Mike Gansey Can't Erase the Past, and He's Not Trying to

CAMDEN — Last week, we detailed the most pressing topics new President of Basketball Operations Mike Gansey would have to address at his introductory press conference.

That time came on Monday, Gansey taking the podium in front of his family, Sixers stakeholders and local media.

Here's what he had to say about each order of business.

How do Embiid and George fit Gansey's vision?

Gansey never quite committed to Joel Embiid or Paul George as untouchable fixtures of the team. But he didn't exactly portray them as pieces of a past that the franchise was trying to depart.

"Well obviously we have Joel. I've had a lot of good conversations with him so far. Excited to meet with him this week. But with him and the roster we have, that's who we have," Gansey told reporters.

"We got to get those guys on the floor. We got to create an identity and just get them to play basketball. I think the group that we have, with Joel obviously, we just want to get them going and we're excited to see what we can build."

The question was repurposed to look at team-building on a larger scale. Gansey doesn't see the age extremes at the top of the roster as something to fix. Rather, he views those players as his core.

"We got two really, really good young studs with Tyrese [Maxey] and V.J. [Edgecombe] and then we have Joel and Paul. So those are the four we start with and, obviously, when they play, we're pretty good," Gansey said.

"You can see how they were against Boston in the playoffs and we just got to dive into those four and get them on the floor together because we got to stay healthy. And then try to add some depth and get better in other areas."

The topic of the team's split timeline between Embiid and George and Maxey and Edgecombe was broached. But to Gansey, it doesn't really matter as long as those involved can still, you know, play.

"I don't look at it as a timeline. I just look at it like we have those four and we got to maximize those four. Obviously V.J. and Tyrese are younger, but Paul and Joel can still play at a high level," Gansey explained.

"We were 24-14 when Joel played and, obviously, in the playoffs coming back from Boston, we got to rely on those four and obviously keep them on the floor and just build around them."

Does Nick Nurse fit the style Gansey wants to play?

This is the second consecutive Sixers regime in which the lead executive won't get to walk in and hand-pick his coach. Much has been made of that. But it appears to be much ado about nothing.

"I played for Nick. This was back in 2011, the G League Select Team. Back when we were playing in Las Vegas for summer league. Nick actually made me look good. He got me a nice deal in Spain the next year and ran a lot of ATOs for me," Gansey recalled.

"We were 1-9 against him that year when he was with the Iowa Energy. So we couldn't beat him, but I'm just super excited to work with Nick. I have all the respect for him. Championship-level coach. 21-win improvement last year, I mean he's had to go through a lot these last couple years with injuries and lineups in and out."

Gansey was able to relate to the adversity Nurse faced last season, juggling winning with lineup inconsistencies.

"I think he had 30 different starting lineups this year. Because I know the Cavs, we had 41. That's hard to do because us and Cleveland, we made the playoffs. So that many guys out, usually you're not winning a lot of games," Gansey said.

"So I'm just really excited to work with Nick and him to know me a little bit more but me to work with him. We're going to be aligned and he's a championship-level coach. So we're exxcited to have him and I'm just excited to work with him. So just ready to hit the ground running."

How does Gansey make this team better?

Even with the huge chunks of money owed to Embiid, George and Maxey, the Sixers will be able to spend this summer. They'll have other resources to improve, too. As much as the Sixers will have some maneuvering to do to put the puzzle together, Gansey's answer was pretty simple.

"I think with where we're at now, we have pick 22 in the draft. We got to hit on that. We got to get a good player there. And just building depth. We got to get guys in here in free agency that we like. We got to get minimum guys," Gansey said.

"And then obviously the big part is just internal development, with Tyrese, V.J. and some of our other young guys. They got to get better, too. I think it's internal growth, 22 and then free agency and trying to add as much depth as we can to this roster."

It is worth noting that Bob Myers specifically mentioned the Sixers having the non-taxpayer mid-level exception at their disposal this summer. So if they're truly willing to spend on external free agents, they will have the resources to do so.

Why does Gansey think he got the job?

We have that answered here.

How much autonomy does Gansey expect to have?

When Gansey was asked about the power he'll have working under Myers but still functioning as the Sixers' day-to-day lead decision-maker, he was immediately complimentary of Myers.

"Well first of all, when I was interviewing, having Bob Myers in my corner, I mean four-time champion, one of the best executives of all time, who wouldn't want him on your side? Obviously I'm the day-to-day president of basketball operations. Me and my group, which is a great group, we're going to work together," Gansey said.

"But it's just like every front office. You got him, he's an extension of ownership with Josh essentially. Any recommendations, any ideas, we're going to go through them. We're going to be in alignment throughout the whole organization, Nick Nurse included. Coach is going to be involved. We're going to be aligned throughout the whole building. Having Bob is what I call a cheat code. You have someone I can call any time I want and having him is pretty special to have on my side."

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