As often happens with me, this post got a little long, so at the suggestion of some thoughtful friends and commenters, I will summarize the core arguments for those who just want the gist:
- The Sixers have made some excellent moves this offseason and have solved many of what appeared to be significant roster-construction issues
- The core remaining potential issue is the lack of a “closer” who can get the team a bucket against bear-down defenses at crunch time and in the playoffs
- In my opinion, the closer concern is legitimate
- And the Sixers will have great difficulty obtaining a closer for this year’s playoffs, for reasons I explain
- But the history of high-quality no-closer teams is not nearly as worrisome as I would have thought, and so there’s a good chance the problem is one of manageable proportions, rather than a crisis.