"But I think in general, it's going to take a little bit of time to get into a rhythm, as it should," the coach said Monday after the Sixers' final preseason game.
Translation: The Sixers won't open the season on the same level as the cohesive group that concluded the last regular reason with an NBA-record 16 straight victories. In all, that Sixers squad won 20 of its final 23 games after acquiring Ersan Ilyasova in free agency.
Well, he's gone. So is Marco Belinelli, last season's other top late-season free-agent acquisition who gave them a boost.