No one saw this game coming. The 76ers took care of business and beat the Detroit Pistons in Detroit to take a 1-0 series lead. The young 76ers team was unfazed by the veteran, and overconfident Pistons squad. Huge contributions from the youth crew: Young, Williams, and Smith. Reggie Evans played out of his mind. Iguodala didn’t play at his usual level. It could of had something to do with the long arms of Prince in his face, but he needs to stop settling for jump shots. Andre Miller once again proved the doubters (myself included) wrong and was the anchor for the team. He did whatever was needed. In crunch time the game was close, and it seemed like the 76ers really tried to throw the game away. Some unusual missed free throws by Billups saved the day and the win was secure. I honestly feel like the Sixers can win this series. They didn’t play that well and the Pistons seem over matched in athleticism.

The less than spectacular 2007-08 NBA season is half over. Time flies when your team isn’t so good. The games drag, but time does fly. The 76ers are currently 16-26, which is better than many expected. The team is equally bad at home (8-12), as they are on the road (8-14). For a young team that is a good sign: they are playing consistent ball. The Sixers are currently tied with the Bucks for the 12th slot in the Eastern Conference. It could be worse, but Miami has control of the basement. I expect the currently level of play to diminish slightly (AKA some additional losses). The defense has been horrendous all season, the offense is erratic at best. The bench, after Korver’s departure, is possibly one of the worst in the league.

The Roster

The 76ers starting roster is a strange animal. Part budding young players: Iguodala, Green, and Dalembert, and part older 2nd tier veterans: Andre Miller and Reggie Evans (calling Evans 2nd tier is a stretch, more like solid bench player).

Andre Miller has played well for the most part, at 31 he’s doing good work at the point. But, he shoots way too much for my taste and is clearly auditioning for a role on a playoff team. His defense is awful, he can’t guard any young point guards, and isn’t big enough to guard the larger guards in the league. Miller is close to his career high in points this season, but he’s also close to his career low in assists.

Iguodala is playing well, but the pressure on him to be “the man” is hurting is overall game. Some games it looks like he’s trying to score 30. Other games, he plays in the system and looks uncomfortable. I think Iguodala is an amazing talent. He’s a great defender, he has good instincts, and dunks like a professional. He’s just not finding his way in the post-Iverson game. He’s only 23 and learning by the day. I just hope we can keep him around.

Dalembert is having his best year yet. His fouls are down slightly (not great, but down), his rebounds (10.1/gm) and points (11.5/gm) are at career high levels. Some of this is just because he’s able to stay on the floor longer. I believe he’s playing smarter, and not going for every single shot block like he used to. He goes for two-thirds of them now, and getting them with another career high (2.5/gm). We all know Dalembert was overpaid by Billy King ($10 mil +/year, good for 4 more years!). He also has a trade kicker making him virtually un-tradable. Sammy will be here for a spell, at least he’s paying off.

I don’t want to wreck Willie Green too much, but he’s a gunner. He likes to shoot, a lot. He also shoots a poor percentage (40.5%) and doesn’t too much else on the floor (0.6 steals/gm, 2.1 rebounds/gm, 1.5 assist/gm 2.1 turnovers/gm). Willie also benefited from the King era, landing a $3 mil/year deal for 4 years, coming off knee surgery. Billy King was such a sweetie pie.

Reggie Evans should not be a starter in this league. He rebounds like a banshee, but can not put the ball in the hole

The bench is depleted. After the Korver trade the 76ers are left with a batch of youngins who aren’t yet ready for big minutes. Louis Williams has looked very good this season. Jason Smith is a nice surprise, a 7 footer who knows where to be and plays hard. Carney has shown some flashes. Thaddeus Young has a ton of potential. His game is very Iguodala-like, but can they play together?

Organizationally

The good news? Billy King is gone and Ed Stefanski seems unafraid to make the tough decisions. The Korver trade was a good thing. The Sixers need cap room if they want to win this decade. The Elton Brand/Josh Smith debate rages on the blogs, but there are other issues as well. When Iguodala wasn’t resigned, I was initially kind of bummed. In retrospect, this may have been the best move Billy King never made. Iggy was asking for a ton of cash, and if they had paid him the max deal he was asking for then we’d be up shit creek with little room for deal-making. Iguodala is currently averaging 19.1 points/game, 4.6 assists/gm, and 2.3 steals/gm (also 3 turnovers/gm). These are solid 2nd guy numbers - not superstar, franchise player numbers. What will happen when the negotiations reopen in the Summer of 2008 is anyone’s guess. My gut tells me that Iguodala should have taken the last offer he saw - the next one may be much lower.

What’s next

I’m seeing a 30 win season, maybe 32. This would give Stefanski a nice high pick, and a few others to play with. The Sixers should have ample cap room and currently will be in the rare position of being a real player in the free agent marketplace. There will be Iguodala and Louis Williams to re-sign, but the real prizes are Elton Brand or Josh Smith. Elton Brand is 28 coming off an ACL injury. A lineup of Dalembert, Smith, Iguodala, Green, and Miller isn’t too bad. But, what would be ideal is trading Miller for an expiring deal and trying to land someone like Monta Ellis, Beno Udrih, Delonte West, or even Carlos Arroyo. I do hope that Mo Cheeks gets a new deal. The team has played hard under his leadership. The Sixers still need a bench, but Rodney Carney, Reggie Evans, Jason Smith, Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young can be that and develop. I’m not gonna say that the future looks bright - but it’s not as dim as I once thought.

The deadline has come and gone and Andre Iguodala does not has a contract extension. At the end of the 2007-08 season he will become a restricted free agent. This is not good news. Somone is going to offer AI2 a max contract at the end of this season. The Sixers will have the opportunity to offer any deal, but they will now pay full market price. I do not have faith that this situation will be handled well. If Iguodala is supposed to be a key piece of the rebuilding process then this should have been taken care of.

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