Assessing the Sixers at the midpoint

This past week marked the halfway point of the season for the 76ers, the midway point with Doug Collins at the helm for the first time. The record now, after Saturday's win against Utah, stands at 18-25 record, just a little better than the 15-28 record from a season ago, but far different in terms of attitude and confidence.

Here are some observations from the front part of the season.

Elton Brand has not only been the team's leading scorer (14.8) and rebounder (8.6) for most of the season, but he has also been the one consistent communicator for Collins out on the court. His leadership, mostly by example, is invaluable to a group of young players still learning the NBA nuances. Brand not only doesn't take a game off; he rarely, if ever, takes a play off.

As expected, this has been somewhat of a roller-coaster start under the new coach, but along with Brand, one of the constants has been the play of backup guard Lou Williams. His role on this team is simple - come off the bench and supply an offensive spark. That is what he does. His shooting percentage is certainly nothing to turn heads, but he might be the only player on the team you can give the ball to and be fairly certain he can either get a basket, get to the foul line, or find an open teammate on a consistent basis.

When the team acquired center Spencer Hawes in a deal that sent away disgruntled center Sam Dalembert, many expected Hawes to come in and provide a lot more offense than Dalembert with his passing and shooting skills. Hawes expected that, too.

Then came a lower-back injury early in the preseason, which cost him 16 days. That led to a slow start to the season and perhaps some loss of confidence. Hawes has shown some flashes, which is promising. But what has also made Hawes' struggles even more magnified is the fact that the team has gotten very little from the backup centers as well.

When the Sixers surprisingly moved up to the No. 2 pick in the draft, there wasn't much opposition to the team taking Evan Turner, who was the consensus college player of the year. The thought, of course, was to insert him into the starting "two" spot next to point guard Jrue Holiday and watch the two man the backcourt for the next 10 years. Turner struggled from the beginning at the shooting-guard spot, played better with the ball in his hands, but couldn't find many minutes there because of Holiday. Then, when Andre Iguodala was out with Achilles' tendinitis, Turner seemed to find a comfort zone at small forward.

There seemed to be a rather strong sign recently that Turner is turning the corner. He is used to being a scorer and having the ball in his hands most of the time, but Collins told his rookie that even if he is not scoring, he needs to contribute in different ways. Since then, Turner has done a good job of defending and rebounding, even if his offense isn't where he wants it to be.

After being inserted into the starting lineup as the team's shooting guard, Jodie Meeks immediately brought an element to the offense that this team desperately needed. He stroked three-pointers with consistency and spread defenses for teammates to hit seams. However, that didn't last all that long as teams started to recognize what Meeks was about and coaches started keeping a defender on Meeks, particularly during fastbreaks.

After last season, many thought that Thaddeus Young was a flash in the pan, a player who, though only 22, had seen his better days. His jump shot had disappeared and appeared to take with it his confidence. But Young has prospered under Collins' tutelage. Back is the quick first step that often leads to successful drives to the basket. His jumper has improved to where it used to be, the spring is back in his step and he is shooting a career-best 53.7 percent from the floor.

Let's see, there have been late leads blown in Washington (twice), Atlanta, Detroit and Orlando. Those weren't games the Sixers COULD HAVE won, they were all games they SHOULD HAVE won.

If there is one to pick, it has to be last week's loss in Orlando. A five-point lead with 28.6 seconds to go. Allowed a four-point, game-tying play with 17 seconds left in the game. Allowed another four-point play in overtime in what turned into a 99-98 loss.

It would have been the Sixers' biggest win of the year - on the road against one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference. Instead, it was the exact opposite. That's why it wins (loses?) out over the other disappointing giveaways, and over the 45-point loss in Chicago just before Christmas.

This one is really up for debate. There was the Charlotte win at home on Dec. 4 when Meeks went nuts, legitimizing his move to the starting spot. There was the one the night after Christmas in Denver in which Iguodala was struggling with the Achilles' and Williams was still home for the birth of his daughter. There was the one a few nights later, in Phoenix, when the team scored a season-high 123 points. The one on Saturday against the Utah Jazz (27-17) wasn't all that bad, either.

But the most complete effort came against the Bulls at home, a 105-99 win in which the Sixers shot 56.3 percent from the floor and had a 32-18, third-quarter explosion.

Well, the Sixers could continue the improvement that has been significant since the beginning of camp. Collins has said from Day 1 that one of his big goals for this team was to be able to play well at home, where the team won just 12 times last season. It has done that, going 13-7 so far.

Eight of the Sixers' final 12 games will be at the Wells Fargo Center. If they are battling for a playoff spot or trying to get even higher in the seedings (sixth seed?), that could be a big help.

Well, aside from injuries, there is a myriad of things that could turn sour.

Will Iguodala, after so many years of playing the "good soldier," begin to show disgust at not being on a contender and play as if he wants out of this town?

Will Turner stop showing signs of progress and be cast as a man without a position?

Is Hawes a six-point, four-rebound, 15-minute-a-game player or the hybrid-type center that is becoming popular in the NBA?

The obvious one that most have been asking since the beginning of the season is if Iguodala will be on this roster for the rest of the season. I have said all along that I thought the Sixers would deal him, preferably to a team that might think Iguodala would be the piece to put them over the top, while giving the Sixers' brass exactly what it is looking for: an expiring contract, a draft pick or a good big man. While president Rod Thorn and general manager Ed Stefanski have been listening to offers (and Iguodala is one of, if not the, most attractive pieces out there), the problem is that there is no collective bargaining agreement in place for next season. Owners don't know what kind of salary cap there will be, so taking on Iguodala's contract (3 years and $44 million remain) isn't exactly enticing.

The team has proved that it can play without him, which it has done 12 times this season (5-7). Time will tell what happens before the Feb. 24 deadline.

Tonight vs. Phoenix Suns, 7 o'clock

Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: The Suns scored just 74 points in their loss at the Detroit Pistons on Saturday, their lowest point total of the season. During that game, the Suns blew a 15-point, third-quarter lead. This will be their final game of a five-game road trip.

Comcast SportsNet/WIP (610-AM)

The skinny: In Saturday's loss in Miami, the Raptors were able to dress just nine players due to injuries. They trailed by 26 points at the half, a night after losing at Orlando by 40.

10: The Sixers are in the top 10 defensively in field goal percentage (.446) and three-point field goal percentage (.342), huge improvements over a year ago.

-0.35: That's the difference in scoring per game between the Sixers and their opponents.