| Lottery Summit: Philadelphia 76ers Authored by Andrew Perna & The RGM Sixers Forum - June 14, 2008 - 10:21 am
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The Philadelphia 76ers:
2007-08 Record: 40-42
Difference From 2006-07: Five More Wins
Playoff Result: Lost In Six To Detroit (First Round)
Restricted Free Agents: Louis Amundson, Herbert Hill, Andre Iguodala, Shavlik Randolph, Louis Williams
Unrestricted Free Agents: Calvin Booth (P), Kevin Ollie
The Verdicts
1. What could the team have done differently to advance in the playoffs?
ankle420breaker: We could have explored matching Thaddeus Young up with Tayshaun Prince at small forward thus freeing up Andre Iguodala to square off with someone (most likely Rip Hamilton) who didn't pose such a threat defensively. Tayshaun clearly had Iguodala's number in the series.
CPops57: Put Young on Prince. It's horribly frustrating that it wasn't even tried after it was obvious that Prince had Iggy's number.
ZigZag: Throw out rotations and go with the hot hand. In the playoffs you play to win the game. Thaddeus, Lou Williams and Rodney Carney should have played more minutes.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: As mentioned by everybody, put Young at the three to force a mismatch with either Iggy/Rip or Thad/Rip. However, that would have also entailed putting a front-court of Samuel Dalembert/Reggie Evans/Young. One fan argued that we tried this for five minutes and it didn't work. Trying things for five minutes is exactly why I want Mo gone.
tk76: Win more than three of their last ten regular season games – at one point they had the fifth seed. Being the fifth or sixth seed would have put them into a playoff series against poorer opposition, giving us a better chance of advancing. Against the Pistons they were outclassed.
Fire BK: The team could've matched up better with Detroit by using a bigger player on Rip such as Carney or Iggy. The coach was far too rigid with his already questionable starters, and left them on the floor for entirely too long in stretches. In short, they could've benched Willie Green. But in fairness, they were overmatched by Detroit.
2. Where were the team’s biggest strengths?
ankle420breaker: Turning defense into offense by getting in the passing lanes, causing deflections, creating turnovers and outrunning the opposition on the other end.
CPops57: The ‘never-give-up attitude’ that caused them to always play hard even when they were down big, which caused them to win games that other teams would have given up on.
ZigZag: Defense, causing turnovers, keeping active hands, blocking shots and turning defense into offense.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: Playing the passing lanes, forcing turnovers and getting into team’s heads on a daily basis.
tk76: Athleticism and fast break offense. We had the most dunks in NBA and were near the top in fast break points despite being middle of the pack in overall scoring.
Fire BK: Defense, heart, hustle, youth, athleticism, creating turnovers, fast-break offense, playing hard and out-working the opposition.
3. Who had a surprisingly effective season?
ankle420breaker: Young. At nineteen he owns a dependable post game, has great instincts on the glass, and has an understanding for the game well beyond his years.
CPops57: Andre Miller is always good, but I thought he had a tremendous year. You know he's a good point guard, but it's amazing how good of a scorer he was as well. Young was also a surprise.
ZigZag: Louis "Call Me Lou" Williams made major contributions off the bench as a "closer" and instant offense. His game has really matured.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: Young took a big leap into proving the Paul Pierce comparisons right. He has a nice first step, good post moves and a nice hook. Had we only went to him more, we could've developed him further as a player.
tk76: Young entered the season perceived as a raw prospect. His insertion into the lineup as the starting power forward keyed the team's surprising mid-season turnaround.
Fire BK: Young surpassed everyone's expectations, Dalembert actually played to the level of his contract for most of the year and nobody expected Miller to lead this team the way he did.
4. Who had a surprisingly ineffective season?
ankle420breaker: Carney. Although he did show up down the stretch of the season, his growth (or lack thereof) fell well short of expectations for the 2006 first rounder.
CPops57: Nobody. I mean Green and Carney were mediocre, but you kinda expect that.
ZigZag: I’d say Jason Smith. For a number one pick I expected just a little more, especially seeing how much Thaddeus progressed.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: Is it possible to name a coach here? Name ANY coach in the NBA that tried the same lineup for consecutive games. Even when we won, the lineup itself was ineffective. At least Jim O'Brien MADE adjustments. I think it's impossible for Mo Cheeks to do so.
tk76: Carney was supposed to push for a starting job, but his jumper and minutes were M.I.A. the first half of the season. To his credit, he bounced back to become a valuable role player the last month of the season.
Fire BK: The coach was phenomenal with motivating his players, but I was disappointed by his rotation all season. Green can shoot the basketball, but his poor shot selection and sub-par defense renders his overall game rather ineffective.
5. How confident are you in the front office heading into the offseason?
ankle420breaker: Confidence and the front office have finally joined together in Philadelphia. Two words: cap space.
CPops57: A 7.5 on a scale of 1-10. With King, I was at a three or so.
ZigZag: I’m not sure I doubt the front office makes a big splash, but I believe Ed Stefanski will make solid moves. Our holes are pretty glaring, so I can see him filling the team needs.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: 8.5 out of 10. We have solid cap space, an expiring contract and a young forward to sign-and-trade. Let's see where we go from here on.
tk76: Without a track record it’s hard to have more than cautious optimism for the new front office. Certainly the cap-space and young tradable commodities are in place to allow for major moves to take place.
Fire BK: Extremely confident. We finally have a GM who understands both contracts and the game of basketball. This was evident by his only move thus far, which was shipping the defensively-challenged Kyle Korver out of town to open up playing time for more athletic wingmen, clear cap space and add a future first rounder as another asset moving forward.
6. What are the team’s biggest needs in the draft?
ankle420breaker: Power forward (preferably with post game) and a pass-first point guard (there’s no telling how long Andre Miller will be around).
CPops57: The biggest team need is power forward. However, I probably wouldn't draft one unless somebody fell a surprising amount or if trading up is possible. I'd likely get my power forward using the cap space that is available — either a signing or trade. The reason I'm not looking to draft one is that nobody at sixteen is likely to be immediately better than Jason Smith or Reggie Evans.
ZigZag: A low post presence and some perimeter shooting, particularly from the arc.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: I'd like to get a two guard. Ideally, I want Bill Walker of Kansas State. I think if we trade up just a little bit, he'll be for us what Young was.
tk76: Hopefully, the draft will complement some major offseason trades and signings. The team desperately needs a power forward that can score, and also could use more shooters and a wide-body to backup at center.
Fire BK: Clearly the Sixers need a legit four. One who can score, play back-to-the-basket, provide a defensive presence in the paint and play hard with the kind of energy that this young team exudes. They need a physical banger like Paul Milsap, who would compliment the lanky Dalembert.
7. Who would you like your team to select?
ankle420breaker: If Darrell Arthur is still available, I take him.
CPops57: If no really desirable power forward falls and trading up is impossible, the other two main needs are a wing player with outside shooting ability and a backup center.
ZigZag: In the post either Kosta Koufus or Jason Thompson, or at small forward Danilo Gallinari or Donte Green.
Dedicated_76ers_fan: If not Walker, then sign me up for Kevin Love. At 6'10”, Love has passing abilities and the desire to win that will improve our half-court offense. Love is projected as a top-five pick, but I think he'll fall because the draft is about "potential" and as we all know, that involves height and jumping. Take a look at Greene, who will be a bust coming out as a freshman. I think he should've stayed another year.
tk76: At sixteen, the best power forward prospect available. Take whichever of these names is on the board: Marreese Speights, Arthur or Love.
Fire BK: Love or Speights. If both these players are gone, which I suspect they will be, I want to trade up a few slots to grab one of them. These are the premier bangers in this draft, outside of Beasley, and they would fit perfectly into our system. Arthur would be a satisfactory pick, but I'd rather move up for Love/Speights. Otherwise, stand pat at sixteen and take a gamble on Serge Ibaka.
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Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. If you’re a fan of one of the many teams that we have yet to feature, surf over to our forums and weigh in on what is happening within the organization. If you’d like to contact Andrew, shoot him an e-mail at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
