phrustrated philly phan

The 76ers come into this year with no real hype. Not surprising. The Eagles 4-2 and the Philadelphia Phillies are preparing for free agency. The Flyers have their normal following, but the Sixers have no fanfare right now. The most basketball news that has made the rounds lately is that Larry Brown moved back to the Philly area. Mo Cheeks, that is your seat that is instantly warming up. This team has not been close to the same since he bolted to Detroit. While I think this is a long shot, I would not be opposed to it. He is a great coach and the Billy King obviously needs help in personnel decision and as everyone knows, Brown will help. Enough on Brown, now let me focus on the team Mo Cheecks took to Barcelona, Spain with him.

Allen Iverson is back after a tumultuous summer of trade rumors courtesy of Billy King. AI always plays hard and I am not worried about his dedication. He will give 110% percent every game and can be counted on to produce. The concern is the surrounding cast. Chris Webber returns, bad knees and all. He kills me. He doesn’t understand why the fans got on him for showing up late to fan appreciation night. He is happy to make his 20 million dollars a year and do as little as possible. Not a great player to have on a young team. I never question AI’s dedication, but I do question the dedication of Webber. These two players headline camp and the season for a second straight year.

Andre Iguodala is now entering his third year and has not fulfilled the potential he had when he was drafted. This year is critical to his development. He does play good defense but has no mid range game. A necessity in the NBA. Some believe that his problems stem from playing with Allen. This can not be used as an excuse. He needs to learn how to play wingman to Iverson, and excel in that role. Samuel Dalembert is another concern. He regressed last year especially offensively. Cheeks reduced his playing time and this did not sit well with Dalembert. For the Sixers to have any success, Dalembert needs to be a force offensively as well as defensively. Unfortunately, I don’t see this happening.

The Sixers have two promising rookies. Rodney Carney has plenty of promise, but I am unsure of his impact this year. I think in the right situation he could contribute immensely. Carney is 6-7 forward, who shoots the three pointer well. I liked the draft choice and think he will be a very good player, but under Billy King they have not showed the ability to develop their young players. Bobby Jones is highly regarded as a defender and will play small forward. He will compete against Carney, Iguodala, and Kyle Korver for playing time. To me Kyle Korver has been a big disappointment. Yes he can shoot the three but that is it. He plays no defense and contributes no other offense.

I am not sure how the season will play out. I believe they will compete for a playoff spot but I would be surprised if they made the playoffs. To tell the truth, they may be better off not making the playoffs. If they make the playoffs they will lose their first round draft pick. One major change that I believe should be made and it could be viewed as a “change of culture.” They need to change how they play the game. No more slowly moving the ball up the court and setting up and offense, passing the ball to AI, and watching him shoot. They need to play like the Phoenix Suns. I recognize that they have less talent, but at least they would be more exciting and probably better. The Sixers should play an up tempo game by running the fast break more often and pushing the ball up the court. Obviously, the slower players would have to go. No Webber because he slows down the game too much. A starting lineup of Dalembert, Carney, Iguodala, AI, and Willie Green, I think would be better. They would play exciting basketball and be more successful. I do not see that happening though. I believe the Sixers will be almost as identical as last year. Both roster wise and and playing style. This will lead to the same result as last year. A 38-44 record and out of the playoffs. Look tomorrow for Part II of the preview.