Stefanski talks deadline
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Stefanski talks deadline
Bob Cooney
UPDATED: Sixers president/general manager just spoke with Bob Cooney about the trade deadline:
"It's a frustrating time. You make a ton of phone calls, ton of discussion, think you’re close but then salaries not matching, something in the cba and third teams and trying to work it out that way. All 30 teams keep churning and churning. It just didn’t come through that we’d get equal value or value to get better on the court right now."
On being satisfied with the status quo: "We started off poorly and I’m not happy. We’re playing better no question it. Our defense is the key to fueling us, playing better defense and rebounding the ball. We need to keep getting better and working at this every game, whatever it takes, keep looking to make some moves to get better."
Earlier: In a move that might not shake up the team but almost surely will shake up the fans, Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski has traded guard Royal Ivey and center Primoz Brezec to Milwaukee. The Bucks also get a second-round pick from the Sixers.
Brezec confirmed after practice to the Daily News that he and Ivey had been dealt.
The Sixers will receive Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson.
The 6-4 Meeks was the No. 41 pick in the second round of the June draft. He has appeared in 41 games, averaging 4.1 points in 11.9 minutes. He is best known for scoring 54 points for Kentucky against Tennessee, including 10 threes.
The Sixers tried hard to get an extra pick in the draft in order to select Meeks, who was among the players the team brought in for workouts. Meeks is scheduled to make $650,000 this year in the first of a 3-year deal.
Elson, a 7-footer in his sixth season out of Cal, played in just 11 games this year and averaged under a point per. He had hernia surgery on Jan. 29 and is expected to be out until at least mid-March. He can be a free agent after the season.
He won a chamnpionship with the San Antonio Spurs in 2007; he began his NBA career with the Denver Nuggets and also logged time with the then-Seattle SuperSonics.
He has appeared in 404 career games over 6 seasons, averaging 3.9 points and 3.8 rebounds. He has also played in 30 playoff games, 10 with the Nuggets, 20 with the Spurs.
He averaged 3.4 points and 3.9 rebounds in 59 games with the Bucks last season, making 23 starts. He shot a career best 84.6 percent from the foul line.
His family is from Suriname, and he is fluent in five languages. He is believed to be the seventh Dutch player in league history.
Brezec has appeared in only seven games and averaged fewer than a point and two rebounds per game in those appearances. The 7-1 center signed a 1-year, $1.1 million deal with the Sixers in the offseason.
Ivey has appeared in 26 games, averaging 2.7 per game. He was in his second season with the Sixers. He opted out of the final year of his contract at the end of last season in hopes of finding a contract worth more than the veterans’ minimum elsewhere. He returned to the Sixers on a 1-year deal worth slightly more than the minimum.
Via Twitter, Andre Igoudala said about Ivey, "1 of best t'mates i ever had. didnt get to show what he could do this yr but will show and prove GOOD LUCK!"
Ivey and Brezec will join another new Buck with Philly ties. The team also acquired former Sixer John Salmons, from Plymouth Whitemarsh, in a deal with Chicago. Former Friends Central star Hakim Warrick was also in the deal going to Chicago from Milwaukee.
And does it seem like more than the nine years that have passed since the Sixers made a trade that was done to vastly improve the club – to help them boost their chances for a, gulp, chance to win a championship?
It was February 22, 2001. The Sixers, at 41-14, were among the elite in the Eastern Conference, among the upper echelon in the NBA when they traded injured center Theo Ratliff, among others, to the Atlanta Hawks for reigning defensive player of the year Dikembe Mutombo.
Ah, those were the days.
... the Knicks have made deals to position themselves well for the free agent superstar sweapstakes. I'm jealous!— Dish- Stefanski made this trade simply to make a trade. I mean who are these guys? One of them is injured...yeah, that's going to help. Then again, sitting on the bench vs. contributing 1 PPG is the the same. And here's a toss up for you all...I think the 76ers drafted Jrue Holiday just so that the 76ers could try to sell tickets in December..."Holiday Packs" or whatever it was that they advertised it as. Yeah, hate on me, but really, it doesn't matter anymore. Show some life out there 76ers. Philly is now a college basketball city.— rochaa3
- YES!!!! I need to scoop up some tix to the next few home games before they are sold out!!!
Comment removed.- they should have traded iggy, dalembert and free haiti for mcgrady's 0 playoff series wins, his lazy eye and his expiring contract.— Marky Biz Kiss
A better deal would have been to just trade equipment managers? or perhaps they could have exchanged vacation photos? 12345Sixers!1098seventysixers!- The Meeks shall inherit...what exactly? A team that is headed nowhere.— bgdude18
- Sped and Dead...great deal here! We could have gotten better from the and1 tour. Can't wait to see you all in the arena after this trade. Looks like more empty seats at the Wachovia Sped and Dead as even the passionate have given up on this team. Maybe the Ed's need to run the Princeton Business instead of the Princeton Offense. See ya at the Bank.— S-Dub
- Comment removed.
- Anyone who thinks Stefanski didn't try every trade Iquodala, Brand, and Dalembert is fooling themselves. Don't buy the nonsense that he didn't want to blow the team up. No one wants the Sixers bad deals in an NBA where the salary cap is dropping next year due to the economics.— JonKap
God do I miss Hal Greer- This is worse than them NOT making a trade. Unbelievable.— mjb
- I hope stefanski and jordan rot in hell for what they are doing to this fan base and franchise. Forget acquiring any talent, hopefully they can acquire a painful STD.— uCanTseeMe19
- Reddgie great comment, I almost fell back laughing in my chair! The move is also reminiscent of a 3 Stooges episode where Mo asked Curly why he was drilling holes into the bottom of their sinking boat: Curly replied, "I'm letting the water out". Same concept here. Ed Ed, and Ed are the new 3 Stooges.— sedale
- Blew the chance to dump Sammy and Iggy's salary and this is the big move? Please.— Zee77
Bob Cooney has been at the Daily News for more than 20 years, working in the sports department for the past 15. This is his third season on the Sixers beat. He has covered just about everything, but mostly college basketball, where he was the La Salle beat writer for six seasons. E-mail Bob at cooneyb@phillynews.com and follow him on Twitter.
