76ers Lineup Shaping Up

The Sixers lineup is shaping up now that the draft is concluded, and the Sixers signed Evan Turner.

I still would like to see the Sixers make one offseason move; that move would be to get rid of Andre Iguodala, obviously via trade. Iguodala makes a lot of money, a bad signing by Ed Stefanski, but still is a good player, just not a #1 option. I think Iguodala makes a lot of sense for certain teams, including the Chicago Bulls, who missed out of signing LeBron. If you can unload Iguodala, it will open up room for Thaddeus Young to start at the #3.

This is the year you need to find out if Thaddeus Young can play or not. Young looked good and showed flashes early in his career, but struggled for the most part last season. This is the year you need to find out in Young can be a starter in this league, or if he is just a serviceable player. In this scenario, Jrue Holiday would start at the point, and Evan Turner at shooting guard. With Thaddeus Young at the small forward, this would give the Sixers maybe the tallest 1, 2, 3 combo in the league. Holiday is big for a point guard, Turner is big for a shooting guard, and Young is big for a small forward. This would allow the Sixers to create a lot of matchup problems for any other team.

If Iguodala stays on the roster, which is probably likely, then Iguodala will probably start at the small forward position, and Thaddeus Young will come off the bench. The Sixers have tried putting Iguodala at the 2, and Young at the 3, but that didn't really work, and Iguodala has said he feels more comfortable at the small forward position.

As for the big men, the Sixers are not great up front. Elton Brand is a natural power forward, but as we have seen the last 2 seasons, is well past his prime, but locked into starting with all the money they are paying him. He is also unfortunately sort of blocking the process of Marreese Speights, who has shown a lot of skill when in the game. He is another guy the Sixers need to see if he can be a long term starter in this league.

Finally, the Sixers do not have to run out Samuel Dalembert at center. It wasn't a very significant trade, but just getting rid of Dalembert is one of the best trades in Sixers history. Basically the opposite of the Cliff Lee trade. In return, the Sixers received Spencer Hawes and Andres Nocioni. Hawes will probably be penciled in as the starting center. Hawes isn't great, but has size, and is decent, and still young.

If the Sixers want to play around, they can put Thaddeus Young at the 4 from time to time, or Speights, and Elton Brand can play center. Jason Smith will also get some time up front this year to see if he can show us something.

Lou Williams will probably be one of the first players off the bench, and even though Williams didn't show much last year as the starting point guard, he can still play, and is a solid backup to Jrue Holiday. Throw in the fact that the Sixers now have a respectable coach in Doug Collins who can help groom the young players, and will make the guys work hard, and the Sixers should at the very least have more wins than last season.

Sixers Season Comes to an End

The 76ers season comes to an uneventful end tonight... too bad people are more interested in the Flyers playoff game, the Phillies, and the Jimmy Rollins injury right now. The 76ers will close out their disappointing season tonight in Orlando. With 1 game remaining, the Sixers currently sit at 27-54, bad enough for the 7th worst record in the NBA. The Knicks will finish with a better record than the Sixers. The Sixers can do themselves some favors and not win this game, however it might not be easy as the Magic don’t have anything to play for either having locked up the #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The 76ers actually have somewhat of an eventful, strange season that saw ticket prices spike with the return of a fan favorite, and then drop back down to their normal, abysmal level. The Sixers actually entered the season with decent expectations. They had made the playoffs the 2 previous seasons, and pushed 2 teams better than them to 6 games in the first round. They came into this season with Andre Iguodala in his prime, a healthy Elton Brand, Lou Williams supposed to see more time, and youngsters like Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights supposed to contribute more. Ed Stefanski hired new coach Eddie Jordan to run the team. Unfortunately, the Sixers never quite got on track.

Instead, they faltered as soon as the season started. They never quite grasped Jordan’s “Princeton” style offense. Lou Williams never really fully took over the point guard position. Samuel Dalembert continued to suck. Elton Brand was terrible. Thaddeus Young regressed, but is still young. Speights sat behind an ineffective Brand most of the season.

Allen Iverson was re-signed, which brought a sellout crowd to the Sixers game, but not much else. Iverson played pretty well, all things considered, but quickly left the team as personal issued mounted. After Iverson left, the season was a lost cause, and so we got to see the one bright spot this year in rookie Jrue Holiday, who is the youngest player in the NBA. Holiday has been the only person who has even really tried the 2nd half of the season, and has looked good. In fairness, Andre Iguodala has also played well, and is a good player, but is not the guy who should be leading your team. Iguodala is a very good #2 or #3 option on a team, a guy who can do everything well, but cannot be a #1 option on a good team unfortunately.

The Sixers team is put together terribly, but I think you need to give general manager Ed Stefanski some more time to fix it. You have young guys such as Speights and Jason Smith who need to get some time to see what they can do. Speights has shown the ability that he can be a possible solid player, but he is stuck behind Elton Brand. Samuel Dalembert is a clown, but he makes so much money that they have to play him. Thaddeus Young is still very young and has a lot of room to grow, but needs to step his game up. The Sixers won’t be able to do anything this offseason, but should soon get some room to maneuver with Dalembert and Willie Green coming off the books after next season. Unfortunately, for the next few years, the Sixers are flat out a bad team.

Philadelphia 76ers All-Decade Team

The 76ers all-decade team is not pretty to look at to be perfectly honest. I have to imagine it would be one of the worst all-decade teams in the league, especially because the Sixers are one of the worst teams in the league right now, and our all-decade team contains 4 players on the team currently. Besides the very beginning of the decade, the team has been very average. Even the team that went to the finals had a bunch of role players, and 1 big star. Also, the team that went to the finals, the players were not on the team for very long in this decade. Nevertheless, the early part of the decade, and the 2001 team that this city fell in love with is well represented on this team, especially in the backcourt.

It was tough to leave off a guy like George Lynch who was a great team player, but we decided to go with Andre Iguodala at the small forward position. Also, Derrick Coleman came very close to making the team at the starting power forward position, but we chose to go small and go with Thaddeus Young instead, even though his time with the team has been shorter. Samuel Dalembert basically makes the team since he has been the team’s starting center basically all-decade, not because he is actually good.

Here is our starting Philadelphia 76ers all-decade lineup--

PG: Eric Snow
SG: Allen Iverson
SF: Andre Iguodala
PF: Thaddeus Young
C: Samuel Dalembert

6th Man: Aaron McKie

Coach: Larry Brown

MVP: Allen Iverson

Close Calls: George Lynch, Derrick Coleman

Sixers Lose Iverson's Debut

The Sixers lost their 10th straight in front of a sellout crowd, which included Kotite's Corner, at the Wachovia Center. Iverson got a long standing ovation when he was introduced in the starting lineup, but wasn't much of a factor on the court.

Iverson basically chose to pass the ball most of the time when he had it, and ended the game shooting 4-11 for 11 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Iverson could have taken a lot more shots, and I personally wished he had, but he seemed hesitant at times. I guess that is to be expected in his first game back to get his legs under him. The Sixers were winning most of the game until the Nuggets went on a 22-3 run at the end of the 3rd quarter and beginning of the 4th when Iverson was on the bench. Chauncey Billups had a great game, and went off at the point to put the game away.

At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Sixers lineup of Willie Green, Jason Kapono, Elton Brand, Samuel Dalembert, and Jason Smith just isn't going to cut it. I really do like Elton Brand, but he is horrible offensively. The only shot he can make is an uncontested shot from 15 feet. No question that Elton Brand was a beast in his prime, but he is average to say the best at this point in his career. I'm not even going to comment on Samuel Dalembert, besides to say I hate him. Willie Green played horribly also.

Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young were really the two Sixers who kept them in the game and in the lead for most of the game. Unfortunately, with Brand and Dalembert both as the starting 4 and 5, they need to give you something on the offensive end, or the Sixers will not win many games. Iverson didn't do much special, but I do think he provided a spark, and should only get better going forward. Either way, at least there is some Sixers talk in this town, and Iverson was enjoyable to watch.

10 Things the Sixers Need To Do

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.

Sixers Lose Opener

In the big Philadelphia sports news of the night............. the 76ers lost their opener to the Orlando Magic 120-106. Marreesse Speights led the way with 26 points for the Sixers, while Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young had 8, 8, and 8 respectively. What a great start.

Sixers have to make more moves

The Sixers enter an off-season filled with many questions marks. On the one hand, they are an above average team, with a good mix of veterans and improving young players. On the other hand, they are in that area where they are too good to get into the lottery, and too bad to make a serious run in the playoffs. Therefore, many things need to happen before we head into next season. First, we need to shake up the starting lineup a little bit. We need to go into next season with a new starter at the shooting guard and center position. Willie Green and Samuel Dalembert just cannot cut it in the starting lineup. Willie Green is a great guy, and does a lot for the community, but he is not a starting 2 guard in this league, especially for a team that wants to make it past the first round of the playoffs. The Sixers should be able to get rid of Green, he is a serviceable player. Green and Kapono are both not starters, and since Kapono is the sharp shooter, Green has to go. Samuel Dalembert is a typical basketball punk who is over-paid and will never live up to his potential. One night he will give you 20 and 20, and the next night he gives you 8 and 8 (his career average). He requested a trade, yet no team in the league would take him because Billy King gave him a 15% trade kicker... and cause he sucks. Sometime during this season, Dalembert announced that he should take more 3 pointers. He cannot even make a 10 foot jump shot. He was kicked off the Canadian National Team for being a jackass. Basically, Dalembert is a joke, and cannot be the starting center on the Sixers. I think the only way to solve this problem is to offer him a buy-out.

Next on the Sixers radar is the upcoming draft. If the Sixers do not make a move on draft night and stick with the 17th overall pick, 3 point guards come to mind: Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, and Jeff Teague. You never know what will happen on draft night or leading up to the draft, but Stefanski is already on record stating that the Sixers will be looking for the best available guard. As the draft gets closer, we at Kotite's Corner will give an in-depth analysis on each of those three point guards and our recommendation to Stefanski. Right now, I will discuss the possibility of trading up. I believe that Ricky Rubio is going to be a great player, a player that only comes around every 3-5 years in the draft. To get him, you will have to trade up somewhere in the 2-4 pick range. As the Sixers currently stand, you have two pieces of trade bait: Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. After Brand (if he ever returns to form), these are your next two best players. Problem is, they play the same position. One has to go at some point in the near future to improve this lineup for the long term. I am not sure which player currently has move value in a trade. Thaddeus Young is still raw, has an amazing upside, and is still on his rookie contract. Andre Iguodala has proven to be a great player in this league, but has a max contract. The Memphis Grizzlies expressed an interest in Iguodala last year during the free agency period, and they have the cap room to take on Iguodala's contract. Memphis also has a bad reputation with Spanish players, with Pau Gasol and Juan Carlos Navarro not working out there. Rubio has already made it known that he does not want to play in Memphis. I say we offer the 17th pick and Andre Iguodala for the 2nd overall pick and select Ricky Rubio. Rubio has the chance to be the best point guard in this draft, which is loaded with point guards. Even though Iguodala gives you the best chance to win right now, the Sixers need to shake things up, so we don't stay in the position of "middle of the pack" for years to come.

Sixers Try to Force Game 7

The Sixers play the a depleted Magic squad tonight in Game 6 of their first round series. The Magic will be without starters Dwight Howard, and Courtney Lee.

The Dwight Howard loss to the Magic will be seen as the most important factor in this game, but if the Sixers don't get their offense going, they will lose this game, even with Howard on the bench. The Andre's have been the two best players for the Sixers in this series, but should not be counted on to carry a team in a series. Both are good players, the problem is, Iguodala is not good enough to be a #1 option on a good team. He is a very good player, and has played well in this series, but has been inconsistent.

The Sixers have not been getting much in this series from Thaddeus Young, and Lou Williams. Both of them have such good offensive skill, and the Sixers need scoring from them. Williams has looked hesitant to do anything in this series, as if he doesn't want to shoot too much. Young is doing the opposite, and is doing too little. Young has struggled trying to create for himself, and has not hit the open looks that he has gotten. The Sixers need to get offense out of those two guys, so they can actually get out of the low 80's in points.

Back to the absence of Howard. Besides Howard, the Magic are also a very good three point shooting team. They take a lot, and they make a lot. Without Howard in the game, look for the Magic to take ever more, because that may be the best chance they have to win this game. The Sixers should be able to defend this however. Without Howard in the lineup, the Sixers do not need to double down when the ball goes into the post, and instead, can stay out high and cover the Magic players at the three point line. I will give Gortat or Battie any low post shots they want if it means keeping the Magic three point shooting at bay.

The Sixers should not look at this game, and feel like they have the edge without Howard playing, and with the game being at home. The Sixers need to come out with an edge, and execute, and hopefully force a Game 7 back in Orlando.

76ers Take 2-1 Series Lead

The 76ers won on Friday night to take a 2-1 series lead over the Orlando Magic. In a game that had the opposite flow of the first two games, the Sixers blew a large 17-point lead, but ended up winning the game down the stretch.

The Sixers lead this game the whole first half, and into the 3rd quarter. Halfway through the 3rd quarter, the Sixers stretched the lead to 17. However, the Magic came back with their three point shooting. Dwight Howard was a beast in this game, but the comeback was made possible with multiple threes from Rashard Lewis and Mickael Pietrus. Even with Dwight Howard going off for 36, the Sixers held it together, and held off the Magic to take the series lead.

The Sixers were able to get out to the big lead due to their transition game. The Andre Brothers (Miller & Iguodala), were solid to start this game. Iguodala was scoring in transition, and actually making his jumpers. Andre Miller was doing what he has done this whole series, and doing whatever he has wanted to do against Rafer Alston. Down the stretch, the Sixers were up two with 10 seconds left, when Andre Miller missed a runner in the lane. The Magic inbounded the ball to Dwight Howard down low, who was fouled right away. Howard drained two clutch free throws to tie the game at 94. On the final possession, Thaddeus Young has the ball in his hands, drove to the lane, was tied up by Dwight Howard, regained possession of the ball, and put up a layup over Howard and Lewis to win the game. Andre Miller, who has been fantastic in this series lead the Sixers with 24 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds. Iguodala lead the Sixers scorers with 29, and Willie Green had 12.

The Sixers still need to improve if they want to win this series. They can't settle, and be happy to win two games against the Magic. The Magic are there for the taking, and the Sixers need to take advantage. The Magic are going to come out with a mission in Game 4, and the Sixers will need to match their intensity. The Sixers have a 2-1 series lead, and pick up the series Game 4, Sunday night in Philadelphia.

Sixers Game 2 Preview

The 76ers look to go up 2-0 in their series against the Magic and possibly steal another game in Orlando. It isn’t going to easy, nor is it likely that the Sixers will take two in Orlando and bring a 2-0 series lead back to Philadelphia.

The Sixers just need to keep their momentum going from the 4th quarter of Game 1, and play the way that they want to play. They can’t worry about being up 1-0 in the series, they need to approach this game just like they would approach any other. The Sixers stole Game 1 in Detroit last season in the 1st round of the playoffs, and then got blown out in Game 2. Even though overall it would still be considered a good thing to go 1-1 in Orlando, the Sixers need to realize that they have the opportunity to really take control of this series by winning this game. Instead of coming out and not working as hard in Game 2, knowing that you still won Game 1, the Sixers need to come out and play even harder in Game 2, knowing that they have an opportunity to go up 2-0 in this series.

To win this game, the Sixers will really need to continue to defend the three pointer like they did in Game 1. It helped that Orlando missed shots that they usually make, but the Sixers did a good job of not letting Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu ever get into a rhythm and get into the game. It seems stupid to talk about how to stop the Magic and not mention Dwight Howard first, but Howard had a great Game 1, and the Sixers still won. Yes, it would be nice to slow down Howard, but let’s be honest; it’s not going to happen. Howard is a beast, and no one on the Sixers can defend him. Theo Ratliff did do a respectable job defending him though I will say.

On offense, the Sixers need to get out and run where they can, and get as many easy baskets as possible. Orlando is a very good defensive team, so the Sixers need to get as many layups and dunks in transition as possible. In the half court set, Iguodala, Miller, Young, and Williams need to get their baskets, as they can all create.

It would be exciting if the Sixers can get this win tonight and come home up 2-0 in the series, but they will need to play their best game possible to accomplish that.

Sixers Magic 1st Round Preview

Let’s be honest - The Sixers do not have that great a chance to win the series. If this was KC odds makers, I would put it at about 9%. But there is still a chance and anything can happen. We at Kotite’s want to give a preview of the matchups you will see while watching this series. This matchup and the 9% is assuming that both Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu will play. Today it was announced they might return. If they do not play, Sixers percent chance of winning goes up to 40%/ Let's take a look at how the Sixers and Magic match up - position by position.

PG: Andre Miller vs. Rafer Alston - Advantage Sixers

If hometown favorite Jameer Nelson was not injured this would be a lot closer (with advantage still going to Miller, primarily because of experience). Miller should be able to control Skip-to-my-Lou fairly easily, but will have trouble keeping up with his speed.

SG: Willie Green vs. Courtney Lee - Advantage Magic
Any starting 2 guard in the league is better than Willie Green, so the advantage Magic really has nothing to do with Lee’s skill. The rookie from Western Kentucky shoots well from the field, can hit the three, and shoots well from the line, and moved big free-agent signing Mickael Pietrus to 6th man. Hopefully Willie Green gets taken out early and Big Lou Williams gets a lot of minutes in the series.

SF: Andre Iguodala vs. Hedo Turkoglu - Advantage Sixers
Hedo has a bum ankle and might not play in this series and Andre was completely embarrassed last year in the playoffs with a performance that I could match - that is how bad he was. I expect Iggy to step up his game and play very well in this series.

PF: Thaddeus Young vs. Rashard Lewis - Advantage Magic
Thaddeus Young is the best player on the Sixers. You heard it here first. It is a shame that AI part 2 cannot play 2 guard, so when bust-Elton Brand comes back next season, Thad is playing the 3 and not 6th man. Rashard Lewis a freak of nature and will give match-up problems for Thad if Lewis’ knee is alright for him to play.

C: Samuel Dalembert vs. Dwight Howard - Triple Advantage Magic
This is not even close. The self-proclaimed Haitian sensation, Sammy DDDDDDD, on his best day is not even close to the skill level or physical prowess of Dwight Howard on Howard’s worst day. Sammy D could be a good player, but he thinks he is Dwight Howard and he really is much closer to Shawn Bradley. Expect at least one 20/20 game from Howard, especially if Hedo and Rashard do not play.

Bench – Advantage Sixers
The Magic do bring Mickael Pietrus off the bench, who is a very good player. JJ Redick also comes off the bench, who can provide instant offense with his 3-point shooting. The Sixers have the best bench player in this series in Lou Williams, who usually plays in crunch time over Willie Green. The Sixers also bring Speights off the bench, who has shows the ability to do a lot of good things at the power forward position.

Picks
Mr. Green: Sixers in 6
Roget: Magic in 5

Sixers Struggling Down the Stretch

The Sixers lost what seemed like their 30th game in a row on Sunday (it was actually their 5th game in a row), to the Raptors, and are losing ground in the Eastern Conference with each loss.

Before this losing streak, the Sixers were in the 5th position in the East, and could realistically get to 4th ahead of the Hawks. Even if they had stayed in the 5th spot, they would have drawn the 4th seeded Hawks in the first round, a team that the Sixers have a winning record against this season. Five losses later, and the Sixers cannot get the 4th seed, cannot get the 5th seed, and are tied for the 6th seed with the Chicago Bulls. Because they cannot get the 5th seed, they will fall somewhere in the 6, 7, or 8 seed range, which means a first round matchup against the Cavs, Celtics, or Magic, the three elite teams in the Eastern Conference.

The Sixers need to get Thaddeus Young back as soon as possible. He will probably not return to the lineup the final two games of the regular season, but will return for the playoffs. Without Thaddeus, the Sixers are struggling, as Young can score not only on the break, but also in the half court sets. The Sixers final two games of the season are against the Celtics and Cavs, so we could easily drop down to the 8th playoff spot, depending on how the Bulls, and Pistons do. It doesn't appear likely that the Sixers would win a series against the Cavs, Celtics, or Magic, even if they were playing good basketball. However, the Sixers did lose four games in a row last season heading into the playoffs, and then proceeded to push the Pistons in the first round. Even with a first round exit, it would be nice for the Sixers to make some noise in this playoffs, and get some fans in the arena.

Sixers Battling for Playoff Seed

The 76ers have been playing fairly good basketball down the stretch, and are battling for a favorable position in the upcoming playoffs. The Sixers currently sit in the 6th seed, with a record of 40-37, 0.5 games behind the Miami Heat, with a game in hand. Unfortunately, they lost their 2nd straight last night, in a game they really needed, against the Bobcats 101-98.

In the Eastern Conference, it is all about seeding. With three elite teams (Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando), you do not want to end up in the 6, 7, 8 seed range and face one of those teams in the first round, because it will more than likely be one-and-done. That basically leaves the 4-5 matchup as the first round matchup that you want to be in. There is currently a three-team battle for the 4th, 5th, and 6th seeds between the Atlanta Hawks in the 4 spot right now, the Heat in the 5th spot, and the Sixers in the 6th spot.

The Sixers are playing well right now, with Andre Miller, Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, and the currently injured Thaddeus Young all contributing. The Sixers are 4 games over .500 since the start of March, including a win over the Hawks during that span. Iguodala has had a very good 2nd half of the season, and is averaging 18.5 PPG, and over 5 boards and assists per game. Lou Williams continues to provide a consistent scoring threat from off the bench, and seemingly can get to the rim with ease. Marreese Speights is growing up as the season goes along, and it looks like the Sixers may have a solid player for the future in Speights.

With only six games remaining, it would be optimal to pass the Heat in the standings and get the 5th seed. Even though we would have to go on the road to start the playoffs, the Sixers had a winning record against the Hawks in the regular season, and can definitely beat them in the 1st round of the playoffs. Even with a win in a potential first round series against the Hawks, that would leave the Sixers as one of four teams left along with the Big 3 in the Eastern Conference. So, although the Sixers would more than likely make a 2nd round exit at this point, it is still exciting to watch playoff basketball, and the Sixers need to generate as much interest as possible at this point. Most Sixers fans would enjoy a playoff run, even if it is short lived.

Checking in on Our Teams Owned by a Cable Monopoly

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers beat the Toronto Raptors last night 106-96 to win their 1st road game of the season, and break their 3-game losing streak, moving them to 3-5 on the season.

There have been few bright sports this season for our 76ers, but it is still early in the season, and may take a month or so to come together as a team, with new members, and a new philosophy in the half-court offense. Newcomer Elton Brand has been one of the few bright spots thus far for this team. Brand is averaging a double-double with 16 points, and 11 boards a game. Thaddeus Young has also been a bright spot for the Sixers, and shown that he is comfortable at the 3 spot. Young has shown the ability to take the ball to the basket, and hit the jumper when he needs to.

Unfortunately, the Sixers have struggled at the guard positions. I am not too concerned with point guard Andre Miller, as he is a veteran, and should be able to start playing well soon. Miller is turning the ball over too much, and not hitting his usual mid-range ugly sort of set shot. Andre Iguodala has moved to the 2 guard this season, and has also struggled early. He is still very good in the open floor, but struggles with the half-court offense. He looks like when the Sixers run their half-court sets, and throws up too many contested outside shots. That is not his game. Last night Iguodala was one rebound shy of a triple-double, so this is a good sign that he may be regaining his form from last season. Sammy D has struggled as well, and really is limited beyond rebounding the ball, and scoring on a dunk.

The bench has been up-and-down so far this season. Willie Green has played real well, and then real bad. Louis Williams is the best bench player, and is one of the few players who can hit an outside shot. Rookie Marresse Speights has looked good when he had played, and should get more minutes as the season goes on. Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall have provided a nice outside option.

The Sixers have really struggled with turnovers, and entered last night’s game against the Raptors leading the league in turnovers. That’s not a statistic you want to lead the league at.

We feel as if the Sixers will turn this season around, it is still very early. The half-court offense needs to go through Elton Brand almost every time down. He is the best offensive player on the team, and has shown that he can find the open man outside when the defense doubles him. It’s just a matter of the other players hitting their outside shots.

Philadelphia Flyers

Sharing the Wachovia Center (soon the be named something else I’m sure) with the Sixers are the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers, like the Sixers, have started out a little slow, but have played a little bit better after the first few games.

The Flyers are 5-6-3 overall, which isn’t bad, but isn’t good. Just like the Eagles in the NFC East, the Flyers play in probably the toughest division in hockey, the Atlantic. This means the Flyers will have to play and beat the Rangers, Penguins, and Devils multiple times to get back into the race in the Atlantic Division.

As a bright spot for the Flyers, their young core group of players has all played pretty well. Mike Richards, the recently named captain before the season started, already leads the team with 17 points in 14 games. One of the other young stars, Jeff Carter leads the team with 9 goals this season. Simon Gagne, Danny Briere, and Mike Knuble have all played well so far this season. However, just like seasons’ past, the offense is not usually the problem with the Flyers.

The Flyers worked very hard in the offseason to improve the defense. They brought in Ossi Vaananen, Andrew Alberts, and their draft pick, Luca Sbisa, to go along with Braydon Coburn, and Kimmo Timonen. The Flyers definitely miss Randy Jones back on defense, and the defense will improve once he is back on the blue line. The Flyers just made a trade for Tampa Bay defenseman Matt Carle, another young defenseman.

The goaltending has been a little shaky, but both Biron and Nitty have also had good games as well and shown the ability to shut down the opposing team and win a game for the Flyers. Biron is a good goaltender, and the amount of goals scored against the Flyers this season, we blame on more lack of defense than poor goaltending. Admittedly, Biron will need to play better as the season goes on, but more importantly, the defense needs to do a better job in front of him.

Bottom line, the offense is a little hot and cold, but can usually score goals. The defense needs to improve, and the Flyers organization has done a good job of loading the team with solid young defenseman, who just need some time to improve. Just like the Sixers, look for the Flyers to start coming together and stringing some wins together.

In Ed We Trust

Philadelphia native and Penn grad, Ed Stefanski took over the Sixers last winter and changed the culture of a losing team. He got rid of fan favorite, sharp-shooter Kyle Korver and told head coach Maurice Cheeks to play an upbeat style of offense and defense with his young team. The team responded well, becoming one of the hottest teams to end the season, gaining a playoff birth in their first “Iversonless” season. They drew the hard-nose veteran team of the Pistons in the first round. They surprised the Pistons taking the series to 6 games before losing.

Fast forward to this off season, the Sixers have a good amount of cap room, but do not seem to have a enough to sign the top prize of the class, Elton Brand. In a surprising move that came from left field, Stefanski unloads Rodney Carney, Calvin Booth and a protected first rounder for a conditional second rounder, then he signs Elton Brand. He also resigned young stars in Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams. With the buzz created from last year’s turn-around and the signing of Brand, Stefanski was able to lure key veteran bench contributors in Kareem Rush, Donyell Marshall, Royal Ivey, and the return of Theo Ratliff. The Sixers also drafted freakish athlete Marreese Speights, who should see some playing time, since Jason Smith is out for the season.

The predicted starting line-up for the season opener is:
1. Miller
2. Iguodala
3. Young
4. Brand
5. Dalembert

Iggy has moved from small forward to shooting guard. Although A.I. 2.0 is better suited to play the 3, the Sixers had to open a spot for standout rookie of last year Thaddeus Young who really thrived in the new Stefanski-style offense. Most of last season, Young played out of position at power forward. If Iggy and Young can improve their outside game this year, they will both be very difficult to stop. Andre Miller had his best year statistically last year, and will continue to be a great court general. His assist numbers should improve with the ability to run a frequent pick and roll with Elton Brand. Brand has averaged 20 and 10 over his career. Although he may not reach those numbers (we are predicting 17 and 9) he will open up the offense, like we have not seen on the Sixers in a long time. Last year during the playoffs, the Pistons swarmed and embarrassed Iguodala every time he drove to the basket. This year it will be difficult for defending teams to give help defense in the paint without the threat of kicking it to Brand for a dunk or a ten-footer. The Haitian Sensation, Sammy D, should be able to mostly concentrate on D and rebounding this year. Brand will take a good amount of offensive pressure off of Sam. This should open him up for a few easy dunks a game and not too many shots. Look for Sam to be in the leaders of field goal percentage this year.

The Sixers have their best bench since Iverson and Larry Brown led them to the NBA finals. 6th man candidate Lou Williams just knows how to score. He really does not have a position. He is too small for the 2 and cannot handle the ball and lead the team well enough for the 1. Look for him to continue to grow as a point guard as he is going to be the PG of the future. Although he will not start, he will rack up a good amount of minutes. We also have former starter Willie Green coming off the bench who can also have a scorers touch. With Brand in the middle and the eventual double team coming ever time he gets the ball, not having a good outside shooting team can really hurt production. Stefanski addressed this by signing Rush and Marshall who have career 3 point percentages of 36.0 and 34.8, respectively. These two coming off the bench should give the Sixers the outside option they will desperately need. We all know what Theo Ratliff can do. Although he is not as athletic as he was with his first stint with the Sixers, he can sniff out block shots like a bloodhound. Royal Ivey also is a great defender and can shut down the opponents PG, when Miller is getting a breather. Ivey and Ratliff know their roles as defensive specialists.

The Sixers have vastly improved from last year, but so has the Eastern conference in general. Former playoff teams, the Bulls and Heat had the first two picks in the draft, and should return to form with possible playoff births. The Sixers opening day opponent, the Raptors traded for Jermaine O’Neal. If healthy, having Chris Bosh and O’Neal should be a great 1-2 punch for Toronto. The defending champs lost James Posey, which will hurt them, but they still have the big 3. The Cavs seems to be suffering from what the Sixers used to struggle with, which is finding a great second option to their super-star. The Cavs had made multiple deals over the past few years to try and get a Pippen to their Jordan. This years attempt was former Bucks PG Mo Williams. The 5th year PG from Alabama averaged 17 ppg last year. Orlando will still be in the playoff picture with their young team developing and getting more experience together. The Wizards if their key players can stay healthy, they have Agent 0 back this year. Atlanta has a good 1-5 and if Josh Smith continues to grow, they could surprise some people this year. They should battle the Bulls for the last playoff spot in the East.

Our predicted 1-8 in the East is:

1. Celtics, 2. Cavs, 3. Sixers, 4. Magic, 5. Pistons, 6. Raptors, 7. Wizard, 8. Hawks