| Sixers Spot in Crowded East Authored by Dan Fox - July 29, 2005 - 10:22 pm
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This Sixers team should definitely be an improvement from last season, but do not expect to see that show up in the win-loss column or in the postseason finish. The reason for this being that while the Sixers will improve from a new coach, development of young players, and added chemistry between Allen Iverson and Chris Webber, the rest of the conference has also improved and some teams at a much faster rate. Sixers fans need to look no further than division rival, New Jersey Nets.
Owner Bruce Ratner and GM Rod Thorn made a fantastic decision to let Kenyon Martin go last summer, and have used draft picks and trade exceptions from his departure to build a talented and imposing core. With the addition of the underrated PF Shareef Abdur-Rahim, who has gone under the radar for the past two seasons in Portland, and the healthy return of SF Richard Jefferson, the Nets will field one of the most talented starting Fives in the entire league. New Jersey, who finished 8th last year, will surely pass the Sixers and win the Atlantic Division barring any major injuries.
Another much improved team that will garner high expectations is the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs, re-signed their big man on the block, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, brought in sharp shooting forward, Donyell Marshall, and added star guard Larry Hughes whose combination of ball-handling, athleticism, and defensive prowess have him poised to become the Scottie Pippen to Lebron Jame’s Jordan. Assuming they can add a capable point guard expect the Cavs, who missed the playoffs last year, to battle with New Jersey for the 4th position in the East behing perennial powers, Detroit, Miami, and Indiana.
If Chicago Bulls GM, John Paxson, is able to keep his promise and retain big men Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, the Bulls will be much improved simply because of their growth and development as their entire core of players is extremely young and extremely talented. Although the Washington lost Larry Hughes to free agency, Antonio Daniels and Caron Butler should fill his shoes nicely and the Wizards should remain a playoff team. With improved rosters in Milwaukee, Orlando, Charlotte, and Atlanta the gimme’ games of last season are much less abundant making the Sixers journey all the more difficult. The only team that should experience a major drop-off is Boston as they stand to lose Gary Payton and Antoine Walker while Danny Ainge continues his youth movement.
While the Sixers roster should offer hope for improvement in the upcoming season, it is tough to picture a scenario with the Sixers as a top 6 team in the East. Maybe C-Webb will come back with a rejuvenated knee, and aleve the Sixers lack of front-court depth, and maybe Andre Iguodala will make the decision to assert himself more offensively and take the ball out of Iverson’s hands a bit, and maybe Willie Green can step-in as if last season never happened and he can be the dynamic scorer we saw two seasons ago, but even if all of this occurs, the Sixers still seem to be stuck in the mud watching others roll by. |
