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Sixers show importance of competing

Playoffs are out of the question but players helping their cause

THE QUESTION has been answered, officially: There will be no playoffs for the 76ers this season. Saturday's 106-87 loss at Miami, combined with Milwaukee's home win over Toronto, sealed the deal. Now coming to the forefront: Questions about where this organization will go during the offseason.

Do you seriously consider trying to re-sign Andrew Bynum? Where will you fall in the lottery and whom do you target for the June 27 draft? Who on this current roster is worthy of staying? Is there tweaking to the current roster or a massive overhaul? Who is untouchable, if anyone?

Those questions have probably already started to be addressed by the Sixers' front office, but where does it leave the team for the final six games of this season?

The good news for coach Doug Collins and the higher-ups who will make the offseason decisions is that this group has not tanked. To a player, they are playing out the season in an admirable fashion - trying to win games and exhibiting their individual skills to the best of their ability. That's important for a couple of reasons. One is that it gives the front office a truer way to evaluate players, and the other is that players who may be moved are showcasing themselves for other teams - and if a player is attractive to another team, that can only benefit his trade value and ultimately help the Sixers.

Quite simply, the season that was supposed to be never came to fruition due to Bynum's balky knees and a roster that faltered without the foundation the Sixers thought they had in place.

"We swing for the fences," Collins said, "and I give our organization a lot of credit. We went for a home run and unfortunately it didn't work for us this year. But I will tell you, the guys in the locker room, I'm incredibly proud at how hard they've played every single night. We've competed and we've had some really tough losses, but we can only grow from that."

That has been the theme for Collins since it became clear that a playoff spot was out of reach. He has stressed that this group of young players, especially the core of Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young and Spencer Hawes - all under 25 - learn what it takes to win in the NBA, no matter if it is during the thrill of a playoff series or the doldrums of playing out the string of an unrewarding season.

"These games are important for us," Collins said of the remainder of the season. "I've got young players and I want to teach them little things like Jrue at the end of the game not getting the ball on the sidelines - keeping the ball in the middle of the floor [so] you can't be trapped. Little things like that you keep teaching, and that's why we're going to continue to coach and teach and play these games to the finish."

Some may wonder if that is more important than getting a higher pick in the draft. Perhaps, if this was a draft that consisted of Michael Jordans or Allen Iversons or Kevin Durants. But there's nothing even close to those players on the board this season. Teaching the youngsters to win seems to be a higher priority.

Blog: philly.com/Sixerville