Posted: Thursday, September 11, 2008, 9:44 AM | 37 comments |
 

The Summer frenzy
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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.

1.) Elton Brand: Sixers General Manager Ed Stefanski closes the deal on one of the best free agents on the market. Brand, a two-time NBA All-Star, has career averages of 20-10. If he returns to full form from that Achilles tendon injury, he will draw defenses away from Andre Miller, Iguodala, Williams, et all.

2.) Royal Ivey: Sixers pick this guy up as a free agent. Ivey, a guard, is known around the league for his defensive ability.

3.) Kareem Rush: Another free agent signing. Rush, a lefty guard, can shoot from beyond the arc.

4.) Louis Williams: Stefanski makes sure this young guy isn't going anywhere, re-signing him during his restricted free agent summer to a 5-year, $25 million deal.

5.) Andre Iguodala: AI2 was the elephant in the room all summer. Everyone wanted to know when his deal would get done. Stefanski made good and kept last season's leading scorer in a Sixer uniform through, most likely, 2014.

6.) Theo Ratliff: Brought the big man back! Ratliff signs as a free agent to shore up the gap in the frontcourt created by Jason Smith's knee injury.

7.) Donyell Marshall: Marshall, a native of Reading, signs a free agent deal to be a veteran presence and to spread the floor when he's out there and knock down the open shot.

8.) Maurice Cheeks: Sixers give the conductor an extra year extension, which will keep him in Philly as head coach through at least 2010.

The Sixers had, arguably, the busiest summer of an NBA team. The roster is revamped, new options everywhere. But here's the big question: What do you guys think out there? Was it all worth it? Are we going to be sitting here in two years talking about, "Oh my goodness, why'd the Sixers get locked up in that one?"

Most of the e-mails I received were of the "Great moves, this team is exactly where it needs to be" variety. (And through all of this, let's not forget draft pick Marreese Speights, who looked darn good in the Las Vegas Summer League ... albeit against mostly rookies.) 

Here's a look at the projected starting lineup:

PG Andre Miller

SG Andre Iguodala

SF Thad Young

PF Elton Brand

C Sam Dalembert

Can that compete with any team in the East?

-- Kate
Posted by Kate Fagan @ 9:44 AM  Permalink | 37 comments
37
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:33 AM, 09/11/2008
    We should be very competitive this year. How far we will go will depend chiefly on 3 things: 1. Is Brand all the way back to his best old form? 2. Can Rush's shooting off the bench open up the inside game the way Korver's might have, had we had Brand back then? 3. Will Sammy play as well or better than last year? I think these things are all quite possible. Given the Canadian debacle, however, I'm a bit worried about #3.
    — TexasSixer
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:23 PM, 09/11/2008
    They've tried, but this is still not a strong team. AI is not a shooting guard and never will be. He and young are going to share time at small forward. So then the question is, who is your shooting guard? I'll reserve judgement on Brand until I see his health. Hopefully it's not another Freddy Garcia. You can't match up Dalembert with the best centers in the league. Good moves, but we're still far short of ending the 25-year drought.
    — Bama
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:38 PM, 09/11/2008
    The Sixers biggest issue last year was their inability to score in the half-court game. Elton Brand gives them a proven half-court scoring option without sacrificing any of the team's athleticism. He is a great addition. The Eastern Conference Finals are a definitely possibility.
    — mikechris
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:47 PM, 09/11/2008
    "Hopefully it's not another Freddy Garcia" - is this now the standard line everytime we sign or trade for a guy? This is a strong team that will only get better as the season goes on and they learn to integrate the new pieces. They're a top 3 team in the Eastern Conference, and that gives you a shot at an NBA title.
    — tjc
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:48 PM, 09/11/2008
    I think this team has done everything in it's power stack up the roster, and I love it. Let's forget about the offense for a minute and look at the defense; first you have Sammy D. who was an absolute stud last year down low, and that was without much support, now you have E. Brand to accomodate. Secondly you have T. Young who for what it was worth showed great skills underneath for someone so young and was definitely a top 5 rookie from last year. Now you're moving AI to the #2 who's already a dominant defensive player, but now has less pressure on himself to make better shots. And of course there's the obvious of Andre Miller who can go to the Bobcats and create chemistry. Defensively this team is ranked # 2 next to Boston.
    — phillyfan#1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:50 PM, 09/11/2008
    by the way I meant # 2 next to Boston in the Eastern Conference.
    — phillyfan#1
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:57 PM, 09/11/2008
    Mark - How can you ignore the drafting of Speights? After his strong summer outings, he could be a very pleasant surprise, especially since JSmith's mins are now up for grabs.
    — TormentedinBeantown
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:04 PM, 09/11/2008
    I oftern see articles taht the Philly teams are cheap and don't ake the boi free agenet moves. Well the Eagles and Sixers both captured arguable the top free agents out there. I think it is time to give the Philly teams their due. This year they did indeed make great moves.
    — rockinrob
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:38 PM, 09/11/2008
    Kate, been watching the NBA since Earl Monroe laced them up. This team is very, very dangerous, especially in the Eastern Conference. You have an All-Star (Brand) surrounded by very young and extremely athletic talent with more upside than any team in the league. They have someone to spell Dalembert now that Ratliff is back. They have a very strong belief in themselves thanks to what they were able to do against beastly Detroit. Finally, they have a real quarterback to direct everything in a happy Andre Miller. It does not take a brain surgeon to see that this team can play with anyone if they strive to get better every game.
    — 21stCentury
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:46 PM, 09/11/2008
    Biggest issues for Sixers will be adjustment period with all the new personnel, and Thad Young's adjustment to SF. I believe Thad will be a good player, but he will struggle to shoot from the outside as will Iguodala leaving Brand with alot of double teams until Mo puts Iguodala at the 3 and Williams at the 2.
    — JBP
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:19 PM, 09/11/2008
    I would LOVE to see Philly/Boston in the ECF. No matchup would be better. I'm still wondering what they'll do with willie green. It's been proven that the only way he can be effective is if he plays major minutes(kinda similiar to jenny thomas when he was here). He's not instant Korver off the bench by any means. He's a good guy and all, but I jumped on and off his bandwagon too many times.
    — CallerNo9
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:39 PM, 09/11/2008
    The Sixers have stepped up. As many others have pointed out, there are still some glaring weaknesses. For example, Elton Brand is an excellent 2nd option on offense, not 1st. If they found a #1 guy that would reduce the stress that Iguodala would feel and he could be pushed to being the #3 option on offense. AI2 demonstrated he is not to be counted on in the half court set. It's possible, although not probable that the answer may be on the bench in Louis Williams. He could develop into a great scorer in the league, a true #1 option, and then everything would fit into place. But there are no guarantees. What you do have to like is the chemistry they are going to have. This years edition of the Sixers is going to be fun to watch because they are all going to care, they will all be taken care of monetarily and they should all provide maximum effort because of leaders like Brand, AI2, and Miller. They all seem to be quality people and worth rooting for.
    — mhhartz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:02 PM, 09/11/2008
    If Brand is back and healthy, I think all of these moves can have them fight for a three seed in the playoffs. Although much of the fear is that AI2 and Young are not good shooters, the game they will play will not put them in creating shots off the dribble as much as it did in the past. The thing I actually like best is the bench they have assembled will allow them to plug in different styles whether it be shooters or some lock down defenders. As for Sammy, I really dont like him much anyway but I think he must realize Brand will provide more space for him to excel. Me...I just dont want him to cost me a game because I think he stinks as a one on one defender against real centers.
    — rvb2321


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About John Mitchell
John Mitchell is in his first 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.

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