Here is a list of all six players who have worn No. 18 in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s summertime in the NBA, so it’s time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA. Their history dates to the 1949-50 season.
With that longevity, the team has had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 18 which has been worn by six of those players in the history of the franchise.
In the 2007 edition of the NBA Draft, the Golden State Warriors landed Italian shooting guard Marco Belinelli with in the first round.
As the league’s restart is looming, players across the NBA have officially entered the Orlando Bubble. However, the Golden State Warriors will be watching from home With the league’s worst record at 15-50, the Warriors are one of eight teams on the outside of the bubble.
With no hoops on Golden State’s calendar, Bob Myers and Steve Kerr can turn their attention to the NBA Draft. For the first time since 2002, the Warriors will have the opportunity to make a selection in the top-five picks.
Before Golden State hits the clock in October, Warriors Wire is rewinding through the organization’s draft history to highlight the most memorable selections — trades, surprises, busts, sleepers and everything in between.
In 2007, the Warriors eyed an Italian shooter in the first round of the NBA Draft.
June 28, 2007
To start the 2007 edition of the NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers selected Ohio State big man Greg Oden with the first overall pick. Fast forward 17 selection, Golden State’s Chris Mullin and Don Nelson were on the clock.
Coming off a dramatic playoff run, the “We Believe” Warriors were looking to add a piece that could push them deeper into the postseason. With the No. 18 overall pick, the Warriors landed Italy’s Marco Belinelli in the first round.
Watch the moment Belinelli became a member of the Golden State Warriors via YouTube:
Before arriving at the NBA stage, Belinelli gained experience in Italy’s Series A with Virtus Bologna and Fortitudo Bologna.
In his rookie season in the Bay Area, Belinelli slid behind Baron Davis and Monta Ellis in Golden State’s backcourt. As a rookie, Belinelli played a limited role, averaging 2.9 points on 38.7% shooting from the field and 39.0% from beyond the arc with 0.5 assists and 0.4 rebounds per game.
As a sophomore, Belinelli increased his playing time from 7.3 minutes to 21.0 minutes per contest. Belinelli started 23 of his 33 games in 2008-09, averaging 8.9 points on 44.2% shooting from the field and 39.7% from long distace with 2.1 assists and 1.7 boards per game.
With a bevy of wings on the roster in 2009, the Warriors moved their former first-rounder to the Toronto Raptors for veteran Devean George. A decade later, Belinelli has some hardware in his trophy room. The former Golden State guard is an NBA Finals champion (2014) with the San Antonio Spurs and a 3-Point Contest Champion (2014).
Other notable players from the 2007 NBA draft class include Kevin Durant, Florida’s Al Horford, USC’s Nick Young and Spain’s Marc Gasol.
Marco Belinelli would make an excellent addition to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Sixers Wire continues their look ahead to the 2020 offseason despite the 2019-20 season returning and getting ready to finish the season. The Philadelphia 76ers obviously need some shooting and they will need it to be cheap due to the lack of resources the team is dealing with at the moment.
Philadelphia will have to focus on shooting if they can’t find it in the draft and there a few options on the market that can fit their small budget. One of those options is a guy who formally donned the Sixers uniform and made a difference in the 2017-18 season with a wide array of off-balanced jump shots from the perimeter.
Marco Belinelli
He is shooting 36.8% from deep for the San Antonio Spurs which shows that he can still be a productive shooter from downtown and a guy who can knock down clutch shots. At 34-years old, he can still be a nice fit on this current Sixers team and he would be cheap for a guy who can fit into the $6 million budget.
He only averages 15.0 minutes a game for the San Antonio Spurs, but he should be able to make an impact in Philadelphia and be a positive influence on their roster up and down. The team, obviously, needs some shooting and he fits that bill. He also has experience playing with both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid and that past chemistry would be helpful.
At the end of the day, the Sixers will have a few options that they can turn to in order to fic this current issue on the roster. Belinelli is just one of a handful of guys who would fill the need. [lawrence-related id=32834,32825,30593]
We look at the 3 best shooting options for the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2020 free agency market.
Free agency in the offseason of 2020 is going to be wild and it will be done quickly. With the NBA looking to resume the 2019-20 season in late July to finish what they started, it looks like the offseason will be done in September and October before the 2020-21 season begins in December or January.
Nonetheless, the Philadelphia 76ers have some needs to fill in the offseason and they will have to do so with very little money to play with. Those needs vary from a backup point guard, shooting and somebody who can put the ball on the floor and create, and a quality backup big man.
We looked specifically at backup point guards in our previous free agency preview for the Sixers and now we are moving over to the shooting department in their search for floor spacing.
After the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
After the 2020 NBA trade deadline, the focus of basketball transaction rumors often shifts to the potential buyout market for contenders.
As noted by our own Frank Urbina, the buyout market “might actually be more interesting” than previously expected. While we recently collected a list of potential candidates for a buyout, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported that the last time a buyout addition played at least 100 playoff minutes for a team that won the title was in 2011. That would be Peja Stojakovic.
Aside from him, we broke down the biggest midseason free agency addition (via amnesty clause, buyout or otherwise) of the year each season since 2009-10.
2010: LARRY HUGHES, CHARLOTTE
(Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)
Near the end of his career, former NBA guard Larry Hughes was included in a deal that sent Tracy McGrady to the New York Knicks. After the move, he was waived by the Sacramento Kings and was subsequently picked up by the Charlotte Bobcats. He played 14 games with the franchise but made just two appearances in the starting lineup. Hughes scored just 8.1 points per game during the regular season. He played all four games for the team in the postseason, too, averaging 14.5 minutes per game. But he did not make much of an impact, scoring just 6.0 points per game.
2011: MIKE BIBBY, MIAMI
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
During his second-to-last season in the NBA, former NCAA champion Mike Bibby played for three different teams. He started the year with the Atlanta Hawks and was then moved to the Washington Wizards. After playing just two games, he and the organization agreed to a contract buyout and joined the Miami Heat. Bibby played 26.5 minutes per game for Miami, including 12 appearances in the starting lineup. The point guard connected on his personal-best 2.5 three-pointers per 36 minutes while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. He also started all 20 games during the playoffs for the Heat. However, Bibby averaged just 3.7 points and 1.2 assists per game during these contests.
2012: BORIS DIAW, SAN ANTONIO
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Among all of the midseason free agency additions during the 2010s, former first-round selection Boris Diaw perhaps made the largest impact during his time with the team that signed him. The forward was waived by the Charlotte Bobcats in March 2012. However, within two days, he was picked up by the San Antonio Spurs. He started in seven of 20 games for the Spurs in the regular season and then all 14 appearances for the team in the playoffs. During the postseason, he was 9-for-18 (50.0 percent) from the three-point line. Diaw, who was originally claimed in 2012, remained with San Antonio until 2016 (winning a title in 2013) and became one of the more consistent figures in their rotation.
2013: CHRIS ANDERSEN, MIAMI
(Photo by Jordan Johnson/NBAE via Getty Images)
More famously known by his nickname Birdman, former NBA big man Chris Andersen was waived and amnestied by the Denver Nuggets in 2012 so that the franchise could avoid the dreaded luxury tax bill. After some push by head coach Erik Spoelstra, the Miami Heat signed the 6-foot-10 veteran. He played on two ten-day contracts before eventually getting a deal for the remainder of the season in 2012-13. He played in just over half of the games (42) for the team in that campaign, averaging 14.9 minutes off the bench. He helped Miami go on a 27-game win streak shortly after he was signed. But most notable was his performance in the postseason in which he made all 15 of his first field goal attempts in Game 1 through Game 5 against the Indiana Pacers. Overall, he shot a postseason-best 80.4 percent from the field en route to the Heat winning the title in 2013.
2014: DREW GOODEN, WASHINGTON
(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
Former NBA forward Drew Gooden signed a five-year, $32 million deal with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010. However, he was waived by the team using an amnesty clause back in July 2013. Gooden was picked up by the Washington Wizards in February 2014. After two ten-day contracts, he was signed for the remainder of the season by the Wizards. Gooden played 18.0 minutes off the bench for Washington, scoring 8.3 points and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. After playing 10 contests in the postseason for the team, he signed a new deal with the Wizards and briefly became the starting power forward in 2014-15.
2015: AMARE STOUDEMIRE, DALLAS
(Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
Six-time NBA All-Star Amare Stoudemire was once a fixture for the New York Knicks. However, his role began to diminish during his final few years with the team. During his final 180 games with the Knicks, the big man was in the starting lineup just 50 times. He was waived by New York and was picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, averaging 10.8 points per game in 23 appearances during the regular season with his new team. The big then scored 7.8 points per game for Dallas during the playoffs.
2016: JOE JOHNSON, MIAMI
(Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
Seven-time NBA All-Star wing Joe Johnson was a major pickup by the Brooklyn Nets in 2012. But the franchise began to change its identity during the offseason leading into the 2015-16 campaign, letting longtime point guard Deron Williams test the open market and eventually sign with the Dallas Mavericks. Johnson, who had previously scored a field goal in a record 937 straight games, did not score against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 10, 2016. He played just three more games with the Nets before his contract was bought out on February 25. Johnson was fantastic on the Heat, scoring 13.4 points per game during the regular season and 12.1 points per game in the postseason.
2017: DERON WILLIAMS, CLEVELAND
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Three-time NBA All-Star guard Deron Williams signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015. He re-signed with Dallas the following season, though Williams missed time with a toe injury. Williams was waived by the team in February 2017 and was then picked up by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Williams averaged 20.3 minutes per game in 24 appearances during the regular season for Cleveland. His best performance was a near-triple double in April, putting up 35 points with 7 rebounds and 9 assists. This ended up being his final year in the NBA, retiring after losing in the Finals to the Golden State Warriors.
2018: MARCO BELINELLI, PHILADELPHIA
(Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Former first-rounder Marco Belinelli signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2015 after winning the NBA championship and three-point contest with the San Antonio Spurs in 2014. He was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2016 and then to the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. The wing was waived by Atlanta in February 2018 and then claimed by the Philadelphia 76ers. Belinelli then put up a career-high 13.6 points and 2.0 three-pointers per game. He then scored 25 points against the Miami Heat in the postseason. He also hit a game-tying buzzer-beater to send a game against the Boston Celtics to overtime.
2019 WESLEY MATTHEWS, INDIANA
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
After an impressive tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers from 2010 until 2015, Wesley Matthews signed a four-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. He was traded to the New York Knicks, where he played just two games for the team before he was waived in February 2019. Matthews was picked up by the Indiana Pacers, then connecting on six three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans later in the month. He played 31.5 minutes per game in his 23 appearances during the regular season, starting in each contest. Matthews also started all four games he played in the postseason for Indiana.
HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report
The Brooklyn Nets can’t overlook Gregg Popovich’s coaching ability — even with this year’s disappointing San Antonio Spurs team.
The San Antonio Spurs are off to a strong start in their candidacy for 2019-20’s most disappointing team.
The Spurs were a playoff team just last season and, as the No. 7 seed, took the Denver Nuggets to game seven in the first round of the playoffs. And they still have the majors pieces from that team: DeMar DeRozan, LaMarcus Aldridge, Derrick White, Bryn Forbes and Rudy Gay. Plus, San Antonio has Dejounte Murray back from his ACL tear. Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills are still around, too. Jakob Poeltl is a tough interior defender.
Now, this group has knocked off the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers, but they also lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Not to mention the Pistons blew them out of Detroit to the tune of 34 points.
The Pistons have beaten Brooklyn, too, but only by four and in the early stages of the season, when the Nets didn’t have an identity. Now Brooklyn does, though. The Spurs, not so much.
But unlike the Cavs, San Antonio has what should be a strong core. The Spurs can absolutely steal a win on Thursday, especially since the game is on their turf.
Also, if the Nets play like they did in New Orleans, they’ll be in trouble.
