Archive: September, 2008
Sixers point guard Andre Miller, who was without an agent, has hired agent Andy Miller, a source within the Sixers has confirmed.
Miller came to Philly as part of the deal with Allen Iverson and last season averaged 17.0 points and 6.9 assists per game. This upcoming season -- 2008-09 -- is the last year of his contract and believed to be worth about $10 million.
Andy Miller represents, among other NBA players, Kevin Garnett, Chauncey Billups, Sebastian Telfair. He also represents two other Sixers: First-round pick Marreese Speights and recent free-agent pick up Donyell Marshall.
When the 76ers open Training Camp the morning of Sept. 30, three guys, two with Philadelphia connections, will be -- in theory -- competing for roster spots.
The Sixers have extended invitations to former Temple star forward Antywane Robinson, former Iowa big man Jared Reiner, and former Strawberry Mansion standout guard, Maureece Rice, a source within the organization confirmed.
Robinson, 6-foot-8, averaged 8.0 points in his Temple career, which ended after the 2005-06 season. During that senior season, Robinson averaged 12.7 points and 5.0 rebounds. He spent the 2006-07 season with Sioux Falls of the NBA Development League, where during 49 games he averaged 6.4 points in 16.7 minutes per game. Last season he spent mostly in France, playing for the club Pau-Orthez.
Here's the update on Jason Smith:
On Wednesday, Jason Smith begins the difficult road back to the basketball court.
The 76ers’ 6-foot-11 backup center, and first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, will have surgery in New York City to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, this according to Smith’s agent, Marc Bartelstein.
Smith tore the ligament on Aug. 7 while doing a lay-up at an NBA-approved camp in
I'm taking a break from watching the Missouri vs. Nevada game and the Cal vs. Maryland game to post. There must be a few folks out there not making dip for the big USC vs. Ohio State game ... or watching the clock tick closer to Monday Night's showdown in Dallas. A couple? Maybe one?
I was cruising the net and came across the 76ers opening day roster from last season. Here it is:
Active:
Sorry, guys, for the delayed posting. I was hoping to post mostly in the mornings, but I was computer-less as my laptop crashed and took a trip to the computer hospital. It's back now, with a brand new hard drive, and ready to roll.
Realistically, there's no breaking news from Sixer-land ...
But in these last few weeks before Training Camp opens (Sept. 30, at Penn St.), there's plenty of downtime to chat about the Sixers, but not necessarily a ton of moves happening to spur the conversation.
By nearly everyone's standards, last season was a success. In early February, the 76ers looked like road kill -- sporting a 18-30 record -- then they win 8 of 10 and make the playoffs. To go from woeful to legitimate, so quickly, seemed like a surprise to Philly fans. Of course, the gaps in the armor showed in that six-game first round loss to Detroit. The Pistons put a blanket named Tayshaun Prince on Andre Iguodala, and the Sixers just didn't have the inside threat to really spread the floor and create openings.
And then there was the 3-point shooting (worst in the NBA).
Then this summer happened. Here's a Cliff Notes rundown of this summer's wheeling and dealing, starting with the first, and biggest, in early July.
So here we are, August rolled into September, football season is upon us, and 76ers training camp is not even three weeks away ... September 30th to be exact.
Hard to believe. It seems like early last week when the Sixers walked off the court for the last time in the 2007-08 season (we all know how that ended). But then you take a look at all the moves the organization has made and you realize it really has been four months, a jam-packed summer indeed.
I'll be posting at length tomorrow morning about the revamped roster and the outlook for this season (looking bright and sunny, isn't it?). I know this blog has been dormant since the NBA Draft at the end of June, but that's all changing now. So tell all your friends. Or, at least, I'll tell mine. They can come on here and chat Sixers with me. Gotta start somewhere, right?
As with all good things, Maurice Cheeks had to wait for his contract extension.
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
