Once again Stefanksi stays true to his word bringing back former Sixer Theo Ratliff. Phil Jasner is reporting…
Theo Ratliff, 35, a veteran of 13 NBA seasons, has sifted through four offers and settled on rejoining the Sixers on a 1-year contract, according to a source familiar with the situation.
The source said the 6-10 Ratliff could visit with the Sixers today and accept a 1-year contract for the veterans’ minimum of $1.4 million. – Philly.com
In fact there was a bit of foreshadowing by Stefanski during the Andre Iguodala press conference. Saying something would be resolved “within 48 hours” regarding the acquisition of a front court player.
Ed Stefanski is 5 for 5 This Summer
I can’t think of the last time I had this much confidence and trust in Sixers management. Ed Snider finally cut the loyalty umbilical cord with Billy King and made the perfect hire to replace him. Since that day Ed Stefanski has been quite visible and a straight shooter about what his plans were. That is a welcomed change as a Sixers fan. How much better does it feel knowing what management has in store for the club?
That’s not all, when was the last time a Philly GM went out and backed up his statements?
- “I’d like to bring in a big man who can play with his back to the basket” – DONE
- Elton Brand
- Marreese Speights
- “There’s no question we could use a shooter” – DONE
- Kareem Rush
- “Our top priority is to resign Andre Iguodala” – DONE
- “We want to bring back Louis Williams” – DONE
- “We are looking to bring in another big man with some experience – to round out their roster” – DONE
- Theo Ratliff
Are there any more moves you think or would like to see the Sixers do before the start of the season?
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
Money in the bank! I love Theo.
I would like to see Andre Millers contract extended for 2-3 years. I dont see us being able to replace him skill wise in the free agent market. But maybe its best to see at his age how he plays this season and will his high level of play carry over. Signing him to early would probably lock up another 10 million and not give us much money to work with if his play declines do to age or injury. But I do believe that Miller is the glue for this team and is a guy we dont want to lose in free agency. He is a quite guy so it is hard to get a read on what he wants, some people mention he is a west coast guy, I would think that with Brand and the other recent moves that he would stay. Plus last year in this system he became a potential all star. I guess its up to ES now.
First I want to say that this website/blog is fantastic! Its great to get some unbiased opinions on the sixers/phillies and other philly teams on a daily basis. The articles are well done and refreshing compared to other sites out there. Keep it up! As for Theo and the entire sixers off season. I am a huge sixers fan (considering season tickets for the first time!) and I couldn’t agree more with the post. Ed Stefanski has been a welcomed changed in the organization and he has put his plan in motion which should result in some great success for the sixers this year. I always liked Ratliff and was excited when I heard we were looking at bringing him in. He is the veteran presence that the sixers need and should compliment this team well. I can’t wait for the season to start!
About extending Andre Miller:
I’m sure it would be a three year, and not two year deal, and that his agent will play hardball to get it, as he’d be a wanted veteran commodity at that point in his career.
I’m curious if people think a frontloaded, three year contract of something along the lines of $9 million, $8 million, $7 million…or maybe $8.5 million, $8 million, $7.5 million…would be ideal, or if you guys think that would be too high, or whether Andre would ask for more.
If his play continues and his assists rise with the addition of the scoring weapons ES has added, I would agree with either of those contracts as a good deal. The problem is that Im pretty sure he makes more then that now, why would he take less if he is playing so well. The price for top quality point guards will be on the rise next off season due to lack there off in the market. Who else is top quality that isnt locked up or would you rather have on the team? The window with Brand could be short and to take the time to draft and develop a young point guard might not be the path we would want to take.
i have not followed Theo’s career very diligently since he left Philly. how has he played the last few seasons ? does he have 2 bad knees ? what are we expecting from him in his 7 mins a game ?
I’m no basketball expert and should probably stick to the baseball topics – but I’m excited to see Theo back and here’s how I think he’ll contribute:
1) Assuming his knees are up for it, a good 7-10 minutes of solid defense.
2) On the inevitable days when Sammy gets 3 fouls in two minutes, Theo should be able to fill in.
3) Along with Elton Brand, this is a great guy to have around to contribute to the development of Marreese Speights.
4) Basketball Karma. As much as Mutombo helped us go deep in the 2001 playoffs, I hated to see Ratliff go after all he’d done up to that point. He electrified the building with numerous highlight reel blocks and was a key factor in that 41-14 start. I know it’s unrealistic to expect anything more than a stronger showing in the playoffs – a championship is probably not going to happen this year – but if the Sixers were to go on some sort of a magical run, it would be poetic justice for Ratliff. Okay okay, so I’m an old softie. Nonetheless, we’re going to enjoy this season.
Even though reports seem to suggest that the Sixers are now “done,” they do need another player. ES indicated that he was going after a vet big man even before Jason Smith went down, and while this gives them the min 13 on the roster, only 12 are eligible to play. Pretty thin on the back end. So, who will that last man be? A return engagement by Shav? Another shot for Herb Hill ? Perhaps a rookie FA flyer? And/or, what I’d like to see, some added depth at that 3-spot with at least a little experience/upside…M Gelabele? Devin Brown? Dorrell Wright?
Like everybody else, I’m juiced to see the front-office bring back Theophilus from Demopolis. Though he is no longer the player he once was, he brings it every night and looked like he had something left in the tank last year. In very limited minutes he can make a contribution on the defensive end.
As for Andre Miller, everybody seems so psyched to resign him, but I don’t see that being a great long-term move. While he certainly played fantastic ball for us last year, his age, lack of outside-shooting, and high price-tag makes him a less than ideal fit for this team after his current contract expires. Not to mention that he’s been very up-front about the fact that he would rather play on the west coast.
While I do worry about what his loss would do to our team chemistry, I just don’t see him as our PG of the future. I do think that Lou Williams could step into that role. As I’ve mentioned before, I think his talents would complement AI2’s talents quite well in the back-court. If, however, management does not see Lou as a future starting option at PG, I think the most prudent course would be to try to trade Andre Miller at some point this season. With 10-mil in expiring salary and two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, we could potentially acquire a very good player (the Lakers got Pau from the Grizz for much less).
If we don’t resign or trade Miller, he walks at the end of the season and we don’t have enough salary cap room to sign anybody of any significance. What do you guys think?
Locking up Miller is the only thing left on my checklist. I’m thinking that Miller is going to want a good chunk of money to stay. There are several things that lead me to this conclusion:
The whole “5 year window with Brand” thing is openly talked about, so Miller knows the organization is under pressure to win in the immediate future.
He knows that ES said that ownership was committed to building a winner. ES did indeed go out and make several moves to that end, just like he said he would. If Miller is a part of that commitment, then he’s probably thinking that he is in line for more money.
Now that ES has put this team together, he most likely wants to keep it together, otherwise what was the point?
He has seen Iguodala use all of this to get a very good deal for himself.
I realize that Miller’s situation is much different from Iguodala’s, but I still think that he will try to use the Sixers new circumstances to his advantage. What I don’t know is how far he will try to push it, if the new state of the team will make him a little more flexible, or if he will simply walk away if he doesn’t get what he wants.
I think a big part of the answer with Miller will depend on how ES views him. John Smallwood has a good article today that has a few quotes from ES regarding Iguodala. Here’s the one that struck me the most:
“[Iguodala] is a major and integral part of our team,” Stefanski said at a press conference yesterday when he and Iguodala formally signed a contract believed to be worth $80 million over 6 years. “He is not replaceable. The way the league works and the [collective bargaining agreement] works, this man was not replaceable.”
So, the question is, how much does ES value Miller. If he feels that Miller is not replaceable, then I would expect him to pay a bit more (either in years or dollars) to keep him. If ES does not feel that way, then it comes down to MIller. Will he take a little less to stay here and contend for a title, or is he looking at it like this is his last shot to secure a big contract and he will go where he needs to in order to get it?
“[Iguodala] is a major and integral part of our team,” Stefanski said at a press conference yesterday when he and Iguodala formally signed a contract believed to be worth $80 million over 6 years. “He is not replaceable. The way the league works and the [collective bargaining agreement] works, this man was not replaceable.”
this not exactly a ringing endorsement of Iguodala the way i read it. it sounds to me like E.S. explored other alternatives and (because on collective bargaining) came to the conclusion that none of the others were feasible. this quote makes sense when i think about how long it took to get this deal done.
@AaronMckieforMVP – BINGO! I was thinking this long before the press conference and the deal was first rumored. I read those comments in a similar way. That is exactly why I choose my words carefully in my last Iguodala post…
This was the best they could do in my opinion and I believe in the eyes of Stefanski and the Sixers organization.
Dannie and McKie: Right-o! That’s how I read that comment as well. Given the structure of the salary cap, there is no way we could have replaced Igoudala with an equal or better player.
Dannie: Love the new comment box editing options!
Jumpin, from previous post; heard D.Lynum say it, not E.S. thought it made sense but I could be wrong. Dave T., between 5 year window comments and Iggy!s deal, doubt A.Miller signs for less than 30 over 3 years. Whether E.S. thinks L.Will. can take over or not will probably be the deciding factor on how much their willing to give A.Miller.
Another factor in not resigning A.Miller could be the veteren leadership Brand will bring to the table, a quality that may allow a young p.g. [L.Will.] to succeed.
Andre Miller while I would hate to see leave I dont see any great options. I really would not like a 3 year ext in the 7-10 mil range to me that would be overpaying. If he was willing to take a 3 year deal at approx 5 mil a year I’m ok with that. I dont want to over pay just to keep the team togeather with no thought about what that will do to the furture. For example after the championship run year Eric Snow, Mckie and Mutombo were all overpaid. At the time I guess it made sense but those deals came back to haunt us.
I really think the best deal would be to move him and his deal at the deadline, maybe you could also get rid of Willie Green in a trade deadline deal. However if we are in first place and playing great it would be tough to swallow that kind of trade. It would also depend what kind of talent we would be getting back in that deal but I think they should def keep their options open and not extend Andre now.
I’d like to see them bring back Ron Anderson… nothing like a 14 point scorer off your bench…. he’s my all-time favorite Sixer not named Charles or Julius.
anyone else see John Hollinger’s predicition for the starting 5 of the 2012 olympic team?
PG- Paul
SG- Iguodala
SF- Durant
PF- Beasley
C- Oden
Yeah I saw that in his chat. If the Olympics was next year and that was our starting five I think we lose easily. It’s is impossible to pick young players (besides Paul) and say they would win a Gold medal 4-years from now. I think they have to wait at least 2 years and see how the young crop of players look then start picking the team.
Melo already said he wants to play again, but doesn’t really want to go through that 3-year grind that was mandatory this time around.
How about this from Hoopshype about Andre Miller:
Stefanski had hoped to discuss a possible contract extension with the agent for point guard Andre Miller. There is one problem — Miller doesn’t have an agent. Miller, who has one year and $10 million left on his deal, is no longer represented by Lon Babby. The Sixers wouldn’t mind adding another season or two onto that contract, but the lack of an agent could make that difficult. Bucks County Courier Times
AaronMcKie4MVP….I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I found this on Hoopshype:
Aaron McKie, a former Temple star who spent eight years as a Sixer, had planned to return as a Sixers’ assistant coach July 1, when his player contract with the Memphis Grizzlies ended. But it’s unclear if that will happen since McKie was arrested in June on charges of lying on an application — he didn’t disclose an active protection-from-abuse order in Delaware County — when he tried to buy two guns at Abington Gun Sports Store in Upper Moreland Township. Stefanski said there is “still no status” regarding McKie. McKie avoided a trial Friday by accepting two years of probation, 200 hours of community service and donating $30,000 to benefit crime victims. Bucks County Courier Times
I would think that most of the players from this Olympic team will not return due to the commitment that is needed from them during their summers off. Their season and off season conditioning is hard enough on their bodies. Maybe Chris Paul and Daron Williams bc their young, but if/when they get gold, I would think most of those guys would be out, even Camelo that plays better internationally then in the NBA.
Oh yea, there is no way they will trade Andre Miller if the team is playing well, there just aren’t enough good pg left in the league. They will figure out his contract based on how he produces.
he tried to buy guns and didnt disclose some information ? that sounds more like an oversight than a real crime. i think the Sixers will still hire him in the end,
bski:
If Miller wants more than a 2 year deal, I would prefer to see how he plays this coming season before committing to an extension. If there is one contract I could see coming back to bite the Sixers, it would be a 3-4 year deal with Miller.
Whe the hell knew that Mckie aka Honest Abe could be packing so much heat? Noah, we don’t have 2 number one picks this year. We traded utah’s conditiobak first rounder to memphis in the Carney deal.
Fellas if you want to trade Andre miller this year then prepare to take a step back. Is that what we really want to do? I guess it might become a possibility if miller tells EDDY S that there is no way he is coming back. But that won’t be a good thing unless we could get back a certified balla
Morty…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.
Just read that Donyell marshall was waived from Oklahoma City. Just a thought though.
This is just a random statement, but is it just me, or does andre miller throw a magical alley-oop pass. one of the best in the sport, in my opionion.
i do however think that andre miller’s play last season was key, and i dont think there is anyway possible that we make the playoffs without him. But at the same time, lou williams has a lot of upside, and potential. so as far as signing miller back, the sixers are in a sticky situation.
Is the sixers current roster good enough for a championship, in lets say…3 years from now? if so, i say resign miller and take a shot with the current roster. if not, than we either have to try and sign a point gaurd, or trade for one. But with the existing team chemistry that miller has with these current players, i think you have to try and sign miller.
Im gonna say that within 2-4 years, the sixers will be the second of first best team. i think by then, the celtics will be old without much upside, with kevin garnett and ray allen getting older and older. While iggy is in his prime, and brand is a very seasoned veteran.
i dont think the sixers window of oppurtunity is small at all, i think they have a good 4 years to win a championship as long as they keep iggy, miller, brand, and then their talented/athletic young players.
this team has a ton of potential, so lets just hope they can perform as a power house, rather than performing as an underdog.
I actually work for another NBA team and am very happy to see what the Sixers are doing (now that i’m out of state!!!). I truly wish these types of moves were made when my boy A.I. was here but now its time for the new A.I. and I think he will really vault himself into that upper echelon of shooting gaurds this year. He was great last year (was a little exposed against Prince in the playoffs but who isn’t?) and I think with so much attention drawn to Brand, he will get more open looks and clear paths to the lane…I see him, Williams, Young, and Dalembert all having career highs! I will be working all home games for my current team, but will be calling off when the sixers come into town, throw on my Dr. J throwback, and cheer as if I were in South Philly. Lets Go Sixers!!!!!!