Thaddeus Young's future
We're getting closer to the first draft workout at PCOM, the 76ers' practice facility. Look for that first workout to be somewhere around June 1, three weeks before the 2011 NBA Draft that's scheduled to be held June 23. We've covered the draft prospects ad naseum on this blog. If you want to read about some of the power forwards/centers that the Sixers could be looking to snag with the No. 16 pick, you can find that here: Sizing it up. If you just can't get enough and you want to read about the pre-Chicago combine assessment of the bigs in the draft, that's here: big men. If you want to read about the fringe possibility of drafting a shooting guard, you can find that information here: shooting guards. And if you still want to read more, you can get updates on three Sixers through earlier posts: guard-forward Evan Turner, center Spencer Hawes, and big man Craig Brackins.
Thaddeus Young's future
We're getting closer to the first draft workout at PCOM, the 76ers' practice facility. Look for that first workout to be somewhere around June 1, three weeks before the 2011 NBA Draft that's scheduled to be held June 23. We've covered the draft prospects ad naseum on this blog. If you want to read about some of the power forwards/centers that the Sixers could be looking to snag with the No. 16 pick, you can find that here: Sizing it up. If you just can't get enough and you want to read about the pre-Chicago combine assessment of the bigs in the draft, that's here: big men. If you want to read about the fringe possibility of drafting a shooting guard, you can find that information here: shooting guards. And if you still want to read more, you can get updates on three Sixers through earlier posts: guard-forward Evan Turner, center Spencer Hawes, and big man Craig Brackins.
This is kind of a quiet week for NBA news, unless your team is still playing. The Sixers' brass of president Rod Thorn, general manager Ed Stefanski, assistants Tony DiLeo and Courtney Witte, and coach Doug Collins are more than likely assessing the potential draft picks they watched and interviewed in Chicago, while Stefanski went on to evaluate talent at a smaller combine in Minnesota. In the next weeks, they'll put together a draft board, ranking available players.
Since we've targeted this off season as crucial to bumping this team from 41 wins to 50 wins, we've been trying to address some of the non-draft issues this team will face in the coming months. Per a few email requests (please send any questions you might want addressed to kfagan@phillynews.com), today's topic is forward Thaddeus Young. The questions on Young were two-fold: will he return to the Sixers next year and does he have a chance to become this team's starting small forward?
Here's the background info on Young's situation. He's entering his fifth season in the NBA. Earlier in the 2010-11 season, the Sixers did not offer him a contract extension, so on July 1 he becomes a restricted free agent. The Sixers will qualify him, meaning they have the opportunity to match any offer made, with the pre-arranged $4.0 million qualifying offer as stipulated in the NBA's rookie contract system. On July 1, obviously under the assumption the lockout situation gets worked out, which is clearly a major assumption, other teams can sign Young to an offer sheet. The Sixers will have the opportunity to match any offer. For example, if on July 5 (randomly chosen date), the New Orleans Hornets (randomly chosen team) sign Young to an offer sheet of 5 years, $35 million (seriously randomly chosen numbers), the Sixers would have seven days to match the offer. If no other team signs Young to an offer sheet, he will play the 2011-12 season with the Sixers for the $4 million qualifying offer and then after that season he would become an unrestricted free agent. (Yes, the NBA is complicated.)
Here's the background on Young's numbers with the Sixers: 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds his rookie season, 15.3 and 5.0 his sophomore season, 13.8 and 5.2 his third season, and 12.7 and 5.3 during this most recent season with Collins.
OK, so those are the numbers.
I would put the likelihood that Young returns to the Sixers at 92 percent. (Let's not get carried away with that number, it's an educated guess from having conversations about the situation -- and it's fun to put a number on the accumulated knowledge of these conversations.) There is no way for me to overstate the quality of the relationship between Collins and Young. Collins considers Young one of the most impressive guys (character, listening ability, responsiveness, game, personality) he's coached. And Young respects Collins and enjoys playing for him. I'd go so far as to say Young believes in what Collins can do with this franchise and, more specifically, what Collins can do for Young's game. Young wants to return to the Sixers. And the franchise, by all accounts, plans on matching any reasonable offer sheet. No one knows what's going to happen with the next CBA, and how that will change things, but if another team signs Young to a fair offer sheet, the Sixers will match. The only reason Young wouldn't return is if a team signs Young to an insanely above-market-value offer sheet. The Sixers, within a broad range of contract offers, plan to bring back Thaddeus Young.
As for the second question received (can Young become this team's starting small forward?), here's the lay of the land. If Andre Iguodala remains a Sixer over the summer, he will rightfully be this team's starting small forward. If Iguodala is traded over the summer, the Sixers will enter training camp with an open starting spot at small forward. As we've said in previous posts (check out the hot link to "Evan Turner"), it's possible that the team and Turner himself could be looking at him returning next fall as a potential small forward. If the position is open, Turner and Young would enter training camp as potential options for starting small forward. Collins and Young, as we mentioned multiple times toward the end of the season, have had conversations about Young's potential to become an all-star. Collins has told Young that if he develops a consistent 15-foot jumper and can consistently make a corner three-pointer, he can become an NBA All-Star. If Young can force defenders to respect his mid-range jumper, something defenders don't totally do right now, then Young could be a 20-points-per-game scorer. And if he doesn't become a starter, he'd be a front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year.
It seems the only question with Young's potential as a starter is his lack of a definitive position. We're talking about him right now as a small forward, but he's proven effective as a backup power forward. It might make more sense for Collins and the Sixers to use him as the backup small and backup power forward and drop him 32 minutes a game (he played 26.1 minutes a game this season). As with many questions facing the Sixers, all of this depends on what kind of game Turner shows up with this fall, what kind of jumper Young shows up with, and what kind of moves the team makes to free up opportunities for each or both.
But one thing is certain: the Sixers aim to bring back Young.
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--Kate
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Comments (74)
BigVil, the problem is during those same 36 mins Speights would give up 25 pts and 15 boards. His lack of on the ball defense, failure to box out & horrible defensive rotations landed him in Dougie's dog house.
Mack, thanks for pointing out to folks tha OKC will not give us good players for Iggy. They don't need Iggy they have Kevin Durant at SF
incog69, I hope you're right about Turner developing into the best offensive player. I haven't seen any indication of that but anything's possible.
Combocancer, Gallinari is a SF— mtairy1
Here's the dumb stat of the day. Per 36 minutes Speights would be a beast. 17 points 9 boards and 1.3 blocks...... This stat line is meaningless, I know it just bothers me that we have young talent on our bench that can't seem to contribute in a significant way.- Combo, you're thinking of the kaman of years past, let it go.. it'll be 4 yrs since he played with brand. not sure how much chemistry is let, and that's a law of physics my friend. In our wildest dreams would OKC give up Ibanka, i think they'd trade us westbrook for a reliable PG before they do that.
Galli is a SF, he's just tall. i wouldn't mind having him either but he'd have to back up thad but i highly doubt denver is just going to hand over nene or bird man who is their best rebounder for iggy. mozgoz is serviceable but no one to be afraid of.
I'm not worried about Z next season, he'll be lucky if he's on the heat's audience. After they get the ultimate assist from their fourth star(the refs) and possibly beat dallas, he'll retire with a ring.
— Mack of the Pack - I'd be shocked if Donatas is available at 16- if he is, that's a no brainer.
Against Miami, the Sixers exploited Z by going to the hole. It wasn't center vs center, but we definitely took advantage of his inability to guard the paint. The problems started when they bought in Joel Anthony. Z will not have much of a role in Miami next season.
Is Danilo Gallinari a center? I thought he was a SF. Shoots a lot of threes. Allergic to paint..
Getting Jason Smith back with the mid-level exception would be nice. Trading him away still puzzles me to this day. We got nothing in return (please prove me wrong, Mr. Brackins :)— incog69 - That was stupid. Smith was a high energy player. I think he would have help with the poor rebounding.
- I like Kaman's game; if the Sixers can get him for maybe Lou, #16 and some bench guys (Noc, Sp8ts) then I'm all 4 it. Giving up Iguodala might be worth it too, but Kaman is a bit of a risk health wise. At 16, I like the big guy from USC (Nikola Vucevic). He could be a good back up center and we wouldn't have to give up anything. That means not giving up on Sp8ts, who might actually still have a decent career ahead of him. Trading Iguodala for Harden does not adress any of the Sixers current problems. From a positional point of view, it is a lateral move. Overall, it is a slight upgrade (Harden is only 21).— incog69
- You are entitled.. My belief. Championships are won by big men. Not guards. That OKC trade leaves brand in the middle w/o help. I'll take the caveman or Gallinari as the centerpiece for dre. Hardens a good player. Replace collison with ibaka you gotta deal. But. The numbers don't match. Collison with 5 years left at an UNBELIEVABLE 13 or so mil or an expiring 7' kaman HIGHLY skilled has chemistry with brand. Probably will resign for less. Give me kaman. And he's not a step back. You must make Miami pay at the 5. Harden won't make a difference v Miami. It's not about iguodala or harden. It's about sixers v heat. WE CAN'T EXPLOIT Z! That's a problem. Will harden exploit wade enough to WIN THE SERIES! No. Kaman will dominate z. If we win 1 with Spencer. Kaman pushes it to 7. J.r. Smith could win it. Package Lou for harden. Iguodala MUST BRING A CENTER! Not a guard.. Come on man... Stop it. We are getting smaller and bringing in another guard that NEEDS PLAYING TIME. Give me smith and kaman. And Jason smith with the mle. And donnatas or fareid at 16.— combocancer1975
- There are other ways to get a center. When mentioning Kaman, I understand you value the contract more than the player, I get it...... It makes sense when you think about the other factors. Moving Iguodala give Thad and Turner more time. Plus 2 years less than Iguodala.
- IF THE STIFF HAS HIS WAY,YOUNG IS A GONER...FIRE THE STIFF.NOW..................FIRE STIFFANSKI NOW........!!!!
— t_darb_56 - LOL@ hello from Mt.Airy. Can West Oak get a shout out in this?
Anyway, appreciate the stats incog & mtairy.
combo if we trade dre, i would not do it for ya boy, Christopher always hurt caveman unless you're willing to take a step back this upcoming season and have plenty of cash the following season.
if i was to trade dre to the clips, it's for De Jordan but that's unrealistic, the clippers are not going to give him up.
If the thunder wanted iggy, i'd pull the trigger on it for Harden, collison and the thunder's pick. I know no 1 knows the draft order 4sure but lets say the order is correct, according to draft.net OKC is projected to take the kid faried who is a rebounding monster. We don't need him to play PF, at 6"6 he can be thad's back up since thad would start at SF. You get a bonfide lights out shooter in harden and collison is reliable if you haven't been watching the playoffs. Plus you still have your 2 original picks!! you could always ship collison somewhere else as an option to free up cash— Mack of the Pack - @combo: Harden is better than Iguodala... I'm pretty sure his outstanding play against the Mavs has made that clear. He is in the shadow of someone else who is in the shadow of someone and he still looked great. Giving us Collison to boot would be highway robbery. Both of those guys are better than Tayshawn by the way (and much better than JR Smith too).
@mtairy: Young and Iguodala are slightly below average three point shooters, but they can do other things in the offense. In fact, three point shooting is their worst aspect (ok, FT shooting too), but they are still good offensive players. And they are good enough from distance to demand respect. Jury is out on Turner, but I think he will be the best offensive player on the team next season or the season after. When that happens, the Sixers will be near the top of the league.— incog69 - incog69, I believe your interpretation of Thad's 3pt attempts is correct. Collins wanted him to attack the basket and not settle for jumpers. Collins also wanted him to be more active around the rim. However, the last 2 seasons the NBA avg for 3pt fg% was 35%-36% which means even if you throw out last year Thad is a below average 3 pt shooter. The only Sixers with above avg career #'s are Kapono - 42% (only 36% w/us), Holiday - 38%, Meeks - 38% and Nociono -37%. Kapono and Nocioni are non-factors, which means we have 2 guys in our regular rotation who are above avg 3 pt shooters. That's why a center is priority #1 but developing a shooter should be priority #2. I don't care if that shooter is someone already on the roster who improves, a rookie or a free agent but having one would make life easier for EB and our slashers.
OK, I'm done my rant, gotta go enjoy that Mt. Airy sunshine
— mtairy1 - i did not say collison could not play.. i said not enough value for iguodala. you think you are screaming for iguodala to be traded. trade him for collison and watch iguodala push them into the finals. collison and harden for dre THATS UNDERVALUING YOUR ASSETS!!! we must get a big in return for iguodala. and the big has to be THE CENTERPIECE OF THE RETURN! not some trash throw in. denver or the clippers are the only teams i would trade dre with.. maybe tayshawn and daye. NO ONE ELSE!— combocancer1975
- Combo your not going to get value for Iguodala. You have to be realistic. Two good serviceable bench player is the most you can hope to get. If Kama was younger and didn't have and injury history I don't think that scenario would be possible either. I can't see them moving Harden. I never even like Harden. I'm slowly becoming a believer, Harden will e a top 5 SG in this league in a couple of years.
- @mtairy1: First, hello from beautiful Mt. Airy :) I like the fact that you used stats to try to make a point about the Sixers perimeter shooting. However, especially in the case of Thad, your use of stats was misleading. Last season he was 6-22 from 3FG. What that says is that Coach Collins did not let him shoot it. Why not? Because he wanted Thad to develop other aspects of his offensive game first. If you look at the two seasons prior to Collins arrival, you see that Thad took lots of threes (over 300 in the two seasons combined) and made a little over 34% of them. Not too bad, and that is why other teams will need to guard him at the arc when Collins gives him the green light. As for Turner, he clearly could not hit a three at the beginning of the season, but towards the end he was respectable (he made 10 of his last 27 and 4 of 5 in the playoffs).— incog69
- Some folks are discussing Harden for Iguodala and I'd like to weigh in on that. I like Iguodala a lot, but Harden is a special player who I believe can be a perennial all-star. He has great size and explosiveness plus his skill set is superb. Playing alongside Durant and Westbrook, his opportunities are somewhat limited. As a Sixer, he would be an immediate 22+ ppg scorer. Someone mentioned not wanting to take Nick Collison along with him... I guess that poster has not been watching the playoffs. Collison can definitely play. Moreover his interior play would greatly benefit the Sixers. OKC should laugh at the thought of giving up Harden.— incog69
- A big x-factor when discussing the Sixers perimeter play is improved shooting. Thad and Evan are both young players and their shooting will improve. Plus, Holiday has proved to be a good three point shooter and he is also still improving. Meeks will probably go from good to great from behind the arc. I think that between Holiday, Turner, Iguodala, Young and Meeks, the Sixers have solid enough outside shooting and that is the weakest aspect of the group. This group is definitely the strength of the team. Including Lou Williams improves the three point shooting, but I left him out because I think he is excellent trade bait to move from 16 into the top 10 in this draft.— incog69
- young is a star in the making. we need to keep him and trade iggy for a big man— 76ersnut
- Kate,
Young belongs in Philly. His stats don't reflect his hustle,deflections,and heart. DC sees it. We can't afford more mistakes. If you're saying he could have been signed for 6-7 million before the season and we'll now have to match a much higher offer, shouldn't we make a qualifying offer of more than than 4 million, say 9, to make sure that we won't be faced with matching a ridiculously higher offer of 9.5 to 10? I seriously doubt that Young would turn down 9 if we are allowed to make a qualifying offer higher than 4 million. You never know, some team out there might pay dearly for versality,character,speed and upside.
Didn't Young shoot between 34-35% from the arc in his first three years before DC pulled him back this year? If so,
there's no reason he can't get to 40% and a 20 and 7 averages as a starter for us or somebody. I agree with most of your followers. Keep him, but save enough to get more interior defense.— philsix6 - Sounds like Stefanski is off on a lateral arabesque!— pedge
- Iguodala for harden..?? We would have to take collison's contract. No thank you. Not enough player value in return. I like the way mijiri handled ny in the melo deal. Ny wanted melo they had to pay. Now Denver has a loaded frontcourt. Bird nene mozgov koufos Kenyon danillo Wilson. We all know mijiri likes dre. Mozgov danillo and j.r. Smith. For dre, Lou, hawes. Danillo.. Umm he's 6'11.. He has played some center.. V HOWARD! He would be a very nice 5. VERY NICE! He's what 24 I think. The handles passing iq. AND THE 3 ball. What 5 wants that.?? CAN RUN!!!! Jump. He's my young guy. With mozgov starting. Nilo as the backup. Kamans my old guy mozgov and danilo are my young guy targets. The tall order: mozgov and danilo The euro: ummmmm? mozgov and danillo. The scorer. J.r. Smith. # 16. I like fareid WITH THAT GROUP! Without the euros I like donnatas. I like the kid from brazil. And if we still have the mle after the CBa. That's when we spread the the icing on the cake. We addressed ALL our immediate needs with Denver. Drafted another big body at 16. Donnatas or faried. The mle Jason smith.
Jrue Meeks danillo brand mozgov.
Turner smith Thad sp8ts smith. I WANT SMITH AND MOZGOV TO COMPETE FOR THAT 5 SPOT!
#16 & #50
The picks are where they belong. AT THE END OF THE BENCH LEARNING! Looking at that group we would need an ATHLETIC FULL LENGTH WING DEFENDER(S!) Faried and somebody at 50.— combocancer1975 - BigVil, I wasn't proposing that Iggy is the answer. Iggy has thrown up far too many 3 pt bricks over the years. I'm all for trading him and giving Thad a chance as long as we get some value in return. I just wanted to point out why I was afraid of a Thad/Turner starting combo. No shooter means no driving lanes & no room for EB to work. Like I said before I hope Thad or Turner shows up at camp looking like J.Terry and Peja from the arc.— mtairy1
- I don't disagree I would love to have a serious threat that could stretch the defense. I posted earlier I might think hard about drafting Kyle Singler. But if that doesn't workout the front office would get hammered. The problem with players are they are too one dimensional. Shooters aren't really good at anything else but shooting. Not rebounding not creating their own shot not defending. If they were complete basketball players we wouldn't refer to them as just "shooters"
- Don't forget about Jrue and Meeks though. We have two guys that can penetrate and post up in Holiday and Turner. Mismatches give you spacing as well. We have Thad 15' and in. Hawes and Brand (for now) 18' and in. You can't leave Jrue and Meeks open. I wouldn't worry about the offense right now it's just not a top priority unless a flat out serious threat fell in to our laps.
- I understood I was point in an earlier post was that you didn't have great shooters this season but the spacing was the best I had seen it since Brown was the coach. Everyone forget the mid range game. This team problem wasn't scoring. Every team goes through a dry spell. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The difference in this team being a .500 team and a serious threat was the rebounding. I can live without a shot blocker for now. They got out rebounded almost nightly. How many times did we all see them play killer defense just too see the other team get the rebound. That takes all the energy out of you as a player. If I'm not mistaken one game they actually spent close to 3 minutes playing defense because they couldn't get a board and stupid fouls
- Ok, here's the numbers...Last year's starting wings (Iggy & Meeks) compared to the proposed combo of Young & Turner.
Iggy...67 games...61 of 181, 34% (3pt line)...46% (total fg%)
Meeks...74 games...138 of 348, 40% (3pt line)...43% (total fg%)
Turner...78 games...14 of 44, 31% (3pt line)...42% (total fg%)
Young...82 games...6 for 22, 22% (3pt line)...54% (total fgs)
Turner & Young didn't take many 3's and obviously there's a reason for that. Young's 3 pt % was the lowest but his total fg% was amazing. Meeks' overall shooting % is low but that's because he takes so many 3's. His 3pt% is much higher than the others. Iggy's numbers aren't bad in either category. Turner has a lot of work to do.
Once again if you're an opposing coach looking at these numbers why would would defend Turner or Thad at the 3 pt line?— mtairy1 - Career 3 point percentage numbers...
Thad .338
Iguodala .323
We don't have to be a team that lives and dies by the three point line.
Just make defenses play you honest that's all. - You wouldn't you would play off of them. If you're an NBA player and you're left alone you need to take that shot. If you miss it it needs to be rebounded. That more than anything has to be addressed. There needs to be a disruptor on offense. A person that can get his shot at any point on any one. That's what makes a defense shift creating spacing for other players to operate.
- Yes! — wordsword
- The info machine is at it again. . .
Go, mtairy1, go !!!— wordsword - enkiel, why would OKC want Iggy? They have a SF who lead the league in scoring named, Kevin Durant. I know we all are looking for ways to improve the Sixers but when proposing a trade lets look at it as if we're the other team's GM.
Blackfeet01, I agree with you a Young/Turner starting combo scares me. If I'm the other team I'm packing in the defense to guard the lane and daring them to shoot. Hopefully after extensive off season work one of them comes back with a new & improved j.— mtairy1 - I bought a Thad Young #21 t-shirt so he better stay! But, seriously, he better stay. He and Lou were the team's true starting core -- Meeks and Hawes were just the opening band for the offensive headliners. Thad and Lou sat through the opening punches, got a feel for the lay of the land, and then came in and did damage. Great job by Collins to delay their start. Anyway, Thad's my favorite Sixer. Always plays hard, has that sweet leftie stroke and post spins, and never ever EVER complains to the refs.— Leegles
- @BigVil: okay, and neither of those combos could co-exist on the court 2gether. The former two combos have proved futile, and you yourself said you don't want Young shooting 3's, so how would that floor spacing work??— BlackFeet01
- Can Thad hit occasional three? Yeah but he isn't a three point shooter. You want Lebron taking three instead of driving as well. But he can knockdown the occasional three. I think you're looking for a perfect team. A PG that can penetrate and set up. A SG that can catch and shoot. A SF with decent range that can create his own shot. A PF that you can run pick and roll with. A dominant center that anchors your defense, is a beast on the boards, blocking shots, and can score at will in the paint..... That line up sounds like Stockton, Miller, Pippen, Malone, and Shaq. How many players are that good anymore. I mean really. CP3 is the only complete point guard that good. Ray Allen as old as he is there are no guards that have his ability and savvy. Melo and Durrant are nice but don't give you the same effort on the other end of the court. Lebron and his crab dribble are allowed to do pretty much whatever. Good PF and centers are a dying breed. You have to admit that. The point is, Collins have to figure out to make the pieces work. I think Thad and Turner on the floor together didn't look bad against the Heat.
- @enkiel: I would. If we could swap the two, I'd be all for it. A SG that can pass, and create his own shot, a threat from distance. A wing duo of Turner and Young wouldn't quite work with the floor spacing Doug wants to implement.— BlackFeet01
- Why do you assume that you can't use the two of them together. Not saying they are knock down jump shooters but, they are both adequate. Different situations force you to adapt. If you can play Thad and Iguodala or Turner and Iguodala, then what is the difference in playing Turner and Thad. None of them are great shooters. Take away the assist because that's not Thad's game but statistically (per 36 min) he is better that Iguodala.
- If we trade Andre, I'd rather see Turner as our starting 2 with Thad at the 3, but that depends on alot of things. I wouldn't be angry if Turner was our 3, as his defense at that position is pretty strong. We'd just have to find a quality starting 2 (no disrespect to Meeks, but he's more of a bench player). James Harden looked good tonite, would anybody take him over Andre?— enkiel
- @chuckw: and my apologies for not clarifying, I do believe that Thompson will be gone if he's not taken @ 16— BlackFeet01
- @chuckw: who do we trade, and possibly to what team(s)— BlackFeet01
- Blackfeet01: read what I wrote: Sixers should stay at #16 and also trade up from the second round to late in the first round and take Thompson.— chuckw
- BiVil, i know you like Bynum in a sixers uni, but i have a 76-sense that once he leaves the city of jerry curls, plaid shirts & roscos chicken-n-waffles he won't be the same player. no kobe or phil to motivate him. he'll be on the bench hurt every other game with his knee. Plus i don't think the sixers mgmt are gutsy enough to do it. They are strictly about crisp white collar players and bynum clearly lacked sportsmanship that last game. I rather give your choice Mcgee or Gregory oden a shot over bye-byenum or Christopher the caveman.— Mack of the Pack
- My thoughts on Bynum are he is a young player still. Maybe he figures it out and grows up. I would hate for him to figure it out and be on a team we would play 4 times a year.
- I forgot to ask, for all of the folks saying draft a guard, what's your solution to the roster if it doesn't change? for all we know, doug isn't done with his love affair for iggy. He may have Thad start, make iggy a defending 2 and jrue or turner the starting PG. with the other coming off the bench. then you have meeks and lou still..
I like klay thompson but there's no way i'd draft him unless it's a def. iggy is traded for a big and they got rid of lou(who i hate to see go as well) but it would free up some money. this would also make meeks the "designated shooter". the thing is klay is a SG so you'd have to have turner or jrue come off the bench as PG unless meeks can play that role should you start jrue & evan— Mack of the Pack - CommboCancer, i agree..that dude Donnatas is going to be something special in this league and is the perfect fit to take over for brand.I think people here would give him the Donovan Mcnabb welcome by booing if the sixers got him because they don't have the vision to see what he can accomplish. i would take a PF as a project because i believe elton has at least another good yr or two left in him and then it'll be his expiring contract year. However i would try and get a bonafide center through trade. You're correct..do not use iggy to move up in the draft. Use him as bait for a vetern big who can defend/block/rebound. All this talk about trading him for beer and peanuts is hog-wash. 6 packs and peanuts don't have good defense, just extra carbs.
Thad is a huge piece to our core. i can't see them going over $8M for him especially if iggy stays. if thad had a consistent shot,played better D and threw it down with thunder like iggy does at the rim, than I wouldn't mind giving him at least $8.5M or higher/ it's a recession, he needs to kill that noise about wanting $11M, we have Stefanski not Ruben Amaro Jr.
Quixote, you're killin it with the Moses analogy.
Blkfeet, of course collins would say that with the season halfway over. He wanted favors and i'm glad he didn't get him because derrick didn't do the nets any Favors,lol. in another reality Favors gets selected here and Evan goes somewhere else (where iggy isn't), has a monster year and then philly fans would have complained we should have selected evan. There is no satisfying this city. Be patient we're not winning for a couple years, let the kid develop.— Mack of the Pack - Regardless of where else Evan might have gone, he would not have had a "monster season" anywhere in the NBA because he's not a "monster" player.
At OSU, they gave him the ball and said "GO!", and at the college level he could do that to the extent of being Player of the Year.
But, only Lebron types can dominate like that in the NBA. And, alas, Evan ain't no Lebron . . .— wordsword - ok maybe he wouldn't have had a lebron year, but i think he could have had a year on par with wall.(which didn't exactly set the NBA on fire)., if he went somewhere else that allowed him to play to his strength/ability than i think he could have at least went to the rookie/soph game.
If OSU gave him the rock and said go, then you do what works(for a high draft pick). It made no sense selecting him@ #2, then trying to force him to be something he is not. i didn't see SAc force cousins to be a SF or wall to be a SF.. they played their position & they did modestly well. - Agree. Evan is a great kid & talented player, but bad choice by Sixers. Stefanski did the easy, safe, politically correct thing in taking Turner.
There was (and still is) no clear spot for him on this team. Ridiculous way to use #2 overall.— wordsword - @chuckw: how is that going to work? getting both Morris and Thompson? Thompson will be long gone by our 2nd round turn if we acquire Morris.— BlackFeet01
- Mtairy if Lou "is what he is" that's not enough for me. In fact he's nothing on a championship team. The things he can do well will not win a ring. He's not good enough at it. Can he score 30 v OKC? Or the lakers like Jason Terry? No. In fact he may have 5 points and 5 turnovers. 0 rebounds 3 assists. In the game we need his points the most. J.r. Smith performs. Back to Thad.. He's my guy. Want him back. But I'm not going into a bidding war. I would be prepared to resign him BUT! I have already contacted tayshawn's agent AND I KNOW HIS CAP NUMBER! If Thad exceeds 9 mil and tayshawn wants 8 mil. Tayshawn it is. That's my line of thinking. BUT! I do want Thad back. Noc and Lou for j.r. Smith. 9 and hawes for kaman and aminu. thad for tayshawn. IF HE EXCEEDS WHAT WE ARE WILLING TO PAY! MATCH IT! TRADE HIM! There are ways around EVERYTHING!
Jrue. Meeks. Tayshawn. Brand. Kaman
Turner. Smith. Aminu. #16. Sp8ts.
#50 and battie or Stephen hunter.
— combocancer1975 - The bad part of Thaddeus Young types in the NBA is that teams usually sign these guys to huge deals and then regret it later. But hopefully the Sixers resign him. I think of Young more as a four than a three although he can play both. As he gets older I think he'll mature into his body a bit more and be able to handle a fair number of the 4's in the league. So I would start Turner and keep Young coming off the bench if Iggy was traded. Eventually, Young can take over the starters role from Brand.— DeanoP44
Comment removed.- blackfeet01: Ideally, with the big men gone by #16, I like Markief Morris there and the Sixers trying to move up from the second round into the first round to take your guy, Klay Thompson, as a pure outside shooter, a potential starter at two guard, which would also allow Turner to play point-forward at the three if Iguodala is traded, with Morris backing up Brand at PF. The key then is whether Young would want to stay as a backup at the three or could the Sixers sign and trade him with Iguodala for a tough big man, like Bynum. There are endless possibilities.— chuckw
- Thad is an excellent sixth man and that's his best role on a good team. Improving the corner three is a good idea, but his 70.7% FT shooting is a bigger concern. He has hands of stone sometimes and doesn't register enough blocked shots considering his athleticism, but the Sixers need to keep him and overpay if necessary. I don't think the Sixers are going to have any significant cap space in the near future and the team is loaded with young developing talent, so go over the cap and hope your young players, including Thad, can gain league wide recognition.— incog69
- combocancer, I'm not sure how much they're going to be able to redefine Lou's role. Been there, done that...it didn't work. Remember Eddie Jordan tried to make Lou a starting pg and it failed miserably. He is what he is, a scorer off the bench.— mtairy1
- What is the likelihood that Turner can develop the sort of shot he needs to be a legitimate starting shooting guard? I think Young has shown that he's good enough to be a starting 3, and if Turner can play 2 and we could trade Iguodala for a starting center, the team could look pretty good.— padillaflotilla
- And to officially kill the Collins-Favors rumor, I post this:
http://phillysportsdaily.com/sixers/2011/03/14/doug-collins-liked-evan-turner-from-the-start/— BlackFeet01 - Interesting tactic Collins dangling the carrot for what Thad needs to do to become an All-Star. Obviously he needs to work on his shot, at least enough to keep defenders honest. I thought he really found his niche this year as a slasher-type combo forward, defenders had no prayer matching his energy and athleticism. He took 22 3-pointers, compared to like 150 in each of the previous two seasons. I just hope he doesn't get too carried away launching long jumpers and gets away from what he does best. I liked this year's version of Thad Young best so far— stikolaboloni
- 7-8 mil. That's a good #. I like him off of the bench. I would keep him there unless he develops a pg game. Faried and Thad together.. That sounds good. But I think a back up 5 would be best at 16. Bismack will not make it past dumars. I like donnatas. benson. Do not trade 9 to move up. Hawes and Lou need to be upgraded. If Lou stays his role has to be redefined. Less scoring. More creating for others. Using his speed to get into the lane and set up 3 pt shooters. 5 from Meeks alone. Too many times Meeks was left standing WIDE OPEN AT THE LINE!!!! That's not acceptable.. That's beyond dumb.. Championship teams hit shooter EVERYTIME THE DEFENSE LEAVES THEM. If the spurs didn't hit steve Kerr for those late 3's v Dallas in the wcf they would not have made it to the finals let alone win it. You gotta make the d pay for leaving Meeks. If Lou williams' that dumb with the ball I don't want him to have it. He can score but he's not like that on the perimeter. The bigger the game the smaller he gets. Iverson's not coming back. Close the book and trade his wannabe and trade his initials. Lou can be replaced. Iguodala has to be replaced in measurables and transition. Carney would Iguodala's athleticism measurables and transition game on the wing. Not saying sign carney but saying that body type is what we would miss the most. But donattas would replace the versatility. Kaman. smith. And donnattas. That's a a+ offseason.— combocancer1975
- :Copper34: Speights was brought in so he could be the Yin, offensively, to Dalembert's Yang, defensively, and Brand wasn't looking like he'd make it. Why Stefanski envisioned Dalembert a long-term option, is beyond me.
I'd love to keep Young, and wouldn't mind him being our starting 3, saying he develops handles, passing ability, better defense, consistent range out to 25 ft. Saying AI9's gone, and we don't draft a guard, either Young or Turner are going to have to hit @ least 36% on their threes, and attempting at least 2 a game. This is what screwed us aganist the zone d's, and Miami's cluster-f****. Floor spacing, on both ends, will be key.— BlackFeet01 - Keep Thad, get rid of Andre— Gregory1
- Mike Brown gets hired in LA but Kobe wanted Shaw does. Another reason to believe major shake up is coming with that team. Maybe they take Iguodala off our hands.
- Even though we're losing the contracts of Kapono & Songaila the Sixers can't afford to overpay Young, especially if they want to get involved in the free agent market. His salary must be commensurate with his role. If he's a starter then pay him a starter's salary if he's a backup he must make backup dollars. I don't want any more $7m & $8M bench players (see Nocioni & Kapono. Bottom line the organization NEEDS to make a decision on Iggy immediately. As Kate said, that will dictate what they're willing to do with Thad.— mtairy1
- The Sixers, as they ended the season, needed a big man who can defend the post (unlike 00), knows what weak-side defense is (unlike Sammy), and can rebound the rock. They also need a legit go-to scorer - preferably someone who can create his own shot. I'd also like to see them add a goon (like Reggie Evans). If you subtract Iggy, then you also need a lock-down perimeter defender to guard the Lebrons, Pierces and Grangers of the East. Regardless of what you think of the other things that Iggy brings (or doesn't bring), you can't deny that he is a freakishly good defensive player, and is exceptionally strong on the break. The interior defense mess we are in would not look so bad if we realized what everyone else in the b-ball world realized about Mo Speights. We could have drafted J. McGee, DeAndre Jordan or Ibaka instead.— Copper34
- Young is the best player on the Sixers. Trade Iggy for a bag of peanuts and improve the team.— Don Cornelius
- Good Blog. Thanks, Kate. Bring him and have him be a backup at both positions.— 76er
- Let's get it straight I am a HUGE Thaddeus fan, I have been follwing him since he was one the top high school players in the country. I was happy when they drafted him, now all that said, Thad won't be back because the Sixer's should have re-sign him earlier with no competition. Take my world someone is going to over pay and the Sixer will watch him be an all-star before his career is over. Thad is a great character guy and hard worker. Also if given the minutes he puts up numbers, Sixer's really blew this one. Good luck Thad.— ddstman
- Doug really turned Thad around with the two biggest areas being defense and going hard to the hole. If Thad makes similar improvement over next two years with his outside shot, he will be a cornerstone player regardless of position.— JBP
- Trade Iggy for anything. More minutes for thad and Turner. It will be addition thru subtraction. It's very simple.
- I'm not an Iggy-basher, but it's clear he has to go in order to let these guys develop. Young deserves a chance at a starting spot. Lou is your 6th man, providing instant offense off the bench.— jpk
- I wonder, however, whether Young would stay if another team made him a solid offer and guaranteeed that he would be a starter, at least this coming season, with the job his to lose. The Sixers seem to envision him coming off the bench, admittedly, for more than 30 minutes per game. Does he want starter's money?" Does he prefer starting over coming off the bench? If Iguodala is traded, preferably for a big, I would still like to see Turner and Holiday as combo guards, with Young at small forward, Brand at strong forward, and anybody but Hawes at center.— chuckw
- No way the 76ers lose Thaddeus Young...NO WAY!— dudega
- best player on the team— thefadd
- I would bring him back but not at all costs. 5 yrs 35 is probably on the higher end of what I would do. I don't think $40+M is worth it to us at this point for a very good 6th man. I don't see Thad as a consistent starter. If someone else overpays, the Sixers have to be disciplined and let him walk because we aren't at the point where we are ready to win and have to overpay to keep our RFA for a title push. If we were MIA, LA, BOS, CHI, etc. then you probably do more to keep a guy like Thad. At our stage of development, he's a luxury. Barring major changes in the CBA, I'm pretty sure someone else will overpay for Thad ($40M+).— DennyP
- they had better bring thad young back— dribbler
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About this blog
Keith Pompey has been an Inquirer reporter since September 2004. He takes over the Sixers beat after covering the Temple men’s basketball team for the past three years and Temple football the past two seasons. Pompey also previously covered the Penn and Drexel men’s basketball team and Villanova football team after initially focusing on high school sports.
Pompey is a native Philadelphian and a University of Pittsburgh. Follow him on Twitter @PompeyOnSixers or reach Keith at kpompey@phillynews.com.
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.
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