Per coach/basketball trainer Koran Godwin, former Pittsburgh Panthers forward Talib Zanna worked out for the Philadelphia 76ers last Friday.
Talib Zanna closed the week. Great workout with the 76ers today @Stephen_Gertz @KGorman_Trib @AnsonWhaley @HailToPittHoops @BrianBatko
— Coach Koran Godwin (@CoachGodwin) May 31, 2014
Now, for those who don't follow the NBA at all, the 76ers had the second-worst record in the NBA last season; they actively 'tanked' on their way to a 19-63 record. At one point they lost 26 straight games, just one loss away from setting the all-time longest losing streak in NBA history. Sure, former Syracuse point guard Michael Carter-Williams won the Rookie of the Year Award, but a lot of that had to do with the numbers he put up in meaningless minutes coupled by the fact that this past rookie class was less than impressive.
That certainly isn't the type of culture that Zanna is used to playing in. With that said, I am sure he'd be happy making any of the 30 NBA final rosters this fall. While the 76ers will probably be back in the lottery next season, they are a young team that certainly gave a lot of opportunities to players far less accomplished than Zanna.
For starters, Kwame Brown was on their roster; I can probably stop there. For some reason most teams seem to carry one or two veteran frontcourt players that have a lot of experience but are clearly not good at the game of basketball (you can sit down now, Drew Gooden). I find it more encouraging that the 76ers gave prominent minutes to former Georgetown center Henry Sims. Sims couldn't even crack the rotation for the Cleveland Cavaliers or their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge.
They also gave former BYU forward Brandon Davies - best known for an off the court incident - and former Marquette forward Darius Johnson-Odom contracts over the course of the season. The bottom line is that Zanna has as good a chance as any to make a 76ers roster that will still be rebuilding this upcoming season.
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