1. Sign Allen Iverson. Listen, he is past his prime and somewhat selfish, but the Sixers attendance is extremely low, and that is something Iverson can help with. Iverson will put people in the stands. Most intelligent Sixers fans love Iverson, or at least support him. I've been to 1 Sixers game in the past few years, and it was the first game Iverson was back in town as a member of the Nuggets. This may stunt the growth of our young core, but something needs to happen. This team is not exciting and it feels like a minor league atmosphere. You can give him a 1 year deal, and probably get him at the veterans minimum. It is only a band-aid, but at least it stops some of the bleeding for this year.
2 . Make the trade that has been reported happen. The trade would send Nocioni to Boston, Kenny Thomas, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine to Philadelphia and Dalembert and J.R. Giddens to Sacramento. This trade isn't done to help this current Sixers team, because Thomas, Allen and Scalabrine all have expiring contracts. This trade is harder to make with the Speights injury, but it needs to be done today. If I never have to see Sammy D again, I will be a happy man.
3. Play rookie Jrue Holiday more. I was watching the Sixers play the Jazz the other day and they were down 25 and Holiday was not in. Why would I want to watch Royal Ivey play at that point? If the game is close, I understand not playing the 19 year old rookie, but if you are down 25 in the 4th quarter, Holiday should be in.
4. Run more plays for Thaddeus Young. Right now Andre Iguodala is the best player on the team. My problem with him is he is not the star of a team. He has the potential to be a triple-threat monster, especially in the Princeton Offense, but I just see him as a Scottie Pippen type player. Iguodala is great as a #2 option, but average as a #1 option. Thaddeus Young has a ton of talent. I think we have just scratched the surface on what Young is capable of, and Young is too unselfish. Young needs to demand the ball, and the Sixers need to start running some of the offense through Young to see if we have a star, or another above average role player. Thaddeus Young might never be as good as Iguodala, but we need to find out. He improves every year. He is tall and athletic with a nice shooters' touch.
5. If we are bringing Iverson back, I think it is time to think about trading Lou Williams. I know Lou is young, and gets opponents big men in foul trouble with his slashing abilities, but obviously what we have now is not working. When you look at the Sixers roster, nobody wants Brand or Dalembert (lets hope they pull off the deal with the Kings), Iguodala seems to be untouchable in Stefanski’s eyes, and he gets paid a lot. That leaves you with Speights, Young, Williams, and Holiday as young chips that other teams will have interest in. I think Speights and Young are untouchable and you need to see what you have in Holiday. That leaves Williams. He is not a true 1 and is too small to be a 2. Williams ideally is a 6th man. He has good energy coming off the bench. I think a championship caliber team would trade an expiring contract or a late 1st rounder for Lou.
6. Bring back Pat Croce in some capacity. Obviously Croce will want a lot of power, which is what was not given to him in the first place, and why he left. Ed Snider really only cares about the Flyers anyways, and thus he should bring in Croce to be what Snider is to the Sixers. Snider needs to get over his huge ego and realize that Croce is a talent, and a person that is a positive influence on an organization. The fans love Croce, and Croce can put people in the seats, and eventually build a successful team. Croce is a guy who understands the Philly mentality and who can get the fans and players motivated.
7. Treat Elton Brand like a normal player. Unfortunately, we have to realize we paid Brand way too much money, and Brand is not the same guy as he was in his prime. I know he makes so much money that it doesn’t seem worth it to play Speights over him. However, bottom line, Speights has been better than Brand this season. When Speights comes back from injury, if he continues to outplay Brand, Speights needs to be on the court as a starter. If Brand is playing poorly, bench him. Ed Stafanski made a bad signing. I hate saying that, because Stafanski is a friend of Kotite's Corner, but the team should have gone after Josh Smith. It’s a shame because Elton Brand is a really good, intelligent guy who works real hard.
8. The Princeton Offense is great if you are student of the game. In the NBA today, not many players are students of the game. The Sixers were exciting and won a lot the last 2 seasons while running the ball. This does not fit Brand’s style nor Jordan’s offense. Both need to adapt and they need to find a middle point. Right now they are not there and they need to be for the Sixers to be successful.
9. Have more ticket promotions. The Guys Night Out is a good idea. The Holiday Pack they just announced is average at best. Good job marketing! You need to get people in the seats. Have giveaways. Do something; Nova draws more fans when they play in the Wachovia Center. That should not happen.
10. If all else fails, start tanking.
5 comments:
OMG, where to start with this? Okay, first, I agree that AI was the single most exciting and interesting player since Doc, though hardly comparable in talent (not to mention size, which in the modern NBA seems to partly compensate for talent). I also tended to agree with those who defended AI's ball-hogging by pointing to his woefully inadequate supporting cast. That said, however, AI since his departure from our fair city has consistently demonstrated his fundamentally self-centered, narcissistic, lazy, whiny, entitled, thug-wanna-be attitude. Without the convenient cover of the incompetent Sixers to provide a rationalization for his actions, his true colors have been starkly revealed. He is in fact the selfish pig that many claimed. And to top it off, he's the selfish pig with no game left -- a truly winning combination! If your point is that something needs to be done to fill seats, regardless of the collateral damage, then by all means bring on AI -- hell, TO is probably pissed in Buffalo by now, so let's get him into a Sixers uniform too!! Actually, hockey guy Al Morganti had a better idea to fill seats: one that not only doesn't involve AI, but also doesn't involve the other phony you mentioned -- that king of con and hucksterism, the original Philly snake-oil salesman, Pat Croce. Morganti's brainstorm? Make the Sixers an entirely local enterprise in which ALL players & coaches are recruited and/or signed only from the Big 5. Jay Wright as head coach with a cast from Temple, St. Joe's, LaSalle, Nova, and Penn. Might not be any less hopeless than what we have, but at least it would have a better shot at filling seats. I'd actually expand that to include recruiting all the top anonymous talent playing pick up games on North & West Philly playgrounds -- then you don't even have to worry about other teams' draft positions. An all Philly team that true Philly B-Ball fans would flock to support! Maybe a hash pipe dream, but I'd personally rather see that than the dueling egomaniac show of AI & Croce.
Stellar post. I agree with all 10 points. I feel they started the retooling of the team with something as small as the new logo, uniforms, and floor. They went back to those uniforms because some of those teams were so good. Why not be more like them?
I do like the old jerseys that they went back to, that is a good start. Pitt football needs to be next to go back to the old jerseys permanently.
Iverson would at very least put some fans back in the seats, and generate some interest, get the Sixers on SportsCenter, get some people talking about them. Even you T-Bone would crack a smile when Iverson drains a shot over a defender drawing an opposing time out, to which Iverson puts his hand to his ear, as the fans rise to their feet. Bring back even a little taste of 2001.
I should just post an article of awesome Iverson photos when he was with the Sixers
Okay guys, I repent! After watching the pathetic performance against the pathetic Grizzlies last night, BRING ON AI!! At least he'd provide energy and excitement and, what the hell, the Sixers aren't going anywhere in my lifetime anyway -- so, you're right, AI would at least make them watchable, which they sure as hell ain't right now. And, as I think about it, I'd much rather see AI hand to his ear than one more shot of that clueless stiff of a coach Eddie Jordan standing courtside, mouth agape, looking for all the world like a Down's Syndrome kid waiting for the short bus...
Just one request: leave Croce out of the mix. This guy's endless, shameless self-promotion and inflated ego make David Blaine look like a selfless public servant...
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