Do the players make the system or does the system make the players?

More often than not, coaches implement systems, no matter the sport, with the belief that any type of personnel can make it work. Some succeed, others don't.

New Sixers coach Eddie Jordan impressed during his interview sessions with the team's big wigs when he showed off his pro-style Princeton offense. It made first-time All-Stars of Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler in Washington, and helped form career years for others.

But does this current Sixers roster have the right blend of players to make it work?

"You would have to have talent first," said Jordan yesterday, before talking with a group of youngsters at the Betty and Milton Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, N.J. "And if you have talent, the system will work. If you have guys who can't dribble and can't pass and who can't shoot, it won't work. And I think we have versatile talent, meaning our forwards can have perimeter skills and our guards can do things in the post and that's what makes this work and that's what we have."

He has seen a lot of the hand he has been dealt during the 3 months since he was hired to replace Tony DiLeo, who replaced Maurice Cheeks early last season.

"It's been a good summer," Jordan said. "I've been pretty much staying close to [general manager] Ed [Stefanski] and just working with the players who are in the gym this summer. From my understanding, we have more guys who are in the gym for more days than in any other summer. So it's a good start."

Which is something Jordan will be looking for once the games really count. Last year's slow start cost Cheeks his job and the year before the team didn't hit its stride until after the All-Star break. Both teams made the playoffs, though neither advanced past the first round.

Will it be more of the same this season, a team mired in the middle-of-the-pack area of the Eastern Conference or will Jordan and his new styles produce more success?

"This is a transitional team, absolutely," said Jordan, who has posted a 230-288 career record in 8 years (six in Washington, two with Sacramento). "It's going to be a new and different defensive scheme as well as offense. I want to say this, unequivocally, that our defense is going to take precedence over the offense. I feel we have good defensive players and we're going to be very good defensively. [Assistant coach] Randy Ayers has done a great job in what he's done in the past and in his career, that we're going to be good defensively. That's going to be a focus and emphasis in training camp."

Jordan talking about his defense is somewhat like Eagles coach Andy Reid emphasizing a running game. People are eager to see this new offense, which will be run without the team's starting point guard for the past two-plus seasons since Andre Miller signed with Portland.

"We don't consider it a point [guard position], we consider it two guards," the coach explained. "And again, it goes back to talent. If you have two guards who are talented, it can work. I look back at Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes. Neither was a point guard. They were more talented, scoring guards and it worked. And that's what we look at here.

"I think the way the system works, it enhances the guys who aren't able to go one-on-one. It helps the scorers to help their teammates. It allows scorers to be scorers. I go back again to whether it's Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas, the highest scoring trio in the league [in 2005-06 they averaged just over 67 points a game combined]. Before that Larry Hughes, Gilbert and Antawn [in 2004-05, also just over 67] - the highest scoring trio in the league. So you had two guards and a forward and then two forwards and a guard. Brendan Haywood had a career year in the system. DeShawn Stevenson and Antonio Daniels had career years and shot better from three[-point range] than ever. So it enhances guys who aren't your core scorers but it also allows your best scorers to get equal opportunity."

There's no question that Jordan is blessed with versatility at the forward position with Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. He has a proven low-post player in Elton Brand. There's a nice mix of youth, talent and experience. Now it's up to Jordan to blend it all together. He'll start to get his chance when training camp opens on Sept. 29 at Saint Joseph's.

"We need three-point shooting, that always helps. [Jason] Kapono is going to be very good in it. We think that the fact that we don't have a prototypical point guard that our guards will be good in it. They can help each other bring the ball up. We have forwards who can bring the ball up, whether it's Andre playing guard or forward or Royal Ivey playing guard or forward. Thaddeus Young can bring the ball up. As a matter of fact, that's what we worked on today, Thaddeus initiating the offense. All these things work with talented players who are flexible and versatile."

Should it not work, Jordan will have to be also.