Entries Tagged 'Sixers' ↓

So what is this big “plan” Ed Stefanski has to improve the Philadelphia 76ers going into the ‘08 - ‘09 season? These quotes will give you some insight into what he is thinking now that the NBA Draft has come and gone.

“We’re trying to build like Detroit, meaning we’re not looking to have that one superstar, but we want to have a lot of good players on the floor together. Detroit is doing it with a different style than us, because our style is to be athletic and push the ball. I know Mo Cheeks wants me to get him a shooter because he asked me the other day if I could get him one or two. I want to, but we’re really looking for people who are athletic and long and defensive-minded. That’s our first priority.” - New York Daily News

- - -

“I have no problem going after anyone if it makes sense,” Stefanski said of pursuing restricted free agents.

“If we don’t get fortunate, or we don’t like what we see in the free agent market, then we could use the money in the way of a trade.”

“We have 11-plus million and if we get the guy we really would like as a big (man), I would think that person’s going to demand the whole $11 million. So we’re not really going to have the luxury of going out and getting a real, real good shooter in people’s eyes. But as I’ve said to many people, I believe that the players in our system are going to become better outside shooters.” - Delco Times

All that helps us (the fans) begin to make inferences into what moves might go down in the next month or so. It also tells me the style of play we saw the Sixers flourish in towards the end of last season won’t change much. Most importantly it solidifies the identity Stefanski and Cheeks are molding for this franchise. A young, fast, athletic and long team who will push the ball and lock in on defense.

I love that. It plays to the strengths of the core members of the Sixers and will be an exciting brand of basketball that should entice more fans to the Wachovia Center (along with more wins!). That means any new player brought to the team should in some way fit within that style of play. That still leaves two main holes that must be closed if the Sixers want to contend in the Eastern Conference: inside scoring to strengthen the half-court offense and perimeter shooting.

76ers’ 2008 Free Agent Wish List

Below I have compiled a list of free agents that fill needs for the Sixers that Stefanski/Cheeks might be interested in based on what they’ve said. It’s broken down by position rather than free agent status because I think that is a better way to look at the market based on our team’s needs. Key: (R) Restricted

Big Men

1. Josh Smith (R) 2007 salary: $2,243,543 - “Athletic, long and defensive-minded” that Stefanski quote describes Josh Smith to a “T” and is the reason I have him ranked #1 in this category. Pete and I also believe this is the guy the Sixers are targeting and referring to when they say “get the guy we really would like as a big (man).” And it just so happens Josh Smith is visiting the 76ers this week according to John Smallwood. Smith would bolster our defense, fit perfectly with our up-tempo style and is young. That bodes well considering this team is still developing as a whole. His post game is still raw, but I have seen flashes of dominance on the block and facing up inside 15-feet. With Iguodala, Smith, Williams and Young, the Sixers would be in position to compete at a high level for a very, very long time. Because of that I think he should be their prime free agent target. Here is my question: Would Josh Smith really leave his hometown if he is offered equal money to stay?
2. Elton Brand 2007 salary: $15,344,000 - Everyone wants Brand and have him as the Sixers #1 option. I just don’t think he is at this point. Sure it sounded good when he was on ESPN 950 talking about the possibility of coming to Philadelphia, but in reality I don’t see that as anything more than standard procedure for a guy looking to improve his situation. Signing Brand outright as an unrestricted free agent is a pipe dream because he won’t take a $5M pay cut to come here at this stage of his career. Especially when its not likely we would be a championship caliber team with only his addition. That means we would have to negotiate a sign-and-trade with the Clippers to get him. That becomes tricky because I don’t think the Clippers are looking to rebuild or dump salary. That pretty much eliminates the idea of trading say Reggie Evans’ $4.6M contract, the Utah first-round pick and absorbing the rest of his contract with our cap space. That leaves a sign-and-trade involving Andre Iguodala, and I just don’t think Stefanski has any plans to do that. Should he? I think you can argue both sides of the fence on that point. With the addition of Baron Davis I think it’s safe to say all Elton Brand to Philadelphia talk should stop.
3. Emeka Okafor (R) 2007 salary: $5,427,307- I don’t think the Sixers have any chance of prying Okafor away from the Bobcats, but he fits the mold of what Stefanski and the Sixers are looking for. Athletic, long and defensive-minded. You pair him with Sammy and we have one of the best defensive and rebounding front-courts in the NBA. I also think the development of Okafor’s post game would benefit greatly being locked in at the power forward position and not having to play much center. But like I said, not chance of him leaving Charlotte. Larry Brown wouldn’t allow it.

Point Guards

1. Chris Quinn (R) 2007 salary: $687,456 - Pete tipped me off to this Notre Dame product. He is a 6′ 2″ point guard who shot the three at a 40% clip last season. I think he is a life-long back-up but a good one to have for a team that lacks a true reserve point and guy who can shoot the three ball with some consistency. Oh, Quinn is first on the list because I think he is more attainable.
2. Daniel Gibson (R) 2007 salary: $687,456 - I’d be surprised if Cleveland let him go because he protects LeBron from getting quadruple-teamed every possession. With that said they certainly can’t afford to overpay for him either. They if they want to compete for LeBron’s continued services in 2010 they had better be prepared to outbid nearly every major market franchise who is chomping at the bit for that huge free agent pool. I like Gibson because he is more of a shooter than point guard but has proven he can handle those duties on a team with a marquee scorer. As long as he isn’t asked to do too much playmaking I think he’s fine at the point. Like Quinn he serves two purposes for the Sixers as a back-up PG and needed outside shooter.
3. Shaun Livingston 2007 salary: $4,404,629 - Heard a lot of campaigning for this guy once the Clippers indicated they wouldn’t pick up his qualifying offer making him an unrestricted free agent. Right before he got hurt Livingston was averaging 30mpg, 9ppg, 5apg while shooting 46% from the field and 70% from the line. He is only 22-years old and clearly had lots of potential. My concern: has the injury dramatically decreased the likelihood of him reaching that potential? To my knowledge he resumed basketball activities in the middle of June but still may not be cleared to participate in the Vegas Summer League. He also isn’t a very strong perimeter shooter. The price and whether he can play this season will determine if he is worth the risk.

Shooters/Shooting Guards

1. Ben Gordon (R) 2007 salary: $4,881,669 - I was back and forth between Gordon and Ellis for first on this list, but I went with the perimeter shooting. Gordon is a career 41% 3pt shooter, and he takes 4.5 per game. There were only 6 other players in the league who shot over 4 threes per game and had a better shooting % than Gordon last season. I loved Gordon in college and got lukewarn on him in the NBA because outside of AI I am not a fan of undersized shooting guards. But the Sixers need what he brings to the table. He can come right in as our starting shooting guard, something he hasn’t been consistently in Chicago. And unless the Bulls get rid of Larry Hughes I am not sure he will be starting either if he is back with Chicago.
2. Monta Ellis (R) 2007 salary: $770,610 - Might as well take him right off the list. With Baron Davis gone there is no way in hell Golden State lets Ellis leave. Especially when at best they probably have a 25% chance to getting Gilbert Arenas to leave Washington for the same amount of money. Ellis had a break out year last season and have a lot of Sixers fans on the bandwagon. He is a slashing combo guard that can get into the paint as will. When a 6′3″ player shoots 53% from the field that means he is getting easy shot after easy shot. The one weakness is that Ellis is a poor 3pt shooter and that doesn’t help the Sixers already stocked full of wing players who prefer to drive to the cup.
3. Corey Maggette 2007 salary: $7,000,000 - This is actually a player the Sixers could probably get fairly easily, but should we? If Josh Smith doesn’t work out Stefanski could settle for a shooting guard. Maggette is easily a big step up from Willie Green, and the one thing he really does better than Andre Iguodala is get to the foul line and knock them down (9.7 attempts per game at an 81% clip). He shot a career best 38% from the 3pt line, but I honestly don’t think that was typical and wouldn’t expect him to shoot that well next year. If that $11M is burning a hole in the Sixers pocket to the point they want to spend it now, Maggette might be the best available player on the market.
4. Eddie House 2007 salary: $1,500,000 - Need a shooter who is now playoff tested? Eddie House is your guy. He proved in the NBA Finals last season he isn’t afraid to take and make outside shots. The reason I like him is because he can also handle a bit of the point guard duties as well. With Boston placing priority on the highly coveted James Posey, House could be stolen from under their nose.
5. J.R. Smith (R) 2007 salary: $2,134,067 - Athletic 3pt shooter who loves to get out on the break and can finish at the rim. Smith would fit perfectly on the Sixers with his style of play. And I would much prefer him over Willie Green as my starting shooting guard. What scares me is Smith can sometimes be a head case. Not sure we want to risk added that type of attitude to this franchise. From a talent standpoint he will likely get $5-6 million from someone.
6. Delonte West (R) 2007 salary: $1,889,760 - Not a great 3pt shooter, but a decent shooter who can play the point as well. He started for Cleveland, but I think he is better served as a back-up player who can play two positions.
7. Roger Mason 2007 salary: $770,610 - Very good shooter who probably won’t be resigned by Washington because they have to go all out to keep Arenas. With all the injuries Mason actually played 21mpg and shot 39.8% from three on 4.1 attempt per game. He is definitely worth $2-$3 million per year if you are looking for a perimeter shooting threat.
8. Kareem Rush 2007 salary: $770,610 - Another decent 3pt shooter with nice size for the shooting guard position. If the Sixers are just looking for a shooter who isn’t a small forward, Rush would be a reasonable choice at a decent price.
9. Juan Dixon 2007 salary: $2,550,000 - Journeyman who can shoot the three and score. If the Sixers were a contender, I would be higher on Dixon coming in as a veteran shooter to strengthen the bench for the playoffs.
10. James Jones 2007 salary: $2,900,000 - Very good 3pt shooter but we have too many small forwards already. Are you willing to trade Carney to make room for him?

There is a pretty long list of free agents. Herein lies the problem. Teams literally started meeting with players at 12:01a.m., the first minute they were allowed by league rules. Players aren’t going to be waiting around for the Sixers to come calling. Since I believe Stefanski will be targeting Josh Smith, those negotiations probably won’t be quick and easy. During that time all these other players will either be scooped up by the highest bidder or resigned by their current teams who aren’t in the market for one of the few big time free agents. So I am worried that if we don’t land Smith and those negotiations drag on too long, there won’t be anyone of value left for the Sixers to bring in.

Then you have to factor in we still have to sign Iguodala and Williams this summer as well. If a team (Memphis/Golden State) comes in and offers Iguodala a contract larger than the cap hold allocated for him on the Sixers’ books and Stefanski matches before we sign our top FA, that $11M cap space will shrink taking us out of the market for any big time player.

I am excited to see what happens. But I am also staying grounded because the possibility of us NOT getting anyone of significant value seems pretty high to me. The restricted status and current teams’ strong desire to keep their players makes this free agent market tough to maneuver.

As usual I will leave you guys with a few questions/thoughts…

• If the Sixers don’t sign any of these big time free agents, how will you feel about the team going into next season?
• If the Sixers can’t get a big impact player, should they divvy out their cap to role players who would fill a need (shooter or back-up PG)?
• If free agency isn’t an option a trade may be. I will probably wait and see before I do a post on potential trades to acquire a marquee player.
• Should the Sixers just bank the money and wait until next summer or even the summer of 2010?

I am working on a monster of a post entitled “Ed Stefanski’s Master Plan for the Sixers.” I can’t finish it until July 1st at the earliest when I have a better picture of who is in and out of free agency. In the meantime I figured I throw this question out to you guys.

Who should remain on the Sixers roster next season and who should be gone? Why?

I’ve read a lot on this blog and in forums different views on who should remain on the team and who we should let walk. If you don’t already know its a 12-man active roster with 3 players inactive. Here is the current roster with estimated salaries. Players who are free agents are clearly marked as well.

I had to take a step back for a while before I reacted to the Sixers draft day. When the pick was made Pete and my reaction was “eh.” Nothing surprising and nothing special. I have to admit I am a little bit disappointed but not as much as I was last night. It’s not that they didn’t select the player I preferred (J.J. Hickson), but that we walked away from this pretty talented draft with one player when the Sixers clearly have many needs.

I think it is well known the Sixers have 3 main holes in their roster:

1. PF/low-post scorer. Not some cupcake PF that likes to shoot from the perimeter either. A guy that is willing and able to bang in the paint, command a double team and score with his back to the basket.
2. Shooter and not just a 3pt-shooting specialist. (Rant coming) If you’re going to pay a guy to shoot, make sure he can knock it down from all over the court. I personally hate 3pt specialists who are incapable of pump faking and taking just one step in and hitting that shot. They just settle for the contested three when defenders are closing hard rather than showing the ball, making the defender look stupid by jumping completely out of the play and getting an even easier 17-foot shot.
3. Back-up point guard. Preferably one who is being groomed as our future starting point guard

The Sixers probably did the best they could in this draft to address hole #1 by taking Marreese Speights with the 16th pick. Apparently this was their guy all along, and they asked every question, reviewed every aspect of his game and turned over every stone to be sure of the pick. The questions about his work ethic and on/off attitude on the court weren’t even an issue for Stefanski and DiLeo. Speights has been working extremely hard in Vegas with trainer Joe Abunassar. I did some research on Abunassar, and he is the real deal of NBA trainers. Not on the level of Tim Grover but right up there. That is very comforting for me since I was definitely in the “pass on Speights because he’s lazy” camp.

Marreese Speights may or may not be an big-time impact player this upcoming season or ever for the Sixers. Much of it will be determined by his continued hard work and development. From a skill standpoint and potential to be starting PF there is very little question there. I am actually not ruling out the chance that he actually steps in and contributes right away a la Thaddeus Young. Why? Pete and I both believe Stefanski’s big free agent move is going to be in the form of a shooter - not impact PF. I wish I could tell you what exactly that means (Pete thinks Ben Gordon), but I don’t really know. What I think everyone knows is the chance of us getting Elton Brand (via free agency) for less money than he is currently expected to make is the type of miracle Philadelphia fans rarely experience. Josh Smith is a real possibility simply because he is in our price range, but unless Atlanta was bluffing in their recent remarks about matching any deal for Smith that seems like an unlikely outcome as well.

What I will be looking for this season from Speights is his pick-and-roll game. I think he immediately becomes the best pick-and-roll big man on our roster. And I believe that is something he can step in and do successfully right away if only on a limited basis. He will need to develop his strength, NBA post game and defense, but I am going to be optimistic regarding his impact this season.

Grading the actual pick I give the Sixers an A+ based on what was available to them at 16.

That was the end of the draft for the Sixers! I progressively got more irate every time I didn’t hear “we have a trade” while Mario Chalmers was still on the board. Then almost spontaneously combusted when I heard that Miami had acquired Chalmers for two 2009 second-round picks and cash considerations. Ironically (sadly), ONE OF THOSE 2ND-ROUND PICKS WAS THE SIXERS‘, acquired by Miami in the Jason Smith/Daequan Cook trade in last year’s draft!

With the number of quality players at multiple positions I can’t understand how nearly every team was able to make some sort of move while the Sixers could not. Not only that, but there were countless opportunities with very good players unexpectedly falling that would have filled multiple needs. With so many teams willing to sell picks for cash ($3M maximum) and/or future second rounders, I am just confused by the Sixers’ non-existent maneuvers to improve the team via this draft. I keep hearing about this “plan” for the team; I just don’t understand why that plan didn’t incorporate this draft. I heard Stefanski’s post draft quotes, one of which said he tried to acquire a late-first round pick or early 2nd-round pick, but the deals fell through.

I DO believe Stefanski tried to make a move but for some undisclosed reasons teams wanted to deal with everyone BUT the Sixers. As a depressed fan with no inside information as to why some draft day deals went through and others died I feel like we got blackballed or something. I don’t think us being purposely excluded from trades is a reality nor do I plan to spew any conspiracy theories either.

Overall draft grade - C+ If Marreese Speights turns into our starting PF of the future then clearly the grade would be much better, but that remains to be seen. As of today, we got ourselves a nice young big man who management projects to be a marginal contributor at best next season.

I will leave you guys with this…

What’s next for the Sixers in the off-season?

Eddie Stefanski said recently that the Sixers have a list of about “8 guys” they are looking at with the 16th pick. Based on what he’s said about wanting a big man, and who they’ve brought in for workouts, I’m pretty confident that our pick will be from one of the 9 players listed below (unless we trade up or someone like Anthony Randolph falls to us, or the Sixers are completely lying). So - what do the people think? If all 9 of these guys were available at the 16th pick, who would you be rooting for us to take?

Here is my dream scenario for the Sixers off-season - Land 2 impact players, preferably at SG and PF, one through free agency and one through trading up in the draft. There are several different scenarios that could land the Sixers these two players, but for the purpose of this article, I’ll present my 2 favorites.

Option #1: Sign SG Monta Ellis to an offer sheet that the Warriors can’t match, then trade up to #5 or #6 and select PF/C Kevin Love

Option #2: Sign PF Elton Brand and trade up to #5 or #6 and select SG Eric Gordon

Personally - I’d prefer Option #1 because I think that Ellis would fit wonderfully into our system and Love’s rebounding, defense and famous fast-break-starting outlet passes would as well.

But I’ll leave the debate up to you (and I’ll chime in) - which of these 2 options would you prefer, and what would be your “dream scenario” for the Sixers’ off-season.

Louis Williams 2007 Season Review

Stats: 23.2 MPG / 11.5 PPG / 42.4% FG / 35.9% 3PT / 77.2% FT / 2.1 RPG / 3.2 APG / 1.0 SPG / 0.2 BPG / 1.6 TOV

Louis Williams is the Sixers’ 6th man of the year, and I think he could be an NBA 6th man of the year in time as well. He is the definition of a tweener, combo guard. A guy with tremendous scoring ability, some point guard skills and small. He hit some big shots late in the year this season and showed continued improvement in his overall scoring ability off the bench.

Defensively, he is a liability when he is up against bigger defenders, not much he can do about that. But what bothers me is that his on-ball defense is average at best. When you know you will get taken advantage of in one area (post defense), you should compensate for it in another (on-ball pressure defense). With his quickness and long arms he should be a much more pesky defender on the perimeter. But does he want to be?

Offensively, you know what you get from Lou. He will penetrate and make some tough shots in the lane. He will make the occasional open three. And he will get out on the break and cause havoc against back-peddling defenders. I just wonder does he have more to show offensively or is this where it ends with Lou.

Grade:C+

What Louis Williams Should Improve

Ideally I think we all wished Lou was more of a pure point guard than a small shooting guard, but, understanding that he isn’t and probably isn’t going to develop into a pure point guard, here are the 3 main areas Williams should focus on are (in order of importance):

1. Mid-range jumper. This stat should sum it up perfectly - 35.9% three-point percentage vs. 33.9% two-point jump shot field goal percentage. Sweet Lou really needs to work on his his mid-range game. Right now he is a spot-up three-point shooter or a slasher to the basket. With his quickness defenders will likely give him room so he doesn’t blow by them. He needs to use that cushion to work his way inside the 3pt line and hit that pull-up jumper. The reason I think he isn’t as strong in that area is because for a guard of his size and quickness he shoots kind of a set shot. He doesn’t translate his jumping ability and explosive athleticism into his shot. To give you a picture of what he could do think of Iverson. At 5′11 he is able to drive hard left, stop in a dime and rise up on most defenders into a nice, comfortable mid-range jumper. Lou doesn’t have that in his game right now, and I think he could.
2. Shot selection. He is a scorer and a pretty good one at that. But he only shot 42% from the field, and I think that is more about the shots he took than his actual shooting ability. This is just something I expect (hope) will improve as he matures, dude is still only 21-years-old.
3. Passing ability/teammate shot creation. No I am not trying to make Lou into our point guard, that is why this point is last in the list. But I think right now he is completely one dimensional when he has the ball. Also the largest portion of his turnovers were on bad passes rather than ball-handling mistakes. Just because he isn’t a pure point guard doesn’t mean he can’t get better at driving and kicking when the help comes. Or driving and dropping it off to a big when he draws a second defender. In my opinion all great slashers have an inherent advantage as a playmaker since they can get to the cup at will. Lou is one of those players and needs to learn how to pass once he sheds or gets his defender on his hip and the help comes. He still has tons of time and potential to grow in this area as a 3rd year player out of high school.

Should Williams Be on the Roster Next Season?

Right now I don’t see why Lou Williams wouldn’t return to the team next year. He is our spark off the bench,  and as I mentioned before is a core chemistry player for the Sixers. I love his energy and explosiveness on offense and given more playing time he would probably be a more productive starting shooting guard than Willie Green on the 76ers as currently assembled.

Ideal Role for Louis Williams on the 2008 Team

I have been back and forth on what Williams role is or should be. Mainly because I struggle to accurately nail down what his true potential is. Could he be a legit starting guard on a good team? If not for his size I think that would be a resounding and quick - YES. Could he actually be a solid starting shooting guard in the NBA regardless of his size? Let’s take a look at projecting and comparing his offensive production…

As a 21-year-old player with three years NBA experience straight from high school he averaged 17.8 ppg, 4.9 apg, 3.2 rpg, 1.6 spg, 2.4 tov, while shooting 42.4% FG, 35.9% 3pt FG and 78.3% FT on a per 36-minute scale. That would put Louis Williams very close to par with our current #1 option, Andre Iguodala and a player many Philly fans have mentioned they would like to see on the team, Monta Ellis. The biggest difference is in FG percentage, which begs the questions:

1. Was Ellis’ 53% shooting a fluke or a sign of things to come?
2. Is Williams actually capable of producing those numbers if given 36+ minutes per game?
3. Is Lou capable of making just 1 more shot per 36-minutes which would dramatically increase his FG% (49.65%)?

I don’t know the answers to those questions, maybe you guys can assist. But what I am semi-worried about is whether Williams believes he is on par with a guy like Monta Ellis. Why? Well for one he will likely want to be a starter. Does Cheeks and Stefanski agree with that thought? Money. Barbosa made like $5.6M last year, and I expect Ellis will and should get more. So where does that put Louis Williams in his own mind? Will we have another contract rejection situation like we had with Iguodala? Do other teams see more potential in Williams and would they be willing to over bid what the Sixers are prepared to pay? Further, if Williams does remain with the team but is not satisfied with his role what potential impact could that have? Typically when players (especially young players) are not happy with their role, you start see team chemistry erode and a club not live up to their potential (think Chicago Bulls).

Again these are just thoughts to ponder, what else do we really have to do in the offseason!

Ultimately my personal preference would be for Louis Williams to be a 6th man and instant offense off the bench. I prefer to have size at the all positions in the starting line-up and make exceptions for freakish talent (Allen Iverson).

Next - Willie Green

See all players reviewed in the Evaluating the ‘07-’08 76ers Series

There has been much clamoring in Sixertown about a particular native son, Rasheed Wallace. With the Detroit Pistons losing in yet another Eastern Conference Finals and head coach Flip Saunders getting the axe, does that mean the Pistons are finally disbanding and major changes are coming? Maybe not a complete dismantling but Joe Dumars certainly will make a move this off-season and put the entire roster on notice…

“I’m not going to sit here and make Flip the scapegoat,” president of basketball operations Joe Dumars said. “Everybody is in play.”

“There are no sacred cows here,” Dumars said. “You lose that sacred-cow status when you lose three straight years.”

“I’ll make a significant trade,” Dumars, declared. “… “We have a core group of guys here that for the first time in six years I’m letting teams in the league know I’ll do a deal. … I’m open for business.”

It’s comments like those that have peaked the Philadelphia fans interest and creative trade-machine juices to make a deal for Wallace.

Rasheed Wallace seems like the logical choice for Dumars being that he is often an on-court distraction with his lack of discipline and inconsistent performance. The last two years have seen Sheed’s overall production decrease substantially, and at 33-years old it stands to reason he won’t return to All-NBA form. With one year and just over $13.6M owed Dumars might want to trade him now to get some value in return.

But the question is: Should the 76ers be the team to make a play for Sheed? This post will serve as an open discussion for this hotly debated topic since I see you guys are already all over it. Here are some thoughts to kick things off.

• I think Joe Dumars will keep the majority of the core intact and is looking for one big impact trade that he thinks will get the Pistons over that hump again. Do the Sixers have what Dumars would want in a deal involving Sheed? What would you be willing to give up for this aging superstar? Fire up the trade machine; no fantasy deals, it needs to make sense, Joe Dumars isn’t a fool. RUMOR: ESPN reported that Dumars might make a play for Carmelo Anthony if Denver is really open to dealing him.
• What is the point of the deal? I think this is always an overlooked question. People hear a player they like and just say do it. Would we be doing this deal just to have Sheed for one season or do we extend him? If it’s just for one year, I assume we are trying to compete for the Finals next season. Do we really believe the Sixers would be a contender even with Sheed (remember Willie Green is still the shooting guard and Lou Williams the back-up PG)? This deal would probably eat up a good chunk of our cap space making it less likely we can get another impact player (shooting guard, shooter) to really move us into contender status. If we extend him doesn’t this bring up the same question marks we have about Andre Miller’s eventual contract situation?
• Finally, just like the Randolph detractors have pointed out do we really want to bring this type of personality on this team?

Let the games begin.

That is the question two readers, Sixerzguy and Bski, brought up in a few comments on the blog. I think it is a good one and worth a post all its own. I will get things started with some of my thoughts then we can use this post as the place for open discussion on this topic.

First things first, who exactly are the Sixers’ core players?

Obviously this can be debated, but let’s give it a try.

Core: the central, innermost, or most essential part of anything. - Dictionary.com

I focus on the last part of that definition “most essential part of anything” to choose who the 76ers’ core guys are. In no particular order:

• Andre Iguodala
• Samuel Dalembert
• Andre Miller

Those have been (past tense) the most important players on the team in my opinion. I would then add:

• Thaddeus Young

With the thinking that Young has the greatest potential impact on this team in the near future. Therefore in the long-term view makes him a core player and nearly untouchable right now as we try to determine his ceiling.

That’s it!

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, what about Lou Williams?” you might say. Sure, in terms of chemistry I would agree whole-heartedly that Sweet Lou would be a core chemistry player. But I am attempting to stay within the finite definition of “most essential part of anything,” and in my opinion Lou Williams as an under-sized tweener is both expendable and as hard as it is to say, pretty easy to replace.

So how good do I think the core 4 is?

Good, with the potential to be very good but not great. We have:

• A top 10 point guard
• A top 10 center in terms of defense and rebounding
• One of only 8 players in the entire NBA who averages more than 19ppg, 5rpg and 4apg. When you factor in Iguodala’s 2spg he now becomes one of two players in the game who accomplished those numbers last season.
• Among NBA rookies we had a guy with the 2nd best PER (17.60), best field goal percentage, 2nd in steals, 11th in scoring while playing 3-minutes less than the top ten and 11th in rebounding playing out of position.

That should be enough to get the discussion started. Oh and spread the word so we get as much diverse conversation on this topic as possible - GO.

Andre Miller 2007 Season Review

Stats: 36.7 MPG / 17.0 PPG / 49.2% FG / 8.8% 3PT / 77.2% FT / 4.2 RPG / 6.9 APG / 1.28 SPG / 0.7 BPG / 2.51 TOV

Andre Miller hands-down was the team MVP in my book. He had career highs in shooting % and points per game. Committing only 2.5 turnovers per game was the second-best season of his career. He controlled the flow of the game and made big shots all year. The one thing he did especially well was stop opponents’ runs. Whenever the Sixers were on a scoring drought, he would come down, work his way into the short corner and nail that 15-footer.

Defensively Miller was at his strongest against the bigger point guards in the NBA. He completely forced Chauncey Billups out of his post offense by not allowing him to easily back Andre down. Many people have criticized his perimeter defense against quick guards like Tony Parker, Chris Paul, etc. Guess what, people, no one in the NBA has proven they can keep those types of point guards in front. I find myself yelling at the TV every time I watch a game for defenders to keep guys in front. So to judge him on the basis of keeping the fastest players in the league in front is a bit unfair. He knows his limitations and gives space to these guys and contests their shots when they pull up. Andre Miller is quite adequate at the point of the 76ers’ defense in my eyes.

Offensively what can you say about this guy? He understands how to get the shots he is comfortable with and capable of making. He is a poor three-point shooter, but he knows that evidenced by him taking only 34 all season. He has a solid post-up game when smaller guards play him and uses his herky jerky ball-handling to get by the bigger defenders. When your point guards shoots 49% (6th among NBA point guards), can you really complain that much?

Grade: A+

What Andre Miller Should Improve

Not exactly sure what more you can expect from a 32-year-old, nine year NBA veteran. But for the sake of being consistent with this series of posts, I came up with something.

Some may say improve his 3-point shooting, and sure that would be great. But I don’t think he has that shot in his game at all. His form and shot trajectory doesn’t lend itself at all for long-range shooting. At this stage of his career there is no sense messing with a 49% shooter.

Another statement I have heard a lot was that this was the best season of his career. I disagree. He increased his offensive numbers, but from a pure point guard standpoint the ‘01-’02 season was undeniably his best. And that is the Andre Miller I want to see for the remainder of his career.

A high assist, solid mid-range shooting point guard whose main purpose is to facilitate offense for the rest of his team. 6.9 assists per game is low for a guy I consider to have great court vision and pass-making ability. More on this in the “Ideal Role Section.”

Should Miller Be on the Roster Next Season?

If he isn’t, the Philadelphia 76ers will have regressed. I will continue to preach my assertion that the center then point guard positions are the most difficult to fill with a better than average player. And we have a top 10 NBA point guard right now. Not only that, but he fits perfect with the up-tempo style of play and inexperienced roster we currently have.

Now if you tell me we can move Miller for O.J. Mayo or Jarryd Bayless in the draft or Rajon Rondo as a player currently in the NBA then we are talking.

Ideal Role for Andre Miller on the 2008 Team

This one is easy because I don’t think Miller’s role changes all that much. He still should be the silent leader that he was last season. But I would like for him to be more of a passer than the scorer he was in ‘08. There is obviously a caveat to that statement. If the Sixers don’t do anything to upgrade the roster on the offensive end (i.e. a shooter and/or scoring post player) Andre Miller will have no choice but shoulder more of a scoring role.

I read some nonsense a while ago in the Deep Sixer comments about Andre Miller not being a drive-and-kick type of passer and that Andre Iguodala is much better at that. That was one of the dumbest things I read. Look at that ‘01-’02 Cavs team Miller was on. He was surrounded by shooters, most notably Wesley Person (44% 3pt) and Lamond Murry (42% 3pt). Miller as a 25-year-old third year player went on to lead the league in assists on a 23-53 club. Makes you think what he is capable of in the drive-and-kick game when provided with adequate shooters!

Next - Louis Williams

See all players reviewed in the Evaluating the ‘07-’08 76ers Series

Andre Iguodala 2007 Season Review

Stats: 39.6 MPG / 19.9 PPG / 45.6% FG / 32.9% 3PT / 72.1% FT / 5.4 RPG / 4.8 APG / 2.1 SPG / 0.6 BPG / 2.6 TOV

Iguodala was easily the 76ers’ best all-around player. Up until the 83rd game of the season, he had pretty much proven all the critics and skeptics wrong regarding how much he was worth after he turned down the Sixers’ initial contract extension. He showed tremendous growth in one key area that I got to personally witness - leadership (5th bullet down).

Defensively I honestly thought this wasn’t that strong a year for Andre Iguodala. I often saw him taking plays off, not fighting around screens and was nowhere near the defensive player he was when he came into the league. If you believe that statement to be true here is my thought as to why. Typically when a player’s offensive responsibilities increase something has to give. In this case I think it was Iguodala’s overall defense. Also, he is not a small forward in size and doesn’t defend bigger or talented SFs well at all. Was he bad? Not by any means, but certainly not up to the standards we expect and the level he is capable of.

Offensively was clearly where he made the biggest improvement. Not in pure numbers (1.7ppg increase over the previous season) but in the type of offense he was able to generate. He added the step-back jumper as his pet move and was able to create a little more off the dribble. Iggy also showed he was willing and at times capable of hitting clutch shots at the end of games, especially at the free throw line (85.5% in clutch situations). The one thing that really worries me about Andre was his tendency to settle for the jump shot. Consider this, Iguodala’s shot attempts increased by 2.6 per game, but his free throw attempts decreased by 1.1 per game. That scares me. What’s worst his overall FT% dropped from 82% to 72%.

Grade: B (would have been an A had he not sucked in the playoffs)

What Andre Iguodala Should Improve

My entire mentality on Iguodala’s off-season is about developing his game as a shooting guard. With that said, the 3 main areas Iggy should focus on are (in order of importance):

1. 3-point shooting. 32.9% is below average (league avg. is 36.2%). I don’t see any reason why Iguodala can’t be a 38% three-point shooter as he takes good shots. I don’t think he is a bad shooter so it is reasonable to expect improvement in this area with some work and better shot selection. This would make him more of a threat on the perimeter forcing his defender to play him closer which feeds right into his ability to drive to the cup. It also helps address one of Sixers biggest weaknesses in house!
2. Post game. Again thinking that Andre would thrive at the SG position this is an aspect of his game that 1. needs a lot of improvement and 2. could take his offensive game to the next level - and all-star level IMO. All I ever really saw him do was take fadeaways in the post. Sometimes when he had a big size advantage he would muscle his way closer to the basket for a high % shot. But, those situations were few and far between. I like the fadeaway (with good shot selection of course), but I’d like to see him develop another move in there. If he is consistently at the guard position he will be matched up with guys equal size or smaller more often where he can take advantage of his strength and athleticism in the post.
3. Ball-handling. I already think he controls the ball pretty well now. What I think he could work on is making his handle more of a scoring weapon. But as a guard myself I fully understand not everyone can develop the creativity necessary to become a threat with their ball-handling. With that said, he could add a nice little cross-over move and use the in-and-out move more often, that I’ve seen him do last season to go with the hesitate-and-go he already utilizes.

Should Iguodala Be on the Roster Next Season?

Hmmm, I’ve heard a lot of people calling for a sign and trade of Iguodala since the season has ended. I am not opposed to that if in exchange we get either an equally good PF or a better perimeter player. Otherwise Andre Iguodala needs to be locked up long-term for the 76ers. He is not Scottie Pippen, but he is of the same cloth. He has a versatile game which poses a triple-double threat every night. And he is young, having not even reached his prime year yet. Iguodala is vital piece of the Sixers’ championship puzzle.

Ideal Role for Andre Iguodala on the 2008 Team

I know I have been very critical of Iggy, but that is because I believe he has tremendous talent and potential to improve. If I thought he sucked I wouldn’t bother wasting my breath. He is clearly good enough to be a #2 option on most NBA teams but IMO not at all a go-to offensive player. In his short career he has only had 8 games over 30 points and his career high is an unimpressive 34. The Sixers are 7-1 in those games, but my question remains: is he capable of doing that on a more consistent basis? Right now I haven’t seen enough signs that suggest he can.

What he can do is dominate a game in multiple ways: defense, passing, rebounding and, I believe in time, leadership. What I really would like to see next season is him reestablish his lock-down defensive effort. Again this is if he plays the shooting guard where he doesn’t face big size disadvantages every night.

The cumulative impact of those factors are enough for me to feel comfortable with Andre Iguodala as the leader of the 76ers and second option on offense going forward.

Next - Andre Miller

See all players reviewed in the Evaluating the ‘07-’08 76ers Series