With reports trickling out that the Philadelphia 76ers may be on the verge of bringing back Allen Iverson, they have moved to the forefront of the Philadelphia sports landscape, dominating headlines and radio airwaves.

If you were wondering why the Sixers are considering such a move, you already have your answer.

They are last in the league in attendance filling a measly 58% of the seats at the Wachovia Center, and that’s with numerous ticket promotions that are practically giving away seats. Interest in the team is seemingly at an all-time low. The future doesn’t look any more promising, with mounting injuries and a five-game losing streak.

In the face of such adversity, the front office needs to keep their focus on the long-term goal of this (and any) organization: winning a championship.

At best, signing Allen Iverson is shortsighted.

At worst, it’s detrimental to the ultimate goal of winning a title.

Limited (Basketball) Rewards

Any thought of Iverson transforming this collection of talent into a serious contender is vastly over-stating his current basketball talent, and possibly the effect he ever had. Allen Iverson is not going to fix this team’s defensive issues — the Sixers are currently ranked 28th in Defensive Rating and 27th in terms of opponents eFG%.

In fact, if he starts over Jrue Holiday, he’ll make them worse. He’s also not going to fix the team’s defensive rebounding problem, which again has the Sixers in the bottom third in the league. If this signing “works” he might sneak them into the 37-win range and allow them to play another quick series against the Orlando Magic. And that’s if everything goes right.

Short-term Attendance Boost

The signing of Iverson would likely lead to a boost in attendance, but that boost will be short lived. As was shown in the twilight of Iverson’s first stint he alone is not enough to pack the Wachovia Center. As the Sixers win total dipped, so did attendance. During the 2005-2006 season, the Sixers went from 10th in the league in attendance to 21st, then to 23rd in the league in 2006-2007, the season Iverson was dealt.

Simply making the playoffs and losing in the first round is unlikely to drastically change this team’s long-term attendance prospects. After going .500 last year and heading back to Philadelphia tied 1-1 with the Orlando Magic, the Sixers drew a meager 16,000 fans for Game 3 at home.

After stunning the Magic in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead?

16,000 again.

That’s only 80% capacity, which would put the Sixers at 23rd in the league if they averaged that on a daily basis in the regular season. And we’ve talking about a playoff game.

A short-term sideshow isn’t likely to increase attendance long-term. It didn’t last time Iverson was here. Making the playoffs to be first round fodder for a legitimate contender likely isn’t going to draw the fans in droves either, as last year’s “run” showed. If you want
to fix the attendance problem you need to make this team into a legitimate contender.

You have a much better chance to do that by developing the talent you already have and by increasing your flexibility to make future moves. Signing Allen Iverson does neither. He won’t be here in three years when most of this team reaches it’s prime and he won’t be able to will this team to contention right away.

Stunting Player Development

If the Sixers were the Celtics or the Magic, a team with legitimate title talent and possibly one piece away, I could understand the thought, and even then it wouldn’t be a slam dunk. But that does not describe the Sixers at all, which means the potential gain the Sixers can receive is limited. So is it worth the damage?

Outside of the obvious players, Holiday and Louis Williams (when he returns), the addition of Iverson could also take
touches and scoring opportunities away from Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights, two developing scorers critical to the long-term success of the team.

It’s debatable how many minutes is too many for the young Holiday, but if he’s able to play through his mistakes, knowing he has minutes available to him every night, that could speed up his development quite a bit. His talent (on both ends of the floor) is obvious, and each and every night is a learning experience for him. I could understand relegating him to 12th man role if the Sixers were contenders, but doing so for the sole reason of selling tickets is a huge set-back for this team. As would taking touches away from Young and Williams.

Lineup Craziness

Part of what’s flying under the radar is
the craziness that has reportedly been coming From Eddie Jordan.

From Stephen A. Smith’s article:

“Team sources confirmed on Friday that Iverson would be a starter because Jordan had planned on starting Williams with rookie Jrue Holiday anyway, just to put some excitement and more ball-handlers into his Princeton-style offense. So even once Williams returns from injury, he’d
be in the starting lineup with Iverson.”

If that doesn’t prove that Eddie Jordan is merely playing lip service to defense (or, perhaps even scarier, has no clue about defense), I don’t know what else can. Iverson and Williams starting in the backcourt, with Thaddeus Young at the four is so poor defensively and on the glass it’s
almost laughable. If that’s what the head coach is thinking this team is in some serious long term trouble. Opposing guards will be penetrating at will, Philadelphia’s problems defending the three will only get worse, and they’ll
get killed on a nightly basis on the glass. But they’ll be more exciting!

The thought of moving Thaddeus Young back to the power forward spot to accommodate this change also, in my mind, is another reason this move could stunt the long term development of one of this team’s core players. It has
become clear that Young is not a long-term solution at power forward and asking him to change his position (and hence his role) yet again only delays the development of the 21-year-old’s future at his true position, small forward.

Short-term Gain Not Worth Long-term Penalty

Also from Smith’s report:

“Eddie needs a playmaker,” another source said. “He needs an identity. Something to create some excitement.”

…

“But let’s face it: We’re very, very boring right now,” a team source said. “We have absolutely nothing to lose by bringing Iverson back. Nothing at all.”

There you have it. If this does come to fruition, this is a purely financial decision made to generate excitement. But it smacks of a move made out of desperation, moves which rarely turn out well. This does nothing to enhance the long-term success of the team, perhaps even
greatly stunts the teams development, and will not fix their attendance problems. That can only be fixed by acquiring and developing talent that can work together as a cohesive group. If the Sixers brass thinks this is a good for the team, then I question their ability to lead the Sixers.

Generating a circus atmosphere should not be the goal of the organization, but it seems they are likely to do so in order to increase the bottom line.

Let’s hope Ed Stefanski has the vision and wherewithal to not succumb to that temptation.

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Nearly six weeks after the NBA Draft, the Sixers are poised to make their first free agent acquisition of the Summer.

That player is Royal Ivey.

Yes, the same Ivey that less than two months ago declined to pick up his option with the Sixers for the 2009-2010 season.

Sixers fans can now breath a sigh of relief.

Past contractual mistakes, committed by both the previous and current regime, combined with the league-wide drop in basketball-related income, which lead to a drop in the salary cap and perhaps more importantly a drop in the luxury tax threshold, have stifled the Sixers ability to provide significant additions to a roster already short on talent and experience.

After parting ways with Andre Miller without getting anything in return and sitting out the bidding on both veteran (Mike Bibby) and young (Ramon Sessions) point guard options, the Sixers hesitance to explore multi-year deals has left them with returning combo-guard Louis Williams, 19-year-old rookie Jrue Holiday and Ivey as their options to start in the backcourt.

Heading into free agency it became obvious that the Sixers and Miller would part ways, but there was the fleeting hope that they could work out a sign-and-trade deal and get something of value in return. That failed to materialize. It then became apparent very early on in the process that long-term deals were unlikely. Realizing this, my expectations for this offseason have been lowered drastically. I expect to be stuck in NBA purgatory next season, not good enough to realistically contend, and not bad enough to obtain high level talent in the draft. And even with these lowered expectations, I came away sorely
disappointed.

Signing Ivey epitomizes the frustration of this offseason.

Philadelphia does needs to fill out the remaining spots on their roster, so why should signing Ivey get under your skin?

Signing someone to vault the Sixers into realistic contenders, even contenders to advance past the first round of the playoffs, is slim at this point. So what should we be looking for in filling out the few remaining spots?

Since Ivey is unlikely to make an appreciable difference in the success or failure of the Sixers season, I would want someone who fills one of the below criteria:

1. Would be a part of the team’s long term plans.
2. Is such a tremendous fit that his value for the Sixers is significantly greater than his talent level.
3. Has enough experience and veteran savvy that he can guide the youth on the team and aid in their development.

Ivey accomplishes none of these. He’s not likely to be onthe team long-term and doesn’t provide either the shooting or true point guard play that the Sixers need from another member of the rotation. At 27, Ivey has logged barely 4,000 minutes and only 45 in the postseason, so it’s hard to imagine him taking Holiday under his wing and mentoring him.

Giving minutes to Ivey that could go to either Holiday or Williams seems counterproductive. Williams may very well turn out to lack the mentality needed to run the point guard and may be a better option as a spark off the bench. That being said, I would rather see Williams fail as a point guard then go through the season and not get that question answered.

Royal Ivey is your big offseason addition. I commiserate with you Philadelphia fans. This is the immediate future we find ourselves in.

With 20 games left to go in the regular season, it has become painfully obvious what the Sixers are. And, more importantly, what they are not.

A team just good enough to hold your interest, but not good enough to really make you believe. A team good enough to play well in spurts, but not good enough to play well consistently. Fun to watch when the running game is going, hard to watch when a playoff quality team who takes care of the basketball and plays tough half-court defense comes to town.

They are a .500 team. Mediocre by any definition of the word. Without one strength (outside of the fast break) that you can hang your hat on and count on being in your favor every night. Not a great offensive team, not a superb defensive team, and a sub-par rebounding team.

Sure, there can be excuses. Prized free agent Elton Brand not being a contributor the past few months hasn’t helped, although with the way some pundits reacted at the time of his injury you would think his absence would have jump-started the team into greatness. Regardless, this is the team that you’ll see in the playoffs and, minus Thaddeus Young’s game maturing years in a matter of days, does anyone think a playoff series win is all that probable?

As such, it becomes incumbent on the team to find out one critical piece of information. A decision that, with the possible exception of Andre Miller’s future, is as important as any they’ll face. Coming into the year Ed Stefanski pushed the wing combo of Andre Iguodala at shooting guard and Thaddeus Young at small forward, an “experiment” abandoned 21 games into the season.

If the Sixers determine Andre Iguodala is incapable of playing the shooting guard position, then what becomes of Thaddeus Young? The potential possibilities seem limited, and bad for Sixers fans:

- Come off the bench, behind Iguodala at the small foward and Brand at the power forward.

- Start Thad at small forward, with Iguodala moving to the shooting guard position.

- Be included in a deal for a better fit at shooting guard.

He can not, and should not, play the power forward position full time, and with Elton Brand returning next year (as well as reserve Jason Smith), minutes there will be sparse. And Young is simply too talented, with too much upside to keep pinned to the bench. This is a kid who is showing his mettle playing 35+ minutes per game on a team making a playoff push, which at times makes you forget he’ll still be only 20 years old at the end of the season.

A trade? Any such move would make me highly nervous. A player that has shown this much, at such a young age, with the physical tools to improve tremendously, and a good work ethic is not something you just let go. Unless it’s a sure thing, something that will make you contenders now, Sixers fans better not watch Young blossom into an all-star from afar.

So, that leaves one outcome that Sixers fans have to hope for, and that’s that Iguodala and Young can co-exist. The Sixers have quite a bit invested in that scenario, both from a financial perspective (Iguodala’s $80 million contract) and from a talent perspective. If next year Thaddeus Young is wasting away on the bench while Willie Green is starting, the Sixers have taken a serious step back in terms of talent.

This is the time, right now with 20 games left, to give Iguodala and Young a chance. Not only does it give yourself a larger sample size to create a more informed opinion on the duo, but it may give you the best chance of winning, too.

Iguodala’s struggles to begin the season are well documented. He averaged a dreadful 13.3 points per game in November, shooting 40.7% from the field. A far cry from his averages of 19.9 points per game at 45.6% shooting last year. However, this isn’t entirely uncommon for Iguodala, who has historically been a slow starter. Last year he averaged 17.4 points per game in November on only 41.4% shooting, 28.6% from 3, and committed a dismal 4.1 turnovers per game. He went on to average 20.8 points per game on 47.2% field goal shooting, 35.9% from 3, while turning the ball over only 2 times per game after the all-star break.

He did begin to show signs of coming out of his slump before Willie Green replaced Young in the starting lineup, while Iguodala was still primarily playing the shooting guard position. The last 4 games of the original starting lineup saw Iguodala average 18.3 points per game, 8.25 rebounds per game, and 4.5 assists on 49.2% from the field.

The argument has been made that Iguodala isn’t a two, and can’t play shooting guard in the NBA. I don’t necessarily believe that. I believe in roles and pairing of skills more than I differentiate between positions. More or less, the guys defending Iguodala are going to be nearly the same whether he’s playing the 2 of the 3. The key is whether he fits in with the skill-sets of the teammates he has on the court. He can be successful as a shooting guard between shooters like Calderon and Rashard Lewis, or he could be successful as a small forward next to Ray Allen. The key is skill-sets, not position.

According to 82games.com, Iguodala has had a higher PER at shooting guard in three of his first 4 years in the league (15.4 vs 12.2 in his rookie year, followed by 17.1 vs 14.8 his second and 20.9 vs 18.3 his third). His minutes during those 3 years were fairly evenly split between the two positions. What was different then that isn’t now? When he was playing shooting guard in the past he was playing next to Kyle Korver at small forward. A very different skill-set than anyone currently in the Sixers regular rotation.

So, can Thaddeus Young be a good enough shooter to make the pairing work? I’m not sure he is now, and he might not even be next year. But he’s on his way. After making only 6 three pointers on 31.6% shooting last year Young has made 50 so far this year at a 34.2% clip. His efficiency has gone up as the year has gone on, making 36% or better in both January and February, and 36.8% since the break. To me, the question is when Thaddeus Young gains consistency from the outside, not if.

Similarly, if the Sixers had a point guard with more three point range, how much would that help mask Iguodala’s shooting deficiencies? The question is as much how Andre Miller, Iguodala and Young fit together as it is how Iguodala and Young match up. With Andre Miller not under contract beyond this year, it becomes hard to predict the future.

Finally, there needs to be more proof that Iguodala at the shooting guard position didn’t work. Sure, Iguodala struggled, but the Miller-Iguodala-Young-Brand-Dalembert lineup had a very positive +/- rating, and overall won their shifts. The unit was one of the best defensive units the Sixers had. How much defensive potential does an Iguodala-Young-Brand trio have? How much overall potential does that trio have if Young continues his ascension?

Are we really ready to abandon that potential wing pair (and, in turn, potentially abandon a 20-year-old talent) with a very small sample size, based primarily on the assumption that Iguodala can’t play shooting guard, while ignoring the fact that it very well could have just been a historically slow starter starting the season slow, and ignoring the overall positive output that lineup had?

When the Sixers began winning after changing the lineup to put Thaddeus Young at the power forward spot, it created a resistance to change. The Sixers poor post all-star break has been the lubricant needed for change. It’s time to go back to the original plan, the Sixers future depends on the duo of Iguodala and Young working. It might even help you win now.

The Sixers 2-4 start to the much anticipated 2008-2009 season might have some fans scratching their heads in disbelief. But, when you sit back and look at it, the dreadful start might not be all that surprising.

There’s no doubt Ed Stefanski had a marvelous offseason. Marreese Speights was great value at the 16th pick in the draft, and all the moves the Sixers made to maximize their cap space paid off in spades with the signing of the premier player on the free agent market in Elton Brand. A 20 and 10 power forward who plays good defense isn’t something you get the chance to obtain very often.

That being said, the expectations set for this team by fans and media pundits alike were unfairly high. The Sixers, as currently constructed, simply do not get the most out of the talent they have. They don’t fit. And Ed Stefanski still has work to do.

Cause for concern should have been raised after looking back on the 2002-2003 Los Angeles Clippers, a team Brand and Miller led to a 27-55 record. A year in which Miller, a career 45.8% shooter, connected on only 40.6% of his shots, and where Brand averaged nearly two points per game less than his career average.

Those concerns have been validated during their first six games together as members of the Sixers.

Since arriving in town, Elton Brand has been hailed as the Sixers’ savior. A true low-post scoring power forward who could force double teams and kick out to the open man.

Sure, Brand can score in the post, and that is certainly a facet of his game that he could provide when called upon. But that’s never really been his bread and butter. Even before the injury, Brand’s comfort zone was the 15′ jump shot, with his most profound success coming off the pick and roll. During the 2005-2006 campaign in which Brand averaged over 24 points per game, 70% of his field goal attempts were jump shots.

And herein lies the problem. With Andre Miller’s limited range and pedestrian first step, the pick and roll is largely ineffective.

Effectively removing Brand’s favorite spot on the floor, the Sixers have forced him into trying to generate offense, both for himself and for his teammates, down on the low block. This becomes an even more difficult task since Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala’s defenders can double down without fear of leaving their man open, and since Samuel Dalembert’s man doesn’t have to pay too much attention to the offensively challenged center, leaving him free to provide quick double teams and help defense should Brand get the ball in the post.

And, with Brand initiating the offense in the post, it’s lessened the impact of possibly his second best offensive attribute, which is crashing the offensive boards, getting put-backs, and creating second chance scoring opportunities for his team.

Fundamentally, the key pieces of the team may not fit. There was considerable discussion about whether Andre Iguodala could thrive at the shooting guard position, especially after the team committed a reported $80 million to the streaky outside shooter. Those concerns have been lessened at least somewhat by Thaddeus Young’s increased proficiency from the perimeter. With Andre Miller’s potentially poor fit with Brand, and his unresolved contract situation, Miller might be the square peg.

That’s not to take anything away from the job Ed Stefanski was able to accomplish over the summer. Elton Brand is a piece that is extremely hard to replace, and when the opportunity presented itself, getting a 20 and 10 power forward who can play both ends of the court was a no-brainer. It’s also very likely that the problems with the team appear more pronounced while the new pieces get acclimated to each other.

Ultimately, Elton Brand is a good addition to any team in the league. His ability to get offensive rebounds, provide help defense, and pound the defensive glass is going to help any team he joins. The question is whether or not the combination of players on the roster fit well enough to maximize their individual talents.

If this team has championship aspirations down the line, general manager Ed Stefanski is going to have some tough decisions to make. The question of whether or not Andre Miller is a good fit with Elton Brand appears to be a valid one.

The story has been very well covered by Depressed Fan, SixerSoul, TrueHoop, Passion and Pride, Recliner GM, and The 700 Level, so I won’t spend too much time on the details (even sixers.com put a piece up on it). I mainly was involved to get some quotes for a piece I’ll be doing for RealGM, and I’ll post some of my highlights, as well as the transcript which you can check out by clicking the read more link.

My main point of the post was to say how well the Sixers are doing. No, I’m not talking in terms of how good of an offseason they’re having, which to this point has been a success in every facet. That’s a given. But the media relations for the Sixers, of which Ed is certainly doing his fair share, is tremendous.

This is a town where you have Andy Reid refusing to give any insight to card carrying members of the media, much less holding a 30 minute conference call with wanna-be’s, bloggers and straight up fans. Where the Phillies regard the media as being constantly against them, and even have their manager challenging a member of the media to a fight (not that I necessarily disagree with Charlie’s desire to punch Howard Eskin). For the vast majority of the time, it seems the aggravation from front office personal is a detraction.

With the Sixers and Ed Stefanski, it’s the complete opposite.

Not once during the call did either Ed Stefanski or Michael Preston act like they were talking to the junior varsity team. They were both open throughout. Very few organizations give such guys the time of day.

I don’t necessarily expect the front office to be fully honest, in fact some times I think it behooves them to not be. So when Andy Reid purposefully gives the media nothing, it doesn’t bother me. Being open and forthright to the media (or, in this case, Joe Citizen) isn’t going to win the Sixers any games, and it doesn’t cover up for any mistakes made.

It doesn’t alter the destination, which ultimately is what we’re in it for. But it does make the ride a heck of a lot more fun and enjoyable. And, for that, I thank Ed Stefanski and the Sixers PR staff.

As for what I found most interesting:

• Ed thinks Louis Williams is a “hell of a basketball player”. Pretty strong endoresement. Here’s to hoping Ed’s right.
• When describing Thaddeus Young and his work this offseason: “His handle has gotten better, we’ll only know when the season starts if it’s gotten good enough to play the bulk of the minutes at the 3.”
• “We wouldn’t have gone that route [signing Theo Ratliff] if Jason Smith [had not gotten hurt].”
• On Marreese Speights summer league performance: “He did everything we asked of him, but it’s only summer league. But, on the flip side, if he had sucked in the summer league, we all would have been upset, and all of the guys on this call with me would have said “oh my god”…If the kid has it and wants it, the skills are there, so as I said we’re happy he had a good summer as opposed to not having a good summer.”
• On the Andre Miller contract negotiation: “He does not have any representation right now, so we’re in limbo in that respect. So once he gets representation we’ll sit down and see where their side is”.
• On Andre Miller’s age: “That’s all the things you take into consideration [his age, and whether he'll fit in when the team peaks]. Where Andre is in his career, what type of team we have. They’re all the things that once we discuss, Andre, myself and his agent, they’re all the things you have to discuss and see where his head is. There’s no doubt all those things come into play. ”
• On the last question of the press conference, he stated there are no moves currently in the works, and expects to have the team he has right now.
• Ended the conference with: “Guys, the one thing I just want to say it, be very fortunate that it worked. Because you never know, when you put a plan together, whether it’s going to be executed. Luck is involved in all of this, and it came out pretty good.”

And, of course, the humorous part of the interview:

Blogger: Ed it’s Brian from Depressed Fan.
Ed: Depressed who, from what?
Blogger: Depressed Fan.
Ed: C’mon! Get a little more excited.
[laughs]
Blogger: It’s mostly the Yankees these days.
[laughs]

Click “Read More” for a full transcript of the interview.

Full Interview:
Welcome guys, it’s great to talk to everyone. Quick summary, wow, since I got here, what have I been here, a little over nine months? I don’t know exactly, but it’s been a very interesting, very rewarding. What Mo Cheeks and the team did last year was terrific to watch. We’ll get into questions and answers shortly. As I’ve said since I got here, and when we made the trade with Kyle, that we were just hoping that an opportunity would come in the summer time in free agency. We couldn’t put a name on it, and we did a lot of homework on different people and different plans, but we didn’t know which that guy would be, and then when Elton decided to opt out, that was the opportunity and a fortune to get him. We’ve said all along that we were going to sign our own free agents, which we feel very comfortable with. Young people who are going to be our nucleus for years to come, who are very good basketball players. We got residual effect from the good play we had this year, and Elton Brand, by getting I feel free agents that normally wouldn’t come to us, but the chance that of being on a team that they think is going to be pretty good, they’ve come to us. So, it’s all good right now, and as I’ve said numerous times guys, we look good on paper, but paper doesn’t play, so we’ll see what happens. Go ahead and open up for any questions.

Mike: Guys, please just introduce yourselves before your questions, it would be appreciated, thank you.

Ed: Yeah, and I want your handle too when you give your name laughs].

Blogger: Ed this is Henry Abbott from truehoop, how are you?

Ed: I’m doing great.

Blogger: A big part of the story from last year was Thaddeus Young and some of the younger players getting minutes after you came aboard and that led to some winning. But, he was playing a lot of 4, and now it looks like he probably won’t be, and I wondered how you envisioned the frontcourt minutes shaking out, and if there’s a way to get quality minutes for Thaddeus.

Ed: Yeah, that’s going to be something something I think is probably going to shake out, well it’s definitely going to shake out in preseason, and during the season. Obviously, Elton Brand is our starting 4. And, Mo would be able to answer this as how he’s projecting Thaddeus at the 3, which I’m sure he is right now. Thaddeus has been working extremely hard all summer on his handle. I’ve seen him a few of times, out in Vegas in the summer league and out in vegas at Tim Grgurich’s camp. His handle has gotten better, we’ll only know when the season starts if it’s gotten good enough to play the bulk of the minutes at the 3. But there’s no question his handles gotten better, but then there’s a lot of moves, you can then play Thaddeus at the 4 at times when Elton is getting a break, and you know in this league the way it is now Elton can play some 5.

Blogger: Hey Ed, this is Jon Burkett from Passion and Pride, how are you?

Ed: I’m doing great.

Blogger: Congratulations on the great offseason I know we’re excited here in Philly. My question for you is kinda talk about the role of Andre Iguodala this year going from the #1 option to #2, and maybe playing some more 2 guard to accomodate Young’s development.

Ed: Yeah, right now that would be, if you look at a depth chart, probably you put Andre Iguodala as the starting 2, Andre is another one, just like Thaddeus, we’re blessed with this kids who love to play, and that’s not always the case on guys in the league, but these guys love to play, they work hard at it. So he’s been working on, as he said in the press conference, on coming off screens on jump shots, getting his shot off quicker. He’s an extremely hard worker, you almost have to calm down at times, he’s ready for the season to start now, but we have a lot of guys that I would just term basketball players. You know, in ancient basketball when I played, you always had a 1 and a 2 and a 3 and all that stuff. Swing men play 2 and 3 now. Lou Williams, I’m not going to sit here and tell you he’s a stone cold 1 or he’s a stone cold 2, but I think Lou Williams is a hell of a basketball player. I really like way the kid plays, and I think that’s what you have with our team. You have good basketball players and Mo has the versatility to use them in the different spots that he wants to.

Blogger: Ed it’s Brian from Depressed Fan.

Ed: Depressed who, from what?

Blogger: Depressed Fan.

Ed: C’mon! Get a little more excited.
[laughs]

Blogger: It’s mostly the Yankees these days.
[laughs]
Blogger: My question is last year the team really turned it around when they went uptempo and started using young legs on both sides of the floor. Now, with Elton Brand, is that going to change, or is the team going to stay uptempo and just have a better option to fall back on to the half court?

Ed: I see it both ways. We’re not planning on slowing it down, we want to keep pushing the pace and we have some players that can do that. On any fast break you need a trailer, and Sam [Dalembert] runs the floor extremely well, so if Elton is the trailer, that’s not the worst thing in the world, that if the defense is back but they’re not waiting on Elton, Elton is a very good shooter from the Elbow, he can make shots, so we don’t plan on going to the half court, but what he does give us, as we all know, is that when we do have to play half court basketball he’s a big part of it down low. I see him making Sammy much better on the offensive end because of him [Elton] commanding double teams. That goes for all our players. And I see Sammy helping Elton on the defensive end with his length and shotblocking ability.

Blogger: Thanks

Ed: You’re welcome.

Blogger: Ed this is Danny from the Recliner GM, how are you doing?

Ed: I’m doing great.

Blogger: You’ve put in a lot of work this summer, and I think we all appreciate it. This team, as currently constructed, do you think they’re a championship contender or do you think they’re maybe still a piece or two away?

Ed: Noone knows that answer. I’ve always been the person, and maybe it’s kinda silly, but whoever you throw out on the court you feel that you have a chance and you have to play hard, and when you don’t have all the pieces it’s hard. This is a pretty good team on paper, again, how do we gel, how does everybody come together. We brought in a huge piece in Elton Brand, and I think we made our bench stronger than it was last year, but do they gel with everybody? They’re going to be the questions. Is it a championship contender? You know, only time will tell. We kept saying that we needed to move in the right direction, and we’ve been making small steps in that direction, and then we made a much larger step when we got Elton Brand, so you know our expectations are obviously higher than they were when I got here and even going into the free agency period because we didn’t know Elton Brand was going to opt out.

Blogger: Thank you.

Ed: You’re welcome.

Blogger: Ed this is Andrew with the 700 level. I was just wondering, you had Josh Smith in for a visit, and everything seemed really positive, and you never offered him a contract. What made you decide that he wasn’t the right guy?

Ed: Well, we really liked Josh, we knew that he was a restrictive free agent, but at least he was a free agent, again not knowing what Elton Brand was going to do. So when that came up we were working towards both guys. With the restricted free agent situation they can match, and it looked like whatever deal we would put on the table for Josh it would have been matched with Atlanta, so we were fortunate in that case. But we really highly regarded Josh Smith, and he was a guy that we were targeting not knowing what unrestricted free agents would be out there.

Blogger: Thanks.

Blogger: Ed, this is Brian from Depressed Fan, I actually have a follow up to that question. Do you think the deal Josh Smith wound up getting was a bargain?

Ed: Is a bargain? Yeah, well, I don’t know if anything is a bargain in this league, but I think Atlanta is not unhappy that it came down to a situation where they had to match. I think that they’re very happy that that’s how it came down.

Blogger: Ed this is Joe Bolerus from Yahoo Sports. I was wondering about the Rodney Carney deal, which sort of allowed you guys to make the full blown offer to Elton Brand. I was wondering if you could detail how that thing came about? Did your front office go mining for trade exceptions? Did Minnesota get ahold of you? How did that whole thing shake out?

Ed: Well, we knew we needed to secure more cap space in order to get Elton. We were in the sweepstakes for him, but we needed to secure some more room. With Calvin Booth, the other teams like the idea that someone’s in the last year of their contract. With Rodney too, he was a basketball player that has upside, and hopefully he fulfills it, that’s why Minnesota liked him, plus he’s in the last year of his contract if Minnesota deems that’s what they want to do. And also, when we secured that first round pick from Utah, that sweetened the pot to make it happen. But we were talking to numerous teams around the league, Tony DiLeo and I, that we were going to try to secure more cap space. But one thing we had to sweeten the pot, as I said, was that Utah pick. People liked that idea of getting the first round pick.

Blogger: This is Matt from the 700 level. I was wondering what you would say the teams expectations for Theo Ratliff are this year. He was a fan favorite when he was here before, obviously that was years ago and things are a little different now, I wanted to get your take on that.

Ed: Well, you know, where we were in free agency to have a Theo still around, we were happy to add [him]. We wouldn’t have gone that route if Jason Smith, it’s a shame he got hurt, it kills me that he got hurt, from his personal standpoint as well as the team. Had he not gotten hurt we would not have been going in that direction, but when he did get hurt, we were able to turn around and get a player like Theo who, you know, will play limited minutes for us, but he’s a nice backup, a veteran who knows what he’s doing defensively. He can still block a shot, as he showed in the Detroit series against us, so hopefully he can play that role, he knows his role, the coach has told him. He’s an interesting character. He’s very happy. He said to me the other day when he was in to sign his contract, he said he loves Philadelphia and he loves the fans because the fans make him play hard and they’re always there for him, he knows that if he puts effort in that the Philadelphia fans will like him. He’s figured the Philadelphia fans out. The Philadlephia fans are all about effort. If you give the effort, and maybe just come up short, they’re going to forgive you. It’s when you don’t give the effort is when the fans get on you. He’s looking forward to coming back and playing in Philadelphia.

Blogger: Hey Ed, SixerSoul, how are you doing?

Ed: Doing great.

Blogger: First of all congrats on the offseason. You made it look too easy it seems like.

Ed: No no no [laughs].

Blogger: I want to know your thoughts on Marreese Speights. I liked what I saw in the summer league. There have been a lot of comparisons to Amare, even though that’s unfair right now.

Ed: To Amare Stoudemire?

Blogger: Yeah.

Blogger: How many minutes do you think he’s going to get.

Ed: I don’t know what minutes, that’s going to be Mo’s decision obviously. I would have thought he would have gotten less of a chance before Jason got hurt. When people get hurt it’s terrible, but it’s an opportunity for other guys to step up. This is a chance for Marreese Speights to have a chance to play some in his rookie year. I know it’s only summer league, so take this with a grain of salt. He was really good, he averaged close to 20 and 10, he did everything we asked of him, but it’s only summer league. But, on the flip side, if he had sucked in the summer league, we all would have been upset, and all of the guys on this call with me would have said “oh my god”. So, he did good in the summer league, what does that mean? I don’t know. But we got what we thought we were getting. We had a lot of rumors that the kid wouldn’t play hard and all this, and we had a lot of chats with a lot of people throughout the country that touched this kid, we had a lot of heart to heart talks with the kid, and we didn’t see it on film where he didn’t run the floor because we thought that was one of his attributes. He’s athletic, he’s skilled. It’s up to him. We can give him all the help he needs with the coaching staff, they’ll be right there with him. Our coaching staff does a great job. It’s up to the kid. If the kid has it and wants it, the skills are there, so as I said we’re happy he had a good summer as opposed to not having a good summer.

Blogger: Thanks.

Blogger: This is Danny again from the Recliner GM. Earlier I read that you were looking maybe to talk to Andre Miller about potentially getting another extension done with him. Is that still part of the plan? And how long do you think he’ll be a major contributor at the point guard spot for us?

Ed: Well, we don’t know anything because Andre likes to take the summers off, when I saw off, literally off. He’s texted me a couple of times real happy with the moves we’re making, so I know he’s watching and he’s happy with that. He does not have any representation right now, so we’re in limbo in that respect. So once he gets representation we’ll sit down and see where their side is, but you know, he had one heck of a year for us last year, he’s no doubt a good ballplayer, and we have to see where it goes. Again, until he gets representation, I have no clue what’s happening.

Blogger: Ed, this is Henry from TrueHoop. He’s on a little bit of a different schedule than your younger players who have been integral. When’s your window of when you see your team peaking. It seems with Andre playing well…

Ed: What do you mean he’s on a different schedule?

Blogger: Well, he’s just older. He’s going to be slowing down when…

Ed: Oh. No, you’re right. That’s all the things you take into consideration. Where Andre is in his career, what type of team we have. They’re all the things that once we discuss, Andre, myself and his agent, they’re all the things you have to discuss and see where his head is. There’s no doubt all those things come into play.

Blogger: Follow up to that follow up. If the best year of his career is in a contract year on a team with Elton Brand, and guards of his ilk, low on athleticism and iffy outside shooting, start to drop off essentially at the age that he’s at, going to be 33 and the end of next season. He had done this last year, and I know you don’t want to pigeon hole Lou Williams into something, but…

Ed: I think they’re all the things, I mean there’s nothing has to be done, we’re saying that we’re going to sit and just discuss things. Even if nothing happens, and if both sides don’t agree and he plays the year, we still can negotiate next year, we still have his rights. The way it’s setup, it’s not like we have to jump in now.

Blogger: This is Derek from RealGM. With Josh Childress signing overseas, it seems to have opened up a possibility of prominent American players signing over there. Is that something that’s kind of taken you by surprise, or is that something that was planned for going into the offseason?

Ed: I’m a little surprised at the amount of money, I’m not surprised with the Euro and a lot of countries denominations are against the weak dollar, and that plays a huge role in this whole thing. But, that was a contender, and not typically in Josh’s case but with but maybe some cases with minimum salaries and maybe some Europeans that would have come over before for lower [salary] number. I think the one thing, and I know this, the NBA is the greatest basketball league in the world, and the best players, wherever they are, want to take a shot in the NBA. So, I still think you’ll see players still want to come and play against the best, so I think that’s what will happen going forward. But there always will be some players that will take a shot and go where it’s best for them and their future, financially.

Blogger: Passion and Pride here. With Childress, I know you guys talked to him and his camp before, did you get any inkling that he would take an option overseas.

Ed: We talked to his agents, I never talked to Josh personally. We talked to his agents and we were planning on bringing him in, but when the Elton thing went down, that didn’t work out and we didn’t bring him in. No, I had no inclination that he was going to Europe.

Blogger: This is SixerSoul. I gotta get this question in here. Everybody’s been criticizing him on all our blogs and everything, and he’s got a lot of criticism from fans. What are your thoughts on Willie, and what does the future hold in Philly for him?

Ed: Well, I think Willie will get an opportunity to play basketball, no doubt about it. As we talked in the beginning, we don’t know where the 3 position is going to be definitely. So, if Andre Iguodala Iguodala swings more to the 3, that gives Willie more opportunity to play at the 2. Right now, we’re not making any moves and Willie is a part of our team. He had some very good parts last year, and some parts he didn’t like himself. He got knicked up a little bit, and was not injury free last year. And that’s a huge thing on any basketball team, is to try to stay injury free, and already we had a major setback with Jason Smith. That’s one thing that you concern yourself all the time, we just hope we stay healthy. Willie is a part of the team, and right now we have no anything on any player making any moves but the team we have right now.

Mike: We all appreciate you guys taking the time today to join this call with us. Ed, thank you very much for your time as well, and I will definitely be in touch with you guys throughout the course of the season.

Ed: Guys, the one thing I just want to say it, be very fortunate that it worked. Because you never know, when you put a plan together, whether it’s going to be executed. Luck is involved in all of this, and it came out pretty good.

As Michael said, thanks for coming on, and we’ll continue to do this.

“That’s a compliment to Kyle that playoff bound teams wanted him, and that was the one [contract] that could be traded. And that was the one move that financially made sense to secure cap space for the summer”, Stefanski said at the time.

The trade was the second in a series of moves to make significant cap space this summer. Moves that spanned two general managers, starting with the trading of Allen Iverson for a package that included Joe Smith’s expiring contract, and culminating in the decision to not extend qualifying offers to Herbert Hill, Shavlik Randolph and Louis Amundson. Finally, the journey to salary cap redemption and leveraging that cap space into improving the team was complete.

Then Baron Davis opted out of the final year of his contract, igniting a series of events that has threatened to blow up Philadelphia’s well-laid plans.

Heading into the offseason, the Sixers were one of only two teams expected to have significant cap space. The other team, Memphis, was not expected to be a major player in the free agent market. Not only was this a huge advantage for the Sixers in trying to sign their primary targets, it also gave the them leverage when dealing with their own free agents, as there was no team to get into a bidding war with.

Now things have gotten interesting.

With Davis opting out, and by renouncing the rights to Mickael Pietrus, the Warriors unexpectedly have more than enough room to sign an impact player, if they do so before inking Andris Biedrins and Monta Ellis to new deals.

The expected two-horse race for Elton Brand has, in fact, become a three-horse race, with the Warriors joining the Clippers and Sixers. Once Los Angeles signs Baron Davis, they will have to get Brand to take a pay cut before re-signing him. Depending on the final salary cap figure, which is to be set July 9th, the Warriors will likely to be able to offer a significant amount more than the Clippers for the same amount of years, and both teams will be able to easily trump an offer from the Sixers.

Similarly, if the Sixers are targeting Josh Smith, as has been heavily rumored, the Warriors could abandon the Brand sweepstakes and enter into a bidding war for the 22-year-old power forward. An offer sheet from the Warriors could be five to ten million dollars higher than the Sixers, and would present the Hawks with a harder decision on whether or not to match.

The Warriors gaining cap space could force two restricted free agents off the Sixers’ radar. The Warriors are in possession of two of the more attractive targets this year, both of whom are restricted. While it was doubtful that either Monta Ellis or Andris Biedrins would be signed without the Warriors invoking their right of first refusal, the only legitimate hope they had to sign both of them would have been to enter into luxury tax range. With Baron Davis opting out of his contract, retaining both Ellis and Biedrins has become much easier for Golden State.

With that said, Stefanski did continually try to convey that the team would not necessarily use their salary cap space on a free agent, but that it could be used to facilitate a trade. This is certainly true, and while Golden State’s cap space could have an adverse effect on the Sixers trying to sign other free agents, it was far from a guarantee that cap space was going to get them a free agent outright.

There was always the chance that Brand would return to the Clippers, and attempting to sign a restricted player like as Smith, Ellis or Biedrins was always a far-from-certain possibility

The real concern that this change in the free agent landscape had provided the Sixers is regarding the upcoming contract of Andre Iguodala.

The Sixers still have the right of first refusal for Iguodala, as he is a restricted free agent, and have the option of matching any offer sheet he signs with another team. However, heading into the offseason there was not much of a chance that the Sixers would have to engage in a bidding war for his services. With nobody to get into a bidding war with, they had all the leverage in contract negotiations with Andre.

If the Warriors lose out on Brand, there is a legitimate chance they could focus their attention on the four-year veteran out of Arizona. This unexpected scenario could force the Sixers to spend significantly more on Iguodala than they were initially comfortable with – leaving them with a very tough decision to make on how much they feel Iguodala is truly worth.

This is the development that could prove costly for the Sixers.

So, for some reason, this year I’m compelled to put down my thoughts on the draft for all to see, so that in a few years time I can look like a complete buffoon. I write this knowing full well that some of my opinions will probably look preposterous when these players rookie contracts expire. That being said, this is my opinion of the draft.

There you go. Can’t wait to see how stupid these comments look in 4 years.

The Sixers played themselves out of the range of ping pong balls, superstars and “upside” in April. By virtue of their late-season surge, which culminated in a six-game loss to the Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, the drafting process has become a much harder proposition.

Despite the team’s success in the second half, the Sixers
have some serious holes to fill. Obviously, power forward is a big need, as is shooting from the perimeter, for a team that finished last in the league in both three-point shooting percentage and three-pointers made. Andre Miller’s less-than-committal stance on his upcoming free agency brings the point guard position into the equation as well.

Rumors have circulated that the Sixers have been inquiring about what it would take to move into the top-six of the draft. Should that happen, it opens up an entirely new set of questions.

At that point we could debate which of the combo guards will adapt best to the point guard position in the NBA, how debilitating Jerryd Bayless’s size and wingspan will be should he have to defend the two, or how well Kevin Love’s post game will translate to the League.

As time goes by, the odds of the Sixers staying at sixteen increases. Ed Stefanski recently discussed the possibility of moving up or down.

“We’ve explored both. The moving up cost is prohibitive right now,” he said.

This year’s draft features a large quantity of highly-skilled power forward prospects, many of which probably would have been well-served to return to school and gain much needed experience and refine their skills.

Guys like J.J. Hickson, who shows signs of a post-up game sorely lacking on today’s NBA, could fall into the 20’s, where had he taken another year or two to refine his face-up skills and defensive rotation, could have been a lottery pick in the future. Guys like JaVale McGee are ripe with defensive potential with shades of offensive promise, and could have moved up the boards had he stayed in school to refine his footwork and left hand. Even Darrell Arthur, with three double-digit scorers on that Kansas squad either graduating or declaring for the draft, could have gone a long way to quell the concerns about his lack of consistency
by gaining a much greater role in the Kansas offense by returning.

These decisions may have cost the aforementioned draftees a lottery selection, but their decisions have greatly increased the Sixers’ chances of obtaining a quality power forward in the draft.

So, which power forward fits the bill? They all have skills, but which one has the best chance of reaching their full potential? Which one fits in with the Sixers team and its future the best?

Kosta Koufos has been mentioned quite a bit, and you don’t have to look hard to see why. The Ohio State big man’s offensive game would fit in nicely in this lineup. Much has been said about the Sixers need to obtain a power forward that could operate in the post, and while this is most definitely a need, so is a big man who can shoot the jumper.

If Thaddeus Young is to slide over to the small forward position, having a power forward that can step back and reliably hit the 17-20 foot jump shot would open up the paint tremendously – especially the driving lane for Andre Iguodala. However, while Koufos might be the best current fit for the team offensively, he might be the worst fit
defensively.

He lacks the foot speed to defend the perimeter-oriented and face-up power forwards that are becoming vogue in today’s NBA, and switching Samuel Dalembert to defend the perimeter would pull the team’s one shot-blocking presence away from the basket.

Arthur might be the most skilled prospect available when Philly picks. During the season, the Jayhawk displayed an impressive collection of offensive skills and athleticism that scouts have drooled over. Whether operating in the post with a wide array of turnaround jumpers, hooks and spins, or stepping out and running the pick and roll, Arthur at times looks like he can do it all. To make himself even more compelling, Arthur is extremely quick laterally, explosive off his feet and great in transition.

So what’s not to like?

Arthur was maddeningly inconsistent during the season, both in terms of production and effort, and his rebounding production was not where it should have been. Was his inconsistency a problem exacerbated by Kansas’s depth? Could it be corrected by staying out of foul trouble more often? Or was it a lack of consistent effort that should raise a red flag?

These are all legitimate questions, and this, combined with the fact that he measured in a little small, both in terms of height (6′8.5″) and weight (216 pounds), are the only reasons Arthur is not a consensus lottery pick. The talent is there.

Having spent the previous year in the shadows of first round draft picks Al Horford and Joakim Noah, Marreese Speights had a coming out party of sorts this year. He has the size and strength to man the power forward position in the NBA, and has showed signs of being a legitimate post threat at the next level. He’s a good rebounder on both ends of the
court, and while he did not step out of the paint all too often last year, he has showed signs of a face up game, with nice touch out to 17 feet and a fairly consistent release point.

Again, Speights’ talent level is that of a lottery pick, with question marks about his work ethic, intensity and defense. Should one be able to harness those aspects of his game, there is definitely the possibility of plucking a starter out of this spot in the draft.

Anthony Randolph is a player who, should he fall, could be a possibility for the Sixers. While he played power forward at LSU, it could be a difficult transition for him in the NBA at only 197 pounds. He did show solid footwork in college, however it is hard to fathom he will have success establishing and holding position against NBA-level fours. Also, his frame raises concerns over whether or not he can add weight down the line.

Still, he has a rare combination of length, agility and ball skills that make him an intriguing prospect. Add that to excellent body control and touch, and you have a prospect who will challenge the notion of drafting the best player available. If Randolph is on the board at sixteen, he very
well may be the best prospect on the board – and also the worst fit – as he could be playing the position slotted for Thaddeus Young.

There are other talents at that spot, but they do not seem to be fits.

JaVale McGee is certainly an athletic marvel, who could be an impact player defensively, but he also seems to be slightly redundant with, and a bad fit to play next to, Dalembert. If Arthur, Speights and Koufos are unexpectedly all off the board, he might be worth taking a look at as a backup to Dalembert.

There’s also DeAndre Jordan, who as little as a month ago was thought of as a consensus top-ten pick, to look at.

While he possesses rare size and athleticism, he would be a long ways away from providing any impact as his skills and fundamentals are a long way off from contributing in anything other than rebounding. Donte Greene is a name who has come up as well, and who has worked out for the
Sixers, but bad shot selection, inconsistent defense and a game more suited for the small forward make him an unlikely candidate.

Two dark horses to watch out for are Hickson out of N.C. State and Alexis Ajinca from France. Ajinca is an extremely long 7-plus footer with improving ball skills, good range on his jump shot and potential to be a shot-blocking presence. He would likely have a hard time playing next to Dalembert though, as he doesn’t have ideal foot speed to defend the
perimeter.

He is also some time away from contributing, and there is an inherent risk in drafting a player with such little experience, but he is definitely an intriguing prospect.

JJ Hickson has possibly the most low-post scoring potential of any prospect in the draft. He still has little in the way of a face-up game, and his team defense is in sore need of refinement, but he is the type of talent that had he gone back to school to refine some of his shortcomings could have been a lottery pick in future years.

This draft is rare with it’s the depth of talented big men. They all have some level of risk and some inherent flaw that prevents them from being a definite lottery pick, but they all have unmistakable talent. This year more than any, interviews are key as the successful GM will be the one who correctly discerns what makes these young men tick.

Is Arthur’s consistency a problem, or was it a byproduct of playing on that deep Kansas team? How much can Speights’ work ethic really be a concern, considering he went from a low level recruit out of high school to improving to the point where he is a lottery-level talent in college? Which draftee has the drive and work ethic to make himself an NBA starter? Answer these questions correctly, and the talent is there at the sixteenth pick.

Either Speights, Arthur or Hickson should be available when the Sixers pick at sixteen, and if I had to hazard a guess, the team’s newest player will come from this group. Their talent is worth the risk, and they fit the team needs precisely, at a position that is a premium in today’s NBA.