Head coach Jett Crown participates in a press conference with the team’s new banner hanging above him at the podium. It will be difficult for Crown to work with computer-generated players, but considering he coached Barnett Poultry at one point this season, Crown has experience working with athletes who have no court awareness or talent whatsoever.
After losing a franchise record 22 straight games, the Philadelphia 76ers have taken their rebuilding efforts to new heights. The team announced the addition of three new computer-generated players to its roster March 21.
“We decided that if we were going to treat this team like a Franchise Mode, we might as well go all the way,” Sixers General Manager Ham Pinky said in a statement.
SG #7, C #54, and PF #22 were added to the active roster and practiced with the team for almost a week. They all saw their first career starts March 22, with C #54 picking up eight points and a team-high 13 rebounds in the Sixers’ 152-76 loss in Chicago.
After their debuts, the new players said they had a good feel for the team’s playing style.
“0110100101001010,” SG #7 said. “00000110100 10 10 0000 1110, 10010 00 0. 01001001. 0111100101001 01 0 000 1.”
Following the loss, the Sixers’ record stands at 15-55, good for 29th in the NBA. With a potentially loaded draft class becoming available at the 2014 NBA Draft in June, the team is in a good position to land a franchise-shifting player.
While the new tactic seems to be helping the Sixers’ draft lottery chances, some of the team’s longer-standing players seemed disenchanted after Saturday’s game. Starting point guard Jermichael Farter-Jilliums, in particular, was displeased with one series of plays in the first half.
Midway through the second quarter, PF #22 seemed to lose interest in the game being played on the court, wandering over toward the Bulls bench and repeatedly jumping up and down while the Sixers possessed the ball. When Farter-Jilliums attempted to pass the ball to PF #22, the newcomer paid it no mind and the ball sailed out of bounds.
After the game, Farter-Jilliums was visibly angry with his new teammate.
“I really need to see a little more effort out of these guys,” Farter-Jilliums said. “I get that the front office wants to try all of its options this season, and I can live with that. But if the players are just standing in a corner, why’d we send Barnett Poultry down to the D-League?”
Head coach Jett Crown was asked about that particular series of plays in his postgame press conference, and while he acknowledged the problem, he said he wasn’t too concerned.
“After we pressed pause and resume game, the players seemed to be doing much better on offense,” Crown said. “It was probably just a glitch. Those things will happen, and as a gamer it’s just something you learn to play through.”
Both Crown and Pinky sounded extremely committed to exploring other options in the computer-generated player pool. The two went so far as to announce a modified version of the Sixers’ new slogan, unfurling a banner that read, “Together We Build-A-Player.” Pinky said that the team would be exploring the Build-A-Player avenue and doing some research into the benefits of simulating the rest of the season.
It has also been rumored that Pinky plans to remove the salary cap in order to land a bounty of free agents this summer, including a number of players still under contract with other teams.
“Some fans — and even players — may question our tactics,” Pinky said after the game. “But we know that once free agency and the draft come around, all of their questions and concerns will be quelled.”