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.

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 Can't Find Any Magic

The 76ers were eliminated last night in an embarrassing loss to the Magic, losing their first round series 4 games to 2. The Sixers suffered a 25 point loss to the Magic who were without Dwight Howard and Courtney Lee.

The Sixers have yet to win a playoff series since 2003, and this is the 2nd straight season that the Sixers went up 2 games to 1 in their first round series, and then proceeded to lose in six games. The game was ugly, and pathetic. The absence of Dwight Howard did not mean a thing. The Sixers continued to struggle on offense, and once again could not even get to 90 points. The Magic were doing anything they wanted offensively. Rashard Lewis had a big game, and so did Rafer Alston. Even backup center Marcin Gortat put up bigger numbers than his counterpart, Samuel Dalembert. Thaddeus Young never got anything going this series, and really played poorly. The only two Sixers who were consistent in this series were Iguodala and Miller.

There really is no reason to rehash the game, as it was pathetic. The Magic didn’t even really play an impressive series, and still won easily. I won’t go into the fact that the Magic have a bunch of punks on their team, mostly in Howard and Turkoglu, and led by their coach, Stan Van Gundy, who the players will soon quit on.

The Sixers face a lot of off-season questions this summer. Tony DiLeo did a respectable job getting this team to the playoffs, but he really is not a head coach in this league, nor should he be the head coach of the Sixers next season. As for the team, there are many issues, and I’m not sure how many can actually be addressed. The Sixers start two players who flat out are not good enough to be starters in Willie Green and Samuel Dalembert. We also rely on Andre Iguodala to be our #1 option, which he should not be. Iguodala should be a #2 or 3 option, and a facilitator. Iguodala has also stated that he can’t play the SG position effectively, which unfortunately has meant that Thaddeus Young has had to play the PF position. Thaddeus Young is not a PF, and should be the small forward. The Sixers are locked into so much money with contracts to Elton Brand, Iguodala, and Dalembert, so they can’t do much in free agency anytime soon. Andre Miller is most likely gone, which will hurt the team in the near future, as Miller carried the Sixers offensively at times, which you always need from your point guard.

With the 17th pick in the draft, the Sixers should address one of two positions: Point Guard or Center. This year’s draft is heavy on point guards with Ricky Rubio, Brandon Jennings, Jonny Flynn, Stephen Curry, Eric Maynor, Tyreke Evans, Jeff Teague, Ty Lawson, Patrick Mills, and Jrue Holiday all expected to be taken in the first round. Someone like Eric Maynor should easily fall to 17. Even if the Sixers are able to resign Andre Miller, it will only be to a 3 year deal. The Sixers need to address the future of their point guard with a draft that is stacked at that position. Watching this season, Thaddeus Young has an unbelievable upside and will be the best player on the team in a few years. However, he does need to put the work in to improve, especially on the defensive end. Part of the reason Young has struggled on defense is because he is playing out of position at Power Forward.

With the Elton Brand experiment coming back next season, can Iguodala play the 2, so Thad does not have to be the 6th man? When Brand was in the lineup and Iggy played the 2, he looked awful. Andre needs to learn to play the 2 this off-season. He is athletic enough to handle guarding 2 guards around the league, and for the most part, should be able to physically dominate them on offense. If he starts at 2, we can get rid of Willie Green. Willie Green is alright and we rip him often. He has overcome a lot in this world to get where he is. He is just not a starter in the NBA. He is a very serviceable 6th or 7th man on a roster. Along with Green, Dalembert needs to leave this team. He is a freak of nature. He could easily be a 12 and 12 guy consistently in the NBA. The problem, he thinks he is better than he is and does not always try. He is a cancer and needs to be removed. Hopefully, the Sixers can resign Miller, but Miller has always made it known that he prefers playing on the West Coast. Miller is one of the most underrated players in the NBA, and because he is a veteran, he may sign with a team like the Lakers where he can win now. Marreese Speights has shown promise all season, and may be the starter in place of Sammy next year. This small line-up will be an athletic tough match-up for other teams. No matter what, the Sixers have a lot of tough decisions coming up this offseason.