<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">#42 pick Derrick Byars went from being projected as a top 10 pick by one NBA draft site just a few months ago, to being a maybe to even make Philadelphia?s roster now. He too already reportedly fired his first agent, Robert Fayne, and instead picked up Bill Duffy to represent him. Philadelphia already has 12 guaranteed contracts on their roster and an additional four players that they need to make a decision on. Bobby Jones has already received $200,000 on his partially guaranteed contract and will see his contract become fully guaranteed on October 1st. Louis Amundson is guaranteed nothing, but was one of the best players seen at any of the summer leagues this July. He surely went a long way in earning his spot on the roster and then some, although his work is still far from done. If Philadelphia decides to start the year with 15 players, the last roster spot will most likely come down to #42 pick Byars and #55 pick Herbert Hill. Byars is currently projected as the 7th swingman (SG or SF) on Philadelphia?s roster, while Hill looks to be the 76ers? sixth big man. In case you were wondering, Herbert Hill is also rumored to either already have fired his agent, or be very close to doing so. He passed up a $200,000 net contract and the chance of being the starting center on French Euroleague team Le Mans alongside Nicolas Batum to fight for a non-guaranteed contract in training camp. </div> Source: draftexpress
I never really understood the acquisition of Byars to begin with. Don't get me wrong, he was a hell of a value for the pick. I've played the guy and he represents my city, so I'm not knocking him, but from a roster point of view, why take another swingman? With that said, I still think he's way too valuable to just cut. If worst comes to worst, I'd dangle him as trade bait and see if I got any takers. I'd say that Louis Amundson deserves a roster spot. He impressed everyone in the rookie camps and still went undrafted, then he went on to be last year's NBDL Rookie of the Year and an NBDL First Teamer, and then he apparently dominated compition in the summer league this year. What more does this guy have to do to get a roster spot? He's the consummate role player. Herbert Hill was a steal that late himself, and as a big man, he's probably the most valuable of the Sixers' unsigned players from a roster perspective. Keeping him on board is a no-brainer. My question is, can Bobby Jones still be cut? The article says that Jones "will see his contract become fully guaranteed on October 1st." When they say "will" and not "might," that implies that he's pretty much been guaranteed a roster spot. If that's the case though, why even mention his situation in the article?
Derrick Byars better not be cut. He was a steal from where we drafted him, and he was one of my favorite players in the draft (I wouldn't have minded the Lakers picking him up at #19, or the Sixers drafting him at #21). Anyways, we do have a logjam at the guard positions, so that's why I'm hoping for a trade of some sort to clear up the space. I will be extremely disappointed if Derrick Byars gets cut. He was a big reason why I praised our current draft.
