Boy, if everyone doesn't have an opinion about this MCW business, whether the Sixers were correct in trading him, why they traded him, what they should be looking for in a point guard, and who that point guard of the future should be. Ex-Sixers coach and current Southern Methodist University coach Larry Brown, who seems to always have an opinion when the mic is nearby, has an answer for at least the last two questions, and that answer is Ex-SMU recruit and current Guangdong Southern Tiger Emmanuel Mudiay. LB recruited Mudiay to SMU and got his commitment, until Mudiay decided to head to China for a year and make some cash. Pound-for-Pound called into Mike Missanelli's show on 97.5 The Fanatic to pump up Mudiay to the Sixers, and Matt Lombardo over at NJ.com has the recap.
"You need a great point guard. First and foremost I think it starts with them defending the ball. Emmanuel's 6-5, he's long, he's athletic. I think he can keep the ball in front of him. He's a pass-first point guard. He's an extra rebounder. He's not a great shooter, but, in the NBA, you have so much time to work on your shot and improve your game, his shot's not broken. I think it'll get there. I think he has it all."
Effusive praise from one of the game's greatest ever, without a doubt. And he is right, Mudiay does fit the mold of tall and athletic perimeter players that the Sixers seem to prefer. Marc Narducci of the Inquirer actually had a similar conversation with Brown last week, ironically on the day where the Sixers would dispatch their incumbent PG. He didn't hold back then either.
"They would have a parade if they got him in the draft," Brown said before SMU's practice Wednesday at Moody Coliseum as the Mustangs prepared for a home game Thursday against Temple. "I don't mean a championship parade [but] just he's that good."
Whoah whoah LB – this is Philly. We don't throw parades simply because people are good (although that would be fun). Larry clearly has an appreciation for this kid though, and while it might be tempting to say he's simply puffing up one of his own recruits, the kid sort of burned him in the end anwyay, so what does he owe him?
It's not news that Mudiay is good, and could work with the Sixers. I'm pretty sure every Sixers fan at this point has gone through the requisite YouTube videos. His season in China was a mixed bag, showing flashes of brilliance before being shut down prematurely with an ankle injury. Now it appears that Emmanuel and his agent may go the route of "less is more" in prepping for the draft, so who knows how much we'll see.
What is news though is that a Hall-of-fame coach, and Ex-Sixer who genuinely seems to love this city, thinks he would be a good fit for our team. And while I kind of hate the fact that LB gets dusted off for a quote on the Sixers way more often than he should, it's probably wise to not outright ignore him.
