what would it be?
Your most pertinent question. The one burning a hole in your mind every time you think about it. The one that just leaves you baffled every time you consider it. You know the “what the hell were the Sixers thinking” question. Or the “why didn’t they do this” question. It could be anything. About a player, the team, Stefanski himself etc. There are no boundaries. The questions that just never seem to be asked or answered during press conferences and interviews.
Now I know people will have more than one question which is fine. People will comment on each other’s questions as well, which is even better. But in order to highlight the top questions do this…
Write “#1:” in BOLD before your big question so we all know that’s it.
#1: Mid level exception next year…would you consider luring iverson?
Chris- that is an awesome question and I have been thinking about that myself… I would lovvvvve to see AI back here for a championship run.
#1: What do you plan on doing with Andre Miller?
Are there any takers for Willie Greene?
That was my #1 and final question…I would love for the sixers to win it all, but i would love it 10 times more if #3 was on the team when it happened.
1) If we were going loose Andre Miller, would you try to trade back for Allen Iverson?
2) Could we have Both?
Just as Ive posted how much I believe in Andre Miller before, I would have never traded Allen Iverson ever. But I understand how things work and why it had to happen. But what would it be like to get him back for much cheeper and with a much better team then he had in the Finals against LA.
And for anyone that missed it, Kevin Curtis is having hernia surgery and could be out for some time. He got hurt in game against Panthers. Check PFT.
#1 What is your game plan with Andre Miller – do you feel he can hold up for another 4 years (the coming season + a 3 year extension)? And what is your contingency plan if not?
1.) Why is it that you have the ability to see your team’s weak areas and improve on them while Andy Reid does the exact opposite? And you’re a Philly guy, are the Eagles killing you right now too?
Dan that is a hell of a question right there. I like it.
1. I would ask him about Josh Smith. How do you think he felt after we hung his jersey next to Dre’s, treated him like royalty and them dropped him like a bad habit when he saw he had a chance at Brand. I am not against the move, I like the Brand signing more and more each day. I do think that J. Smith really wanted to be here and we kind of treated him like a one night stand..took him to dinner, banged him and never called him again.
All seriousness aside, I would then ask…What would he do for a Klondike Bar?!?
What’s on your mind Dannie? Must be something good.
#1. Why is WIllie Green still here?
The question i would ask him is Why couldnt you have arrived sooner in philadelphia? Billy King was Brutal!!
Ryan F...The whole business is a two way street in that regard. I’m sure Josh Smith feels exactly like the Clippers do right now after it looked like Brand was staying with them only to see him bolt for here, or how Cleveland felt a few years ago when they thought they had Boozer locked up only to see him stick it to them and go to Utah.
Morty…Don’t know if you caught my response to you from the previous thread, so here it is (my apologies in advance if you’ve already read it)…………..
I agree. As much as I want to keep Miller, I would be uncomfortable if we commit to him for more than 3 years (including the 1 he has left), too risky.
The only way I would be ok with a longer deal would be if we had our future PG on the roster and Miller would agree to a gradual transition to his replacement. You know, each year Miller’s minutes decrease while his replacement grows into the full time role. Even though Miller would be making really good money in the last couple years of the deal seeing how he would be only a part time player, I think it could be well worth it in the long run. Miller could more than make up for playing fewer minutes by being a valuable teacher/mentor/professional role model.
I just have a bad feeling that what I said before might be true. I’m really thinking that, considering how he’s played for us over the last 1 1/2 seasons, he feels this is his best (and last) shot at getting a long-term, big money contract. Ultimately, I fear that this will override any personal feelings that could possibly lead him to sign for less (money or years) to stay here, and he will take the best deal he can get, with whoever offers it.
Well, I think I’ll join Ryan F. in thinking outside the box. My #1 question to ES would be: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?
The man has had all the answers so far, so I figure he’s our best shot at getting to the bottom of one of the all-time mysteries in pop culture.
#1- Will the Eagles make a bold move and trade, maybe Sheppard and a pick, to Arizona for Anquan Boldin (with the injury to Curtis)!!!!!
If not, will you go convince Andy Reid that this make sense, maybe even negotiate and close the deal for him?
It’s a deal that makes them a contender
I wish the eagles would go out and get bolding, this makes them an instant contender i agree. But we all know that wont happen. From what ive heard a good fit if he even leaves would be oakland. Who knows why
E.S., do you feel L.Will. can take over for A.Miller and if not would management pay the luxury tax to keep A.Miller. Guys, Miller!s options for a long term deal are limited but overpaying for 2 years,[ 22 mill.] is a possibility. Would you do it?
Ed, do you read the comments on the Recliner GM blog? And one follow up. Can you believe anyone would want AI the 1st back in a sixers uniform?
@ deepsixer
Ive been thinking the same thing. I honestly dont believe Lou will be a true point guard so I dont think he can replace Miller, he may be placed in the position after him. Great talent of course but not a true point, hopefully Im wrong and we wont have to worry.
As far as resigning Miller, I would have to think long and hard about investing more than 1 year extra into him. Comparing to Jason Kidd who is 3 yrs older and is and was a lot better than Andre (maybe not right now), players of their age normally start to decline tremendously right about now (AI is an exception). I would like to say that he could produce like last year for the next 3 or 4 years but I think I would be wrong. Kidd is 35 and all of us know he isnt the man he once was, still good enough but no where near where he used to be. Being Andre has always been solid but not on the level of Kidd, when he declines I dont think he’ll be good enough. So what do we do?!?
1. BEST case: Get a 1 year extension, which would give us a better look at Lou and enough time to still compete with a solid miller behind the wheel. Unfortunately Im dreaming and this will never happen because this is going to be his last payday.
2. Overpay him for too long (2 or 3 more years) and risk having 10 or 20 mill wrapped up in a 34 year old bench player.
3. Let him play out this last year and just walk.
4. Mid season trade for another point guard who may not be as good but is cheaper and has a few more years on the tires? (I have no idea who that would be)
Options 1 and 4 I could live with but the other 2 would suck. ES has done a tremendous job and Im confident hell make a good decision. I do think it will be the toughest one he’ll make since he came to town.
@sfw
Spot on, spot on!
I cannot believe anyone would want AI back. So entertaining to watch but he will never be an intricate piece of a championship team. I think everyone forgets that we are in such a great position because we sent him packing.
Maybe wins don’t count to fans, just 35 pt losing nights. Me, ive seen that game about 700 times too many. Me, I want a Banner that says “SIXERS 20__ NBA CHAMPIONS”. Im sure we would have an easier time filling those 2 blanks w/o the help of my used to be favorite player Allen Iverson.
#1 to Ed Stefanski:
The one long term weakness (when A-Miller’s & Brand’s contracts finish) our team has is the lack of a future PG. If you see Lou as an NBA combo guard 6th man, would you look to acquire young, currently developing PG talent in the NBA to be groomed by trading Sixers’ role players and future draft picks this year or next…or would you rather look to acquire more 1st round picks in the next few years, keeping your eye on the college PG talent scene?
ED STEFANSKI FOR PRESIDENT 2012
@ SFW… you must not attend the games that pay the salaries of these wonderful players we now have… #3 would be a great addition to any NBA team, a superstar (which we dont have) if you will, and it would give me some some justification for spending 110.00 a ticket for the season. So back to the original topic… When will we get a legitimate SUPERSTAR?
#1 — While everyone wants to focus on PG, perhaps for good reason [even though the Celts just won the title with a Lou Will-like PG in Rondo], my question is this: Do you honestly think the Sixers can win a championship with Samuel Dalembert as their starting center?
And for those wishing for Boldin — while it’s a nice idea for the Eagles, and assuming they could even get past the Rosenhaus business, you’re all overlooking one major thing…with Hood, Rolle and Rogers-Cromartie in place, the Cards are hardly in desperate need of another starting CB.
@BUBBACHUCK
We have one, his name is Elton Brand….ever heard of him? I know alot of you may not have seen him much b/c he was on the clips who get about as much national coverage as we did last year, but this man is a stud, go watch some tapes..STUD I said.
I know thats not Kobe or LBJ but if you think we were going to pry one of them away anytime soon you’re silly.
One last thing, Games WON justify buying a ticket. If I wanted to pay money to watch ONE man do something jaw dropping I’d go to the circus.
I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!
Zoolander is great
@JMK
I do think Sam is a great center for this team going forward. He was solid both times he made it to the playoffs. If you look at the stats he was one of the few players on the team who was close to his reg season stats.
Great shot blocker, good D and becoming a better decision maker
elton brand… i’m not sold… the sixers are perfectionists at getting a player just past his prime, or one just about to have a career ending injury. I hope he stands up to all the expectations… and comparing him to kobe or lebron? have you lost your mind?
Oh and btw, games won make the resale value of a ticket better on ebay… A superstar puts rears in the seats… even when the rest of the team is crap… (Refer to most sixers seasons other than when they went to the finals… more people went than they did last year)
And… Michael Jordan must have played for the Chicago Circus
Sorry the last was so off topic… but I would trade the Liberty bell for a superstar still in there prime. Ed, can we at least get one of the young guns out there?
Bubba Chuck, if that guy isn!t here already he won!t be coming; what you see is what you get, I hope this team, with slight modifications, can win a title. As I said earlier this week, our big three [Elton,A.Miller, Iggy] is top ten in the league,hopefully, and if so I believe 4 through 7 [Thad,Sam, L.Will.] we are as good as anybody.
i hear you… and i agree, but the thread was what would I ask stefanski and thats my biggest question… just like when i saw ed snyder in the lexus club the night they traded iverson and asked him, how does it feel to screw an entire city?…lol… true story…
Ha its funny cause my first 2 questions were
1. Have you thought about bringing AI back to Philly?
2. How are you planning to get Willie Green outta here?
They were 2 outta the first 3 questions asked
I was glad to see other people thinking about Iverson as well I have been debating about making a run at him with my friend at work. I would love to see him come back and us make a run at the title. I also think it is very possible after the reception he got last year when he came back. There are potential issues but it would be a great story and very entertaining.
I know this is off topic but I have to….
29 isnt past prime, if the sixers made this move in his early 30′s, i’d be pissed. The only thing that could be a factor is the injury.
Trading Iverson screwing the entire city?!? WHAT?!? More like saving it. A team built around that man cant win, plain and simple. We made it to the finals once and had no chance. Its looking like Denver is regretting that deal and we’re flourishing, they have the day that contract expires marked on their calendar (if they can’t make a trade first, I personally dont think anyone will be knocking down their door for him). If a highlight reel is what you want, watch Iguodala play. Not only does he jam on anything, he plays D, good in the locker room and isnt talkin bout practice…
Maybe our opinion just differs on what basketball and the sixers organization should be.
And I wasnt comparing EB to to Kobe or LeBron, what I said was there is no way we could of landed a player like that. EB may not be a top 5 or 10 player in the league but hes certainly a superstar.
I want to start my own thread here… the sixers didnt win because they never had a center that was any good, take for instance the 7 foot fly swatter with two left hands and two right feet… if we EVER had a rebounding center… we would have had a chance… and i like your ideas 215…
Bubba Chuck, I won!t rip him, I just wish he could of become a 22/ 12 guy, I thought he had C.Paul type ability. They were some good times but we are building something more conventional here, no more matchup issues and everybody being involved, but in the no-handchecking N.B.A. he is flourishing.
bubba chuck, most of us here want to win. we are not concerned with filling the seats. Iverson will never wn in the NBA. that sixer team that went to the finals was a function of a mediocre Eastern Conference and nothing more.
To win with an offensive player who dominates the ball and plays no defense, one must surround him with good defenders all around. That’s what LB did in that one big year. Unfortunately, that prescription worked for one year before those players broke down. If AI played by the team rules this might have worked but you won’t compete every year if your best player/supposed leader is unwilling to do every thing necessary to win including caring about practice. You will not win a championship in the NBA if you don’t care about practice.
Does the reverse hold true? “You will not practice in the NBA if you don’t (truly) care about winning a championship.”
In the important 48, how much is talent? How much is comraderie and chemistry? Is daily practice an outdated concept? What percentage of NBA players outside of Allen Iverson shave a little (or a lot) off of practice commitment and/or participation?
bski: I would rather overpay Miller for 2 years, than get a under market deal for 3-4 years. A 3-4 year extension scares me, and I hope ES feels the same way. The problem is, I’m pretty sure he does not view Lou as the PG of the future, and given the Elton Brand window he has set up, he might feel pressured to give Miller that 3-4 year extension. Thus the necessity for a good contingency plan.
Morty…I agree. I too think that ES does not view Lou as the future PG. The Ivey signing tells me that ES was not comfortable with Lou running the offense in Miller’s stead and would rather not ask it of him any longer, let alone have him assume full time duty.
I wonder how much pressure ES actually feels. Looking at how he explained the Iguodala situation (you know, “The way the league works and the CBA works, this man was not replaceable.“), I’m guessing that’s the way he evaluates everyone. Korver and Carney were deemed replaceable, so they were moved. So the $1 million question is: Does ES feel that Miller is replaceable? The answer to that question will determine how extensive an offer is made to Miller.
I think another factor that directly relates to how much pressure ES may or may not feel is the level of support he is getting from ownership. ES has said that ownership is prepared to pay the luxury tax, so I’m taking that to be pretty supportive. Ownership also seems to trust him. I get the sense that ES lays it out for them and they believe him. He says Iguodala is not replaceable, so ownership allows him to do what is necessary to keep him. Again, very supportive. Of course this support is not inexhaustible but, for the time being, I don’t see it hindering the Miller negotiations.
Of course all of this will be rendered moot if Miller does not want to stay here. I am keenly interested in how this will play out.
Dannie! Good hearing from you today at the conference man. I was on my lunch break at work so I couldn’t write anything down. I hope you had the time to write some stuff down. It’d be sweet to read what went on, since I had forklifts in the background most of the time.
Austin Croshere should be a consideration for someone in the final roster!! He is a great veteran bench player and is always ready on both ends of the floor!! He can cause tremendous matchup problems!!!
so when a.i. is here
all you do is complain about there not being any help around him. when he is not here, you say that the eastern conference was mediocre, and that we didnt hardly have a chance in the finals.
sounds kinda contradictory
i would love to see a.i. back.
he would be a very seasoned veteran, who no longer wants the 35 points, he wants a championship. with amiller, a.i., iggy, elton, and sammy as the starting five. we immediatly become the best team in the east in my opionion. you guys are forgeting why a.i. wanted out of philly. to win. you guys are forgeting a.i. throwing his body around just to do that. putting his heart out there on the court and leaving it. playing injured. doing whatever it takes to make us win. All the game winners he put up. all the clutch shots he nailed. all the cheering fans as he ran through into the lockeroom high fiving the fans.
all he wants to do is win. and right now we are in a great position to do so. so if im ES, than i want this man on my roster.
#1 Have you seen iggy’s jumpshot recently? How has it improved since we last saw it in the playoffs?
… well put iggydala…