| Off-Season Outlook Authored by Dan Fox - July 8, 2005 - 6:59 pm
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Billy King has been preaching about his young core of players for the past two seasons and how he will match any offer for Dalembert, Korver, and Green. The time for King to make good on his promises is fast approaching, and Sixers fans everywhere should be praying that King and Chairman Ed Snyder are willing to spend what it takes to bring back these young free agents.
Of course, Dalembert is the number one priority of the three, and the future of this franchise rides on his return to Philadelphia. When given minutes by ex-coach Jim O’brien, Sammy proved he had what it took to be a force in the middle, and showed his ability to take over games. His combination of height, length, and leaping ability is a rarity in today’s NBA, and players with Dalembert’s natural abilities are few and far between. With a developing mid-range jumper, and baby-hook, Sammy could be an all-star caliber center in the very near future. He proved his worth to a national audience in the first round of the playoffs against the Detroit Pistons’ renowned front-court when he averaged 11.6 points and 12.8 rebounds while shooting a blistering 55% from the field. At 24 years old, Sammy is going to garner much attention from teams with cap room such as Atlanta and Cleveland, and also teams looking to sign-and-trade like New york and Phoenix. With Cleveland intent on retaining Zydrunas Ilgauskas, it looks as if the Hawks pose the biggest threat to sign Dalembert.
Scott Skiles and the Bulls have maintained all along they plan on resigning both Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, and with neither player looking at much more than the mid-level exception it seems as if both Curry and Chandler will remain with the Bulls, leaving Sammy, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and the former Grizzlie F/C, Stromile Swift, as the Hawks two targets at the center position. Dalembert would be the Hawks preferred option however, the Hawks may be apprehensive to offer Sammy a contract due to his restricted status which gives the Sixers the ability to match any offer. But many experts believe that the Hawks do not want to spend another summer without using any of their cap room and may call Billy King’s bluff by offering Dalembert a max contract. Hopefully, King will match and put our worries to rest.
Assuming King is able to resign Kyle Korver and Willie Green; his focus must then turn to improving this Sixers squad. With Iverson, Chris Webber, and Andre Iguodala(and hopefully Samuel Dalembert)as staples in the Sixers starting lineup for the next 3 years, King must look to add front-court depth, a solid swingman to play the 2 and the 3 positions, or both. Without much to offer in trades, the Sixers will look to use their mid-level exception to woo an impact player to Philadelphia. Some ideal players include Stromile Swift, who is probably out of the Sixers’ price range; Bobby Simmons, who is also going to command more cash than the Sixers can give him; Antoine Walker, who would probably be looking for a starting spot which the Sixers could not offer; and Donyell Marshall, who may be looking to join a championship contender such as the Miami Heat. With these major contributors off the board, I expect Billy King to break up the mid-level and use it on two or more players. Robert “Tractor” Traylor and Darius Songaila would be serviceable backups and numerous sources claim that King has been in touch with the agents of Dale Davis and Vitaly Potapenko.
If Billy King is able to retain Dalembert, Korver, and Green, Sixers fans should be pleased. Couple that with new head coach Maurice Cheeks and I would consider this off-season a success. Hopefully, Billy King will be able to add some more pieces around Iverson and Webber, through free agency or trade that would complement their strengths and elevate this team to the level of Eastern Conference contender. |
