The Philadelphia 76ers have taken an interesting approach toward their rebuilding process over the last few years, which involves sitting players and allegedly openly losing in order to stockpile assets to either trade later or help build a contender in the future. Philadelphia grabbed Joel Embiid, the expected franchise-changing center, in this summer's draft with the overall third pick because a foot injury that will sideline the former Kansas Jayhawk for the entire 2014-15 NBA season scared Cleveland and Milwaukee, the teams with the first two picks, respectively, away.

Embiid will be Philadelphia's second straight lottery player to miss his rookie year due to injury. Last season the team traded for the rights to Nerlens Noel on draft night and did not see the former Kentucky player step on the court because of a lengthy rehab from a torn ACL. The 76ers may be in for another tough year that will lead to another high lottery pick, but they could also become contenders overnight because of that approach. Let's take a closer look at Philadelphia's futures odds with predictions and analysis.

2014 Philadelphia 76ers Betting Story Lines

At the moment Philadelphia's rebuilding strategy has them sitting in the position of laughing-stock of the league, but general manager Sam Hinke may be implementing a brilliant idea. In the NBA, teams want to be either really good or really bad, and toiling all season just to hit the .500 mark is the worst position an organization can be in. The good teams win championships, make the playoffs and earn extra money for their franchises, while the bad teams get lottery picks and reload on their talent.

However, the bad teams never become good teams because one player is not enough to push them into the upper echelon of the NBA, and instead they become .500 teams. Hinke has realized that a single lottery pick (outside players like Tim Duncan and LeBron James) will not lead to a championship, so why not sit on those picks, bring them along slowly and then build a contender with three or four top players from each draft?

2014 Philadelphia 76ers Additions and Departures

Last season's lottery pick Noel will be the biggest addition to the squad in 2014 as he is expected to be fully healthy entering the year. The team also drafted Emiid, who was projected to be the No. 1 pick before his foot injury, and Dario Saric, who many believe will be the sleeper pick of the draft. Philadelphia will be expecting those players, along with last season's Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams and hopefully another high draft pick or two to be its core foundation to building a championship team over the next four or five seasons.

2014 Philadelphia 76ers Futures Odds

NBA Title Odds : +65000

Eastern Conference Odds : +30000

Division Odds : +10000

Nerlens Noel ROY Odds : +600

Michael Carter-William MVP Odds : +50000

Philadelphia has quite a few futures bets on the board, but the whether or not any of them are live is another question. Noel certainly has the potential to win the Rookie of the Year Award, but in a loaded year like 2014 that includes at least seven quality rookies he might still be a bit of a long shot. The 76ers are not looking to win, so expect the squad to take a slow approach with Noel and monitor his minutes and playing time throughout the year.

2014 Philadelphia 76ers Predictions and Futures Odds

Record : 17-65 (worst in NBA)

Playoffs : No

Division : last in Atlantic

The 76ers may be the one team in the league whose futures odds are truly dead money. The organization does not want to win at the moment and understands that winning 40-something games and sneaking into the playoffs will not accomplish much. Hinke has a plan for building his team, and unfortunately winning right away is not a part of that equation. Expect Philadelphia to have another horrendous year.

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