NBA DRAFT 2009: 76ers Wishlist posted by Andy Natalie

Talk about slim pickings. The NBA draft continues to spiral into a wasteland. Fortunately some of these picks will pan out for someone to some degree. But more and more if you don't have a top 3 pick, than you can throw a dart at a board and pray. What does that say about the overhyped Tyler Hansborough?

Honestly other than Blake Griffin, I don't see a clear cut bona fide NBA player in this draft. Oh there are NBA players here but that is only in a relative sense. That is seen in the fact that Spain's Ricky Rubio is projected as a top 5 pick and the #2 talent behind Griffin. Yeah, and 18 year old kid who has yet to play in the USA. And yet there will be couple guys who bust out after they get to the next level, I just don't see any more no brainers other than Griffin. With the exception of guys who will at least be bench or role players. But I am talking about potential All - Stars and immediate impact makers.

Also consider that Hasheem Thabeet the raw 22 yr old 7 foot center from UCONN is penciled in at #3 and while he may develop into a nice Pro, he is not ready for the NBA right now.

Ironically though there is some value at Point guard in this draft. The only question mark here is that the premier Point Guards are long on talent and short on ...... well actually just short or diminutive in stature.  Although many small guards have excelled in this league, it is always a concern. Take the min superstar Allen Iverson. While he has been a prolific scorer he never blossomed into a big time Point Guard on my opinion. Maybe some of that is attitude more than size. He also has never been a great defender. Yes he has his steals but he gets schooled at the defensive end more than he stops people. However Jameer Nelson who is also small but has a bigger body, has been a quality point guard and a solid defender for the most part. Where does leave the Sixers for the 2009 draft?

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Philadelphia 76ers draft posted by john howard

There are a lot of decisions for the 76ers to make this offseaon. both point guards, Andre Miller and Royal Ivey, are free agents. The point guard spot needs to be settled. The shooting guard spot may go to Lou Williams with Willie Green backing him up.  Small forward is set with the teams best player, Andre Iguodala.  Back up Kareem Rush is a free agent, but didn't contribute too much last year. Thadeus Young played well in Elton Brand's absence.  Now that Brand is healthy, there is a lot of flexibility at the power forward spot.  Sean Dalembert started all but one game, but just doesn't score.  Marreese Speights is still developing.  9 out of the past 14 draft have produced 4 starters and 5 bench players. One of those starters was an all-star.  So, they are likely to find someone that can help.  Ty Lawson may be there.

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Crossing With Jordan? posted by Andy Natalie

The mediocre 76ers have had some success recently but they were not happy with Mo Cheeks leading them. They allowed Tony DiLeo finishes out the year and to his credit the team did finish stronger than they started. They even gave the Orlando Magic a tough series in teh 1st round.

But clearly DiLeo was in over his head. And even he knew it.  Thankfully and wisely he informed the 76ers he was not interested in being considered for the full time gig. I don't think he would have had a shot anyhow.

Without much fan fare Eddie Jordan's name quickly popped into the fray. Really not to many other names of note were considered it appears.  Even Avery Johnson allegedly said don't bother asking me.

The 76ers did interview local Villanova head coach Jay Wright. Hopefully that was just a chance to get him an interivew for future pro job options. Because frankly that would have turned out to be a disaster. Name me a college coach who jumped right into the pros without any NBA experience and had success? Look at Pitino or Calipari just as an example. The NBA is far different from college. First of all the big time schools get superior talent. Naturally they should be somehwhat successful over inferior schools. In fact, I wouldn't hire Coach K right from Duke to a head coach in the NBA.

What about Jordan and the 76ers? I believe it has some promise actually. Jordan averaged 8.1 points, 3.8 assists and 1.82 steals per game in a 7 year NBA player career which included stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers, NJ Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Portalnd Trail Blazers. He was the 33rd overall pick in the 1977 draft by Cleveland out of Rutgers. He had a reputation as a defensive player and a great ball stealer. He got a Championship ring in 1982 with the then World Champion Lakers.

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Thanks Tony; You Can Go Now posted by Andy Natalie

Tony DiLeo to my surprise and glee has withdrawn consideration from returning as Head Coach. He seems like a nice chap but I always thought he was in over his head. Then again I never had much confidence in Mo Cheeks either.

Honestly I find the NBA lacking in quality coaching. I also think coaching is under rated in the NBA. The media and fans assume great players will carry teams forward. And yet great coaches still get more out of their teams then the mediocre coaches that fill the sidelines of this league.

Look at Pheonix. DiAntoni leaves and the team goes into the dumper. Yes he fell short of getting over the hump but he was losing to great teams with good coaches. Like the LA Lakers and San Antonio Spurs for example.

Now while the Sixers are not stock piled with enormous natural talent, I do believe that a good coach could come in and assign accountability and specific roles and goals for each player. Whatever happened to development? And the team should play team defense!

Look at Cleveland. They are more than LeBron James. They learned to play defense and they all know there place on the team. Also LeBron holds his teammates accountable. And Mike Brown is not Red Auerbach. But he knows what he wants and he demands it in a professional manner.

The Sixers do not have an on the court leader like that. Iguodala needs to do that for this team.

So the search for yet another Head Coach begins. I heard on the Philly news that Eddie Jordan is on the short list. He does have some pedigree and I would say he is more than a retread. I'll have more to say on him and the other candidates later.

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Looking Ahead For The 76ers posted by Andy Natalie

  Roster as of MAY 2009

NO. NAME POS AGE HT WT COLLEGE 2008 - 2009 SALARY
42 Elton Brand PF 30 6-9 254 Duke $13,757,844
1 Samuel Dalembert C 27 6-11 250 Seton Hall $11,238,564
30 Reggie Evans PF 28 6-8 245 Iowa $4,640,000
33 Willie Green SG 27 6-3 201 Detroit $3,388,000
9 Andre Iguodala SG 25 6-6 207 Arizona $11,300,000
12 Royal Ivey PG 27 6-4 215 Texas $854,957
8 Donyell Marshall PF 35 6-9 245 Connecticut $797,581
7 Andre Miller PG 33 6-2 200 Utah $10,333,334
50 Theo Ratliff C 36 6-10 235 Wyoming $797,581
4 Kareem Rush SG 28 6-6 215 Missouri $797,581
14 Jason Smith PF 23 7-0 240 Colorado State $1,326,360
16 Marreese Speights PF 21 6-10 245 Florida $1,542,600
23 Lou Williams G 22 6-2 175   $4,500,000
21 Thaddeus Young F 20 6-8 220 Georgia Tech $1,968,120I was excited to see Brand sign with the Sixers. However I was disappointed to see how they decided to overhaul their style of play. Ending the 2007-2008 season with a respectable improvement, they didn't build on their progress. They tried to introduce a new Elton “Brand” style and it almost ruined the 2008-2009 season. I would consider trading Brand for the right fit. If not he better learn to fit in here. And go through the season without injury would be nice. 29 games isn't going to help anybody.
Andre Iguodala had a pretty solid season after a horrendous start. He was truly lost in the transition to whatever it was they were trying to do. He will be fine if they can get everything around him tightened up. Andre Miller is still a viable Point Guard in this league, however I don't think 6.5 assists per game is going to cut it if you have plans to make noise in the playoffs. And he needs a reliable back up.Thaddeus Young is the brightest star in this present roster. If he continues to mature as he has, he has All -Star potential. He appears willing to work hard at both ends of the floor.Samuel Dalembert has regressed in my eyes. I thought he was becoming a reliable Center in this league. But 6.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game is unacceptable for a starting Center as far as I'm concerned. To make matters worse, he was their leading rebounder. Seriously, that stinks if you have big time goals.Lou Williams brings a spark off the bench and he can score. Not a bad defender but could be better. He was the heir apparent Point Guard but that isn't going to well. If he continues to come off the bench and can play either Guard position well, he will be an asset. Willie Green is Lou Williams part 2. Only he isn't as good at it. I don't know what you do here. You don't need 2 of the same type of role player. The Rookie Marreese Speights had respectable campaign. If he can build on his first season he may be able to start at PF and help Dalembert return to his better days. Speights averaged 7.7 points (more then Sam) and 3.7 boards in just 16 minutes of playing time per game. Not to shabby.Reggie Evans will probably be the one supplanted by Speights. Which is an upgrade at this point. Royal Ivey is a Point Guard off the bench and that was pointContinue reading "Looking Ahead For The 76ers"

Sixers Go up 2-1 and the Flyers Lose their Series! posted by Gerald Votta

     It's funny I started writing a blog yesterday that was very detailed about the Sixers game quarter by quater commentary.  However in the midst of writing my first blog about the Sixers the computer gimped and everything was lost. Luckily enough the Sixers third quarter blunder, did not jeopardize their lead and they won. Unfortunately the Flyers who were 3-0 in the game were eventually bested by Crosby, Malkin, and crew. John Stevens in my opinion does not seem to be the same coach who has won the Calder Cup! The main problem with Flyers hockey in the last 20 + years is the dump and chase it truly is a sign of weakness to offensive teams that are fast and accurate on goal. We will talk more of the Flyers next year!

     The only thing to talk about now is Andre Miller and AI2 and the Sixers sure they are not a contender, but with their new  coach Tony Dileo anything is possible. They have a culpable offense and when they pay attention to detail they can turn over the ball more times than you would like. Orlando has Howard who seems unstoppable, however if Turkalu and Lewis are contained the Sixers should be able to handle the Magik and take a nice lead in the series. This will be reliant on if the Sixers can use the defense to their advantage and utilizing fast break opportunities to make some easy points in the paint. All in all I think that they can handle the Magik, but if they do will they be able to handle round 2?

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Sixers go retro with logo design (AP)

The Philadelphia 76ers are going retro. The Sixers have changed their logo and colors to revive the traditional "76ers basketball" logo and the red, white and blue color scheme. The logo, last used during the 1996-97 season, consists of a color scheme originally established in 1963 and used during the Sixers' two championship seasons in 1966-67 and 1982-83. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

76ers hope Kapono helps from long range (AP)

Jason Kapono is a sure shot to make in impact in Philadelphia all because of his long shot. No active player in the NBA is as accurate in his career from 3-point range than Kapono. No team in the NBA was worse from 3-point range last season than the Philadelphia 76ers. Even a down year by Kapono's standards (43 percent) in 2008-09 would have been good enough to top Sixers regulars. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

76ers G Iguodala sued for child support (AP)

A woman suing Philadelphia 76ers star Andre Iguodala for child support is seeking $12,000 to $15,000 a month. Iguodala's attorney, Charles Meyer of Blue Bell, says his client wants to "generously provide" for London Iguodala, the girl born May 7 to 23-year-old Clayanna Warthen of Clementon, N.J. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Sixers trade Evans to Raptors for Kapono (AP)

The Philadelphia 76ers have traded forward Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors for shooter Jason Kapono. Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski says the trade addresses Philadelphia's goal of getting better from the perimeter. Kapono's .454 shooting percentage on 3-pointers is tied with Steve Kerr for the best in NBA history. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports