talking to them, trying to see what they’re trying to do, see what my fit is there, and their interest in me. My agent and my camp have been in contact with the 76ers as of recent.”

The question now becomes, who has his camp been speaking with? Was it VP of Scouting Vince Rozman or was it general manager Elton Brand and President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey?

According to Terry, it has been with Brand and Morey who are the two biggest voices in the room.

“My agents have been in contact with both of those people,” he said referring to Brand and Morey.

Terry would be a great fit on this team as he fills a lot of needs that the team currently possesses. He can shoot the ball well at 40.8% from deep, he can get to the basket, he can put the ball on the floor and create for others, and he can also even tackle some ball-handling responsibilities.

There is no guarantee that the Sixers even make this pick. Since Morey is with the team now, there has been a lot of talks about him potentially trading this pick and going after a guy who can help Philadelphia win now. All of that is purely speculation at the moment due to Morey’s reputation, but if the Sixers do keep and make the pick, Terry makes a lot of sense at 21. [lawrence-related id=39161,39157,39147]

Sixers VP of Scouting says new front office hierarchy working nicely

Philadelphia 76ers VP of Scouting Vince Rozman explains that the new front office has worked out well.

The Philadelphia 76ers have undergone a lot of different changes since their Round 1 sweep at the hands of the Boston Celtics back in August. They have brought in a new President of Basketball Operations, a new coach, and a variety of changes up and down the front office.

Due to the abbreviated offseason, the concern is that these changes will cause issues when it comes to the major offseason moves the team was destined to make. With the NBA draft up first, there was a school of thought that maybe the decision would come down to Daryl Morey and Elton Brand and there would be no input from anybody else.

However, Vice President of Scouting Vince Rozman says that has not been the case so far.

“I think it’s been great, honestly,” said Rozman. “There’s not a newness. It feels as we’re arguing through concepts or players, it feels like we have been in the room together years already. I think Daryl’s very eager to learn from people and get their opinions to utilize his staff and form his own opinion. I’m excited going forward. I think the rapport has been awesome. It’s been a fun experience.”

That is a good thing to hear if you’re a Sixers fan. Not only are Morey and Doc Rivers here, but there are also big changes such as bringing in Peter Dinwiddie as the new Executive Vice President and Prosper Karangwa as VP of Player Personnel. Both Dinwiddie and Karangwa figure to be involved in a lot of the basketball decisions for this team.

There have been obvious challenges right now. The team is undergoing a lot of these changes while also going through a global pandemic that changes the way a lot of people do things. However, the work that the scouting department has done over the past few weeks has allowed the Sixers to be ready for the offseason despite the challenges.

“I think the challenge is what we’ve all faced over these last few months,” Rozman added. “It’s like how do you deal with COVID? Our scouting staff is still remote. Our coaching staff is just trickling in now because we’re trying to keep the building clean. I think we’re exceedingly prepared. The scouts have been on these guys for the draft forever now and I think we’ve been able to get deeper on guys that time has ever permitted before. To have the knowledge to be able to relay that to any new people that come in the building like we’re ready to go.” [lawrence-related id=39130,39127,39124]

Sixers VP of Scouting Vince Rozman explains how team draft process works

Philadelphia 76ers VP of Scouting Vince Rozman explains how the team will go about their draft process before Wednesday.

The 2020 NBA draft is going to be something that has never been seen before. It will be done virtually, there is very little that teams can work with, and there have not been too many in-person workouts due to the global pandemic.

For the Philadelphia 76ers, they are handling all of these new challenges while also working in a new front office regime. The Sixers have brought in Daryl Morey to be the team’s new President of Basketball Operations and he will work with general manager Elton Brand and coach Doc Rivers to get the team back on track.

Due to the new challenges of the draft as well as the overhaul in management, the Sixers have to lean more on their scouting department to get the job done. Vice President of Scouting Vince Rozman explained just how these new draft interviews have gone and what the team is looking for in the Zoom calls, for example like the one the team did with Tyrell Terry.

“You don’t want to think you’ve learned too much about a guy after 40 minutes,” Rozman explained. “Just to get a sense of who they are. How they think the game. We like to dig in a lot of on-court analysis. If you can put them through some hypothetical spots on the floor. Like ‘How do you think of this play?’ and ‘Here’s a play we saw you struggle with in college. What may or may not have been the causes there?’ So you like to get a sense of how well they can talk the game and when they’re in a room with coach Rivers, are they going to be able to pick up his direction and how quick?”

When it comes to the Zoom calls, there is only so much one can learn from a prospect. There is a finite amount of time and it comes down to being able to identify what a player can bring to the floor right away. Rozman has been on the majority of the calls, but he also has had some help with him.

“We’ve gone through almost every iteration,” he explained. “I’ve generally been on a lot of them and led them. Matt Lily, our G League GM, has been on a lot of them and led them and various members of our scouting staff and front office staff has been on various times.”

When it comes to draft night on Wednesday, a question that some have is who will have input? There are so many new voices in this front office now, but Rozman pointed out three specific names that will be involved in the final decision.

“With regards to draft night, obviously Daryl is the President of Basketball Operations and he’s going to lead those decisions,” he finished with. “I think Elton and coach Rivers are also very key to his world right now. I think those guys will work together and we as scouting are going to give them all the information they need to make whatever decision comes our way.” [lawrence-related id=39127,39124,38993]

Bell Ringer Podcast: what offseason moves do Sixers need to make?

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns to discuss what the Philadelphia 76ers must do in the upcoming offseason.

The Bell Ringer Podcast returns hosted by managing editor Ky Carlin to discuss what the Philadelphia 76ers should truly do in the upcoming offseason. Ky welcomes on Austin Krell of The Painted Lines and the two of them do a deep dive on what Daryl Morey, Elton Brand, and the Sixers should do in the coming weeks.

The NBA draft is on Wednesday and the Sixers have the 21st pick in the draft. Ky and Austin give their top three choices at 21 and which one fits the Sixers the most. The draft then leads into the trade market as the two debate whether Morey will actually make that pick or not before getting into free agency and discussing what Philadelphia can do with their limited resources.

Also, Ky and Austin get into the story about how the two of them were involved in a fender bender over the summer.

As always leave your thoughts with us on Twitter and we thank you for listening. We are now on Apple Podcasts and Spotify as well so make sure you check out past episodes! We will continue to add new episodes whenever we can and when basketball does eventually return, we will ramp up our efforts to bring you basketball content. [lawrence-related id=39064,39047,39048]

Could Daryl Morey trade Sixers first-round pick in order to improve roster?

Could Philadelphia 76ers president Daryl Morey make a big trade in order to bring in a better roster fit?

The Philadelphia 76ers are a franchise in transition right now as they are ushering in a new era led by coach Doc Rivers and new president Daryl Morey. The idea is that these two will help the Sixers turn it around on the floor.

Considering the team does not have too much in terms of money to spend in free agency, they will most likely have to go the trade route in order to improve the roster. Good thing for the Sixers, Morey is a guy who is not afraid to make a big trade in order to help his team contend.

As the NBA draft approaches in November, the Sixers do have five picks including a first-round pick at 21. In order for Morey to clear up some of the bad contracts on the roster, such as Al Horford or Tobias Harris, he will definitely have to attach a valuable asset.

So, why not try and move that first-round pick in order to find a better roster fit?

Jeremy Woo of Sports Illustrated writes:

Lastly, Daryl Morey’s quick move from Houston to Philadelphia should allow you to infer that the 76ers will probably not be married to actually using all or any of their five draft picks, beginning with No. 21.

General manager Elton Brand already had a history of not using all of his second-round picks so that should already signal that Philadelphia will not use all of their picks. With Morey leading the way, there is a chance now that they will dangle that 21st pick in order to bring in a better fit next to Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons for them to operate. [lawrence-related id=38811,38807,38804]

Elton Brand, Daryl Morey have praise for new Sixers scout Jameer Nelson

Philadelphia 76ers scout Jameer Nelson receives high praise from Elton Brand and Daryl Morey.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are in the middle of a major front office overhaul as they look to bounce back from a tough season on the floor in the 2019-20 season.

They brought in Doc Rivers as their new coach and they also brought in Daryl Morey to run their basketball operations as both guys are going to take on the challenge of helping general manager Elton Brand get the Sixers back on track.

An interesting move Brand made before the hire of Morey was the hire of Jameer Nelson to be a new scout and an assistant general manager for the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Nelson is a former NBA All-Star during his playing days in the league and Brand is excited to have him within the organization.

“I’ve been watching him closely the past few years,” said Brand. “He’s a very talented, well-respected in the Philadelphia area in our community, I wanted to see what he wanted to do. He’s the type of guy who [if you] get him in a role, what he wants to do, and he will succeed at it.”

Nelson may have been an All-Star only once, but he had a pretty successful career playing for the Orlando Magic, the Dallas Mavericks, the Boston Celtics, the Denver Nuggets, the New Orleans Pelicans, and the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 11.3 points and 5.1 assists while shooting 36.8% from deep and he was a very cerebral player.

“To echo Elton, I think former players who are basketball smart like Jameer can really add a lot to an organization,” added Morey. “It brings a perspective that’s extremely valuable.”

Being a former player himself, Brand sat down with Nelson and helped him find a career after his playing days in the league. Brand started in the G League before moving up to the Sixers and he believes Nelson can do the same in his own position at the moment.

“I told him ‘pick a lane’ and he decided to pick management so getting an opportunity in the G League to cut his teeth, once that season starts up he’s going to learn a lot there, and he’s also going to be a scout because he has an eye for talent,” Brand finished with. “The goal for him is to be in management so he will grow there and I have no doubt that he will be successful.” [lawrence-related id=38807,38804,38800]

Josh Harris, Daryl Morey explain the new Sixers front office hierarchy

Josh Harris and Daryl Morey explain the front office hierarchy for the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Philadelphia 76ers have had a very eventful offseason thus far as they have made wholesale changes up and down their organization as they look to bounce back and move on from a disappointing 2019-20 season.

The biggest moves they have made have been off the court. The team brought in Doc Rivers to be their new head coach, they brought in new executives such as Peter Dinwiddie and Prosper Karangwa to help the higher-ups make decisions, and they have brought in Daryl Morey to run their basketball operations with general manager Elton Brand.

The Sixers now have a star-studded front office and coaching staff, but it now begs the question of who is going to be in charge? There are a lot of names and big brains within the organization now. Will the ownership group get in the way of their decisions? How will this all work?

“Daryl is going to run the overall basketball operations, Doc is going to run the team, I think ownership is going to do what it needs to do to stay out of the way and to support Doc, Daryl, and Elton with their jobs and that’s the way I would look at it,” said managing partner Josh Harris. “We’re all in this to win a championship and ultimately, whatever gets us from here to there, we’re taking our cue from Daryl, Doc, and Elton on how we interact with players. We’re looking forward to setting this thing up in a great way that is supportive and ultimately win.”

Brand said in the past that he did not like the collaborative style. It seemed like he wanted to make the decisions himself, but maybe the time has shown him that he does need a little bit of help. Now that the team has brought in more “basketball minds” to get themselves back on track, the collaborative style will be able to work with this new group and Morey will help.

“One thing that the folks who know me is that I have a very collaborative style,” said Morey. “That’s why I was excited when Elton was open to having me join. You make great decisions by having great people who are all working towards the same goal and not worrying about what title someone is or, honestly, what role. The best ideas can come from anywhere. From interns all the way up to, hopefully, Elton and I have a good idea every once in a while. That collaborative style and really all our job is to make great decisions so we’re going to use great people all working together and use data.”

On top of that, Morey’s presence now allows Brand to learn some more and get things done on his end. He has been an NBA executive for two seasons now and he will be entering his third with the help of guys and Rivers like Morey who have had success in the NBA.

“You get the opportunity to speak to a Doc Rivers and sell him on the roster, sell him on the city of Philadelphia,” explained Brand. “When you get a chance to speak to a Daryl Morey and tell him about our city and sell him on our roster and then talk about ownership, the way Josh is going to step up and make sure we’re a world-class organization and the focus is on championships. It meant a lot to have the opportunity to speak with them and then have them come, it means the world. It’s about winning here and I think the organization is showing that.”

To win a championship in this league, it is going to take a group effort. It can’t be just one guy. That is why guys like Morey, Dinwiddie, Karangwa, Rivers, and Morey have been brought in to help the team back on track.

“If you come into an organization, even if you know a lot more and you’re saying ‘I know the way. I’ve got the answers’, you’re not going to make the decisions,” said Morey with a smile. “Ultimately, someone has to make the final decision and that’ll be on me, that’ll be on Doc, that’ll be on this group that’s on the stage, but once you make that decision, everyone gets behind it and your collaborative before that, any sort of ‘my way or the highway’, doesn’t yield championships in my opinion.” [lawrence-related id=38797,38792,38781]

Report: Alex Rucker is now out of Sixers front office after the changes

The Philadelphia 76ers will now let Alex Rucker go as their front office retooling continues.

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The Philadelphia 76ers are continuing their front office makeover as they look to expunge a lot of pieces from their 2019-20 failed season. The team had championship expectations, but they were swept in Round 1 by the rival Boston Celtics.

The Sixers have made big changes up and down the organization bringing in the likes of Doc Rivers as their new head coach and they also brought in Daryl Morey as their new President of Basketball Operations. They also made other hires such as Peter Dinwiddie and Prosper Karangwa to roles in their front office.

With the Dinwiddie and Karangwa hires, the team’s plan was to initially reassign Alex Rucker who served as the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations before he was replaced by Dinwiddie. Now, Rucker will be leaving the organization altogether after the transition period.

This continues to be a busy offseason so far for Philadelphia as they work to bring in more “basketball minds” which was a plea from general manager Elton Brand when the season ended. The Sixers are a team in need of some change as they look to get back on track after the failed season and those changes are coming at a pivotal team with the draft and free agency getting set to start. [lawrence-related id=38777,38763,38770]

Report: Sixers sign general manager Elton Brand to multiyear extension

The Philadelphia 76ers will sign Elton Brand to a multiyear contract extension.

The Philadelphia 76ers have undergone a complete makeover so far in the 2020 offseason as they have completely revamped both the front office and the coaching staff. This is the result of a disappointing 2019-20 season where they fell well short of expectations.

One person who will survive the overhaul will be general manager Elton Brand who made some questionable moves in the 2019 offseason, but his track record remains in good standing with the team. He has been on the job for two seasons now after he replaced Bryan Colangelo in the position. He was the general manager for the team’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats, before his time in Philadelphia.

The Sixers will sign Brand to a multiyear extension and he will work with new President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey to help get the team back on track.

Philadelphia is a team with a ton of talent led by the star duo of Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and they are expected to do big things this offseason to retool around them. Brand tried to go big with Al Horford, but clearly, it did not yield the results they expected. Now is his chance to work with Morey and fix all of the mistakes. [lawrence-related id=38755,38752,38744]