The BroadCast: 4/11/2018 ~ ESPN Front Office Insider Bobby Marks on 76ers, Playoffs

score of one twenty one to one thirteen. Brian Seltzer with you from Sixers dot Com. Thank you, it's always for checking out the podcast on this the final day of the regular season. We know there is plenty more basketball to come for the seventy Sixers. In the way they're playing, that can't be anything but a very promising

and good thing. Last game of the year later on tonight against the Milwaukee Bucks at eight o'clock at this Center on fan Appreciation Night, a great way for the Sixers to wrap things up and what could actually be a playoff preview for the Sixers in the opening round for the Eastern Conference quarterfinals if the current seatings hold it'll be the Sixers at the three spot and the Bucks at six, so this could be a preview somewhat of things to come for the opening round playoff series

for these seventy sixers. All that will be sorted out later on tonight once regular season action in the Association wraps up. On this episode of the podcast, we're going to talk with the man who knows his front office stuff from ESPN. It is Bobby Mark's front office NBA insider and will get on the phone with him in just a moment. A reminder that to subscribe to the podcast,

you can do a couple of things. You can go to iTunes, you can go to Google Play, you can go to Stitcher, and you can type in Sixers podcast network roles on SoundCloud at SoundCloud dot com, backslash Sixers. If you are like me, you really enjoy and dig everything that Bobby Marks does for ESPN, you can follow him on Twitter at Bobby Marks forty two. He is also the front office insider for ESPN, which has to night's game between the seventy Sixers and the Bucks at

eight o'clock. Bobby, a longtime executive, spent two decades with the new Jersey and Brooklyn Nets rising all the way to vice president of basketball and assistant general manager has plenty of contacts throughout the league, so we thought it'd be a good time to touch base with Bobby and get the word from him about what people are saying about the seventy Sixers around the rest of the league and get his opinions and thoughts on the team and its progress as well. Bobby, thanks so much for taking

the time man to talk. And I guess why don't we start with this? On your original list of expectations for this season, where did the seventy Sixers at fifty wins, a top four seed in the East, and a monster a winning streak rank on your lists? I don't think that was even on my list. I list when I and I do this for all the teams, um I put notes down for each team. My notes for Philadelphia entering the season was U Joe ellenbad, healthy, and play

meaningful games in March and April. That's that those are the two things that I had my list in regards to Philadelphia. And what I mean meanful games, I just that you know in the past and you know and following this team and working for the team is that you get to a point past the All Star breaking, you start playing out the string of games and you

look towards the you know, the postseason and the lottery. Um, and I just wanted to philt Olphia team to start playing games that meant something where you're trying to fight for a playoff spot. Um, and give these guys some some experience here. So um, yeah, I think, um, I think this probably caught us all off a little bit off guard here, safe to say, it's happened more quickly

than you would have thought. Yeah, I think. Um. I think if they had not made up the playoffs this year, I think it would have been, you know, certainly a disappointment. But the expectation level now and is, you know, we're not just looking at this team just to get into the playoffs. I think you know, um, you know, certainly to win an advanced based on who they play in the in the first round. So yeah, I think there.

I think there's certainly ahead of the curve here when it goes to how this has been built and how from a winning standpoint, I think the culture from a winning standpoint is that they've got a pretty good taste of success right now, and they're not really willing to give that up. Why don't we go into the layers of the sixers turnaround a little bit more. I suppose there's a bunch of different ways you can assess the

way things have gone for them this season. There's obviously young individual talents, some veterans sprinkled in that have made a difference as well. Collectively, this is a team that is a top four net rating going into the final game of the regular season. Their style is something that the head coach, Brett Brown, has talked about since his very first day on the job. Where did this all start and seem to get rolling and pick up this

year and accelerate? Do you feel well? I think a lot of it had to do with a health you know, we all you know, that's kind of the under under statement of the year as far as what you know, getting Joey out there healthy. Um, it's keeping him healthy, um, extending his minutes and then kind of just building around

that in that base there. Um. The big thing too, is is that, um, you know, this is although they are top ten in the league and average aged, they have built this with veterans on the outside as an outside layer here when you look at the JJ Reddick signing and the Emir Johnson signing this summer, and then to be able to add Bell and Ellie and Nili Silva um after the trade deadline, that those two those four players themselves and and and I think if we're

looking at don Elli and Nili Silva, I can't make the case that the Sixers team would be would be able to get out of the first round if those two players were there and they had stayed pat right now just because it gives them a I don't want to say, an insurance policy if the bright eyes of the of the playoffs gets a little bit too big for some of these young players. But there is a fallback there for for the veterans. So um it you know,

it's it has always started with health. We always thought if the team could could stay healthy, um, there could be something there. But when you added you know, the two in the summer, the two veterans in the summer, and then you get the two two players post deadline, I think that's kind of where you started. Really things

picked up here. We'll talk about some of the young members of the Sixers nucleus in just a moment, But in continuing along with some of the veterans, I know that a couple weeks ago, you put a tweet out there during I think the Sixers game in Atlanta that all signs are pointing towards the Sixers recently making a run towards the playoffs, but guys like Bellinelli and Ilyasova

put them over the tops. I mean, is that a sign of change in perception that a guy like a Bellonelli or an ilias Silver or even dating back to July with JJ Raddick and Amir Johnson, that this was a destination in the seventy sixers that they were not only willing to entertain, but ultimately sign with and jump on board with. I think certainly. I think the you know, when you go through the March one way buyout period, those players have basically they can pick any team they

want to go to. You know, most of the time it's not on a team that's heading to the lottery. But they had the choice of picking sixteen or seventeen other teams that were sixteen teams that were heading towards the playoffs. And it took Philadelphia, And it wasn't just one. It was two of them. I mean the two guys.

You know, Arison certainly held being there before, but a guy in marcol Bellonelli because he felt like there would be a role for him and he felt like this team was a playoff team and it was a two way street. You know. He kind of used the team to help him next year in free agency and then they relied on him to to you know, not just

be a six or seven seed. But yeah, I mean it's it's hard in UM in March when you go through that process and you kind of and it's really not about finances because both guys signed for the pro rated minimum, but to be able to UM, to be able to you know, sign both players is a huge father in your cap and in the same thing to be said about UM. You know JJ and this the summer,

I mean, JJ Roddick had his pick a team. You know, he probably could have gotten gotten to Brooklyn on maybe not it's probably not as much money, but in length and contracts and security, but he took Philadelphia. He kind of bet on himself a little bit. UM certainly came in at a pretty high number there, but it was it was certainly worth it and it's helped both out. You mentioned the culture factor at the start of the interview.

Just what have you been hearing about what the rest of the league thinks of the culture that the seventy six ers have built and that's really taken shape, um, I guess more exponentially the last couple of years as things have started to move in a different direction. Well, if I'm just talking with people that they've only scratched the service here, I mean, we're only we're only seeing the first foundation of things that are going to happen.

And the beauty of this all is that they have so much flexibility going into into the summer and possibly in the summer of twenty nineteen how they really want to shape their team. And you add, you know, a lottery pick, likely lottery picks from the Lakers in your own pick, and then you have possibly twenty five or thirty million dollar cast space. You can go in so many different directions, either retain these this current group or

go out free agent shopping. So there is a and it's a good time to be uh, you know, a team in the market from a free agent perspective and being on a national stage in the playoffs, Uh, playing on ABC or ESPN or T and T is there's no better selling point from a recruiting tool than doing that. The identity for the Sixers, it seems like first and foremost is what they've been able to do with young talent. Um. There are a couple guys to who analyze on that list.

You've mentioned Joel Embiid kind of a freak injury that he suffered colliding with mark El Faults in the game a few weeks back against the New York Knicks. Before that point, what were you making of what Embiid had shown over the course of this season. Well, I mean as dominant as as a center out there. Um. I think if if Demurcas Cousins hadn't got hurt, then we would probably be talking about Joel Embiid for first Team All NBA. I think Danthony Davis getting votes there will

probably take that away from him. Even even with mbad Um. You know the game lands he put sixty games this year, not playing seven plus, I think we would be talking about about him and Cousins of healthy as all MBA. But one thing I'm marvel about Joel is really is his footwork. I mean, I've never seen a footwork for a big player that size, as fluid as he is. M can go out and stretch the floor, can play down low if you if you, if you want to.

Is a great teammate. And guys when he's on the court, they they they thrive off of And you know, it's it's always been about health. I mean, and if Joel can stay healthy, you know, he's going to be in a lot of All Star Games and this team is gonna be in a lot of postseasons for the years to come. When you were with the Nets, do you remember what people were saying around the time when his name first surfaced on scouting radars, that sort of thing

and what people felt at that period. Well, it's funny. I went out and saw him play at um at Ohio State they were playing. I went and saw a game Dayton and drove to do Columbus because I heard about this guy Joel and beat and I didn't know. I'm like, you know, who is who is this guy? And I went out there and uh and uh and and saw him and um, you know, I mean that that was the you know, the kind of the tip of the iceberg. This this seventh seventh plus guy at

Kansas here, Um, you know who exactly was he? And he kind of he kind of stormed onto onto the national scene and then you you go through the draft process and he you know, he breaks the foot there, um and you take a little bit of a risk taking him where they did, and then you know he's you know, he's out of the picture for you know, two years, and he kind of teases you last year and now he kind of explodes back onto the scene here.

So um. But yeah, I mean where he is right now compared to where he was two years ago, I think it's a it's a great story. Are there certain players that you found over the course of your time in a front office? Um where scouts, personnel, people they just can see and they have a sense they kind of know immediately that that could be some type of

special piece that's capable to be built around. Well, I mean I go back all the way back to UM to ninety six over ninety seven with Tim Duncan you know we had he I think we were picking seven there. We wound up going up to two and we made that trade was fimilating to Keith dan Horn. But I think at the time you knew that Tim, that that Tim Duncan was that special type of player that you

were able to build around. I mean, I think that's kind of my you know, maybe not comping to start play, but that kind of that foundation piece, that kind of anchor. We've gone about ten minutes so far, Bobby, and we haven't even mentioned I don't think the name Ben Simmons yet, and it's been pretty ridiculous. During the back half of the big winning streak the Sixers were on, it's Simmons who really elevated his level of play. With Embied being on the sideline. Did you see this type of year

coming from Simmons? No, I didn't. I didn't mean I mean where he is now. I mean I saw him at at LSU. I love them at LSU because I love players at our kind of positionalists that can play multiple different positions. You're not kind of pegged one thing, um, you know, you know out last year with the with the injury. Um, you know, we we thought he would be healthy. This year he has been. But to throw him out there with this team and be able to do things and really, I mean he's peaking at the

right time. I mean he's really peaked post All Star break Rod, No, I did not. I did not think we would, you know, I think we would see Ben Simmons at this type of level right now, where you know, if you had some more time up in the season, you could probably make a cage for him getting some All Star All NBA votes. I mean, it's certainly where you want to put him. But yeah, it is a remarkable as far as what he's been able to do. He's not a guy that outwardly emotes much. He's very

businesslike and serious, gets down to work. But to me, one of the most impressive things has been just how much poise he's played with and the fact that he has really from the start of the season until now at this late stage, has kind of acted like a guy who's been there before. Um, the intangible factor seems to have stood out in some ways as much as

some of the skills he brings to the court. And that's why I don't think he'll have any problems when we get when we get going over the weekend with the playoffs. I know, the knock from talking with people, the national people saying well, these young kids has have not been there before. You know, and I remember being in New Jersey when we went to those Cup that first year in the finals, and then Das and Kid.

We had a young team and those guys hadn't been there either, And I'm not I'm not worried about, you know, the bright lights when Ben Simmons played a game one on Saturday or Sunday here. I think I think he's cool and collective and that I don't think that will be an issue. I'll be surprised if it isn't it too. And it's interesting because it seemed like there were some people that took issue with his comments about the Rookie of the Year remarks when he was asked on ESPN,

well would you vote who? Would you vote for me? So I'd vote for myself one hundred percent. I mean that's I think that if you're around him, you get an understanding of what type of demeanor he has, and it's not really like boastful or overly cockey. There's just a very subtle, somewhat silent confidence that he carries himself with.

Well yeah, I mean I think you probably heard that from Lebron too, when they asked Lebron is who he would vote for for MVP, and he said himself, and I think any of us if you had that confidence about um, you can do it. And a certainly the you know, the right the right manner here. But I had no issue at all for him saying, you know who would he vote for? And um, you know he'll probably sartainly win the you know, Rookie of the Year.

I assume um and go on from there. It sounds like the seventy six ers are still in the midst of trying to figure out exactly how they might try to incorporate Marquel Folts into their playoff plans. But how far do you think it could take him? Just the fact that he was able to get back out on the court before the end of the regular season. I didn't think we'd say, Brian it all this year. I thought we would. I thought we would go into I think the big two biggest questions going into the summer

would be mark El Folts and Kawhi Leonard. I thought those were going to be the things because we hadn't really seen much of both these guys during during the season here, so to be able to come back a couple of weeks ago and play you know somewhat of a roll down the stretch here now will be interesting as far as what happens when we get going, because you know that lineups start to get shrunk down a little bit, minutes start to get um you know, change

changed up a little bit. You'd probably see that in Toronto with that team up there. Um. So it will be interesting as far as what role Mark help plays here, but playoffs aside, I think it's a lot. There's a good there's enough body of work over the last you know, I guess five or six games here to go into the summer and kind of build off that. For many clips that you've seen or highlights your games, do you feel like he's shown more than what he did in

the first four games of the season. Well, I think there's a little bit more of a confidence level, I really do. I think that kind of I think when you play with confidence, the forty percent shooter, you know, all of a sudden, the shooting forty five to fifty. I think that's where you know he's a he's a big physical guard, I mean, and to kind of either

post up or trying to get to the hoop. I don't think that's something maybe we saw in um, you know, early in the year, and I think that all that stems from just having a having a confidence PubL As we begin to wrap this up, have you heard any scuttle butt from contacts you might have around the rest of the league as far as how they view the Sixers going to the postseason, what level of threat, how

seriously um they're being taken at this point. Well, if you talk to my counterparts at ESPN on some of these shows, I think they've got them penciled in going to the Eastern Conference Finals. So I think I want to I want to pump the brakes a little bit there. I think we'll take it round, take a round by round. I think a lot of it will depend on seating. I expect them to win against Milwaukee and and get

the three seeds, and who knows who they'll play. Maybe I will be uh, maybe it'll be Miami there um, and then go through there. But they have certainly if they do get the three seat, they're in a good draw with Boston as a as a decimated Boston team as a two seed. But I wouldn't be surprised if we see this team in the Eastern Conference Finals. I wouldn't.

I really wouldn't be or and I wouldn't be surprised if they lose and you know, in the second round here, because there's so much there's so much unknown with this group because they haven't really been there before. This might be a strange question for the guy who works for the seventy six ers digital department to ask, But if you were inside an opposing front office, what are the

types of conversations once seating and matchups are set? Can you kind of take us in there and the dialogue that takes place between a front office and a coaching staff about getting ready for a long playoff series, how you try to attack the opposition. Well, you know, it's funny.

I was driving earlier and I was thinking that I do not see I'm not envy the person who is in charge of putting together the scouting books because you're heading into Tuesday and Wednesday and you have no idea who you're playing here, and now you've kind of basically you're studying for a test and you've got, you know, less than seventy two hours to do so with the game, and I'm sure there's an idea of who they're of

who they're playing. But yeah, I mean, I think a lot of it has to do with they will put the plan together. Coach Brown will put a plan together as far as what the rotations will be, what the minutes will be, and I'm sure Brian Clangel and his group will kind of be in on it. You know. The one thing you're not you don't want to do is go into a game one and wonder why player

X is not out there. So they'll be, uh, you know, though Brian's not coaching, they'll be they'll be working together as far as what this plan is going to be, as far as whoever they're going to play, if it's if it's Miami or Milwaukee or Washington. Now, the people around the Twitter sphere love seeing your inputs, insights, and information about all things financially related to the league, in

teams and the Sixers. They're in a strange spot whereas this time the last couple of years, it's been all focusing on what lies ahead in June and July. But now there's this balance between games still going on and then the bigger offseason pictures like drafting, free agency. But just how well set up do you think the team is moving forward, financially, assets, all that stuff. When you put it together, well, I'm happy I'm not writing the

Sixers offseason Focus right now. I think sixers standard. I think six years fans are happy that they're not going to see one at the end of the week. They may have to wait until midday or early June to see that, but yeah, I mean, I think they've got you know, they've got some decisions they need to make with with with JJ as far as what you do with him, do you go to run one year route and bring back guys on you know, one year contracts and then roll into twenty nineteen, mean, there would be

some nice names out there. You know you're gonna have a good lottery pick, You'll have a good player there. Your window to for flexibility is still there because you know Ben is not up for an extension for I think another year, and Marquel down the road and Gario two, so you've got you've got a nice window to try to take advantage of you know, your young players, your cat flexibility, and to had some veterans. The off season Focus series just part of the cool stuff and content

that Bobby Marx is putting out for ESPN. He is their front office insider. You can follow him at Bobby Marks forty two. Bobby, thanks so much man, Thanks Brian Bobby Marks. You can see, read, and hear all of his stuff on ESPN's various NBA platforms all the time. Once again, ESPN has got tonight's game between the seventy Sixers and the Milwaukee Bucks. It's an eight o'clock startime all the Eastern and Central games starting at eight o'clock tonight to build up drama as far as how the

seedings ultimately shake out. If you are trying to get in the building tonight for fan Appreciation Night. It is as always StubHub dot com for any tickets that are left. We're gonna have a rewind edition of the podcast tomorrow and then for the rest of the week a bunch more episodes trying to help you get set ready and preview Round one of the playoffs. The Sixers can't wait hashtag fill your night. Talk to you soon. Thanks so much for listening to see