| A Season Of Disappointment, An Offseason Of Change? Authored by David Mintz - April 22, 2006 - 11:38 am
| Current Featured Columns | | Howard's Role In The Gold For the first time in eight years, there won't be any talk of failure, or the world catching up, only praises for the Olympic champions – that is unless your name is Dwight Howard.
Grading The Deal: Williams To Cleveland In Three-WayMo Williams just barely outperformed the first year of his new contract, but he gives Cleveland's offense a few more teeth.
 |
Is It Time To Worry?
Training camp is less than four weeks away, and the Pacers still haven't signed Danny Granger to an extension or gotten rid of Jamaal Tinsley.
|
 |
Auditing Miami's 2007-08 Season
The Heat came out of the season in an immediately better situation to compete, turning Shaq into Shawn Marion and a 15-67 record into Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers.
|
 |
The Lakers Need More Gas
Maybe it’s Pau’s blood. Whatever it is, something happens when he switches his NBA jersey for a national one. It somehow evokes an emotion and a confidence that an NBA paycheck doesn’t seem to be to able to ignite.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Iverson and Webber arrived late to Fan Appreciation Night last Tuesday, the last event in what was a turbulent season for the Sixers. The club started the season promisingly, after recovering from loses in their first three games, by winning six straight without starting C Samuel Dalembert. Their success was short-lived as the team lost eight of the next 10. The Sixers hovered around the .500-mark until early March, when they went on an 8-16 stretch to finish the season and miss the playoffs.
Bright Spots
Iverson – for the second straight season, Iverson scored at least 30 points per game while dishing at least 7 assists. Many thought Iverson would start breaking down at this point in his career, but statistically he has never performed better. Iverson shot almost 45% from the field and made 81.4% of his free throw attempts.
Playing the West – The Sixers were 16-14 against the Western Conference, supposedly the superior of the two conferences. Of course this means they were 22-30 against the East, which is unacceptable for a team with playoff aspirations.
Defending the 3 -The Sixers held their opponents to 35.1% shooting from behind the arc, which was tied for the seventh best percentage in the NBA.
Missed Shots
SF Kyle Korver – Korver improved in his shooting percentages from the field and from behind the arc, but had fewer assists and rebounds per game. To change things up, Cheeks moved the inconsistent Korver to the bench partway through the season, but Korver did not improve.
SG Andre Iguodala – Iguodala made small statistical improvements but did not take the next step that management and fans were hoping for. He lacked aggressiveness in seeking his own shot in the offensive end, and was inconsistent on defense.
Dalembert – Dalembert had career highs in rebounds, blocks, and free throw percentage, but was inconsistent and could not seem to get in the flow of contests.
Webber – Webber put up great numbers in points and rebounds, and surprised many by playing in 75 games this season, but Webber gave up career games to opposing big men. Webber shot 43.4% from the field and 27% from 3-point range. Neither figure will get it done.
The bench – The bench was the worst in the NBA, perhaps by a landslide. Players like PG Kevin Ollie, G John Salmons and F Shavlik Randolph would struggle to make some NBA rosters, yet the Sixers had Ollie or Salmons not just playing but starting in several contests.
The defense – The Sixers gave up 101.3 points per game on defense, the sixth worst in the NBA. The Sixers opponents shot 46.3% which ranked them 22 out of 30 teams. Webber was clearly too slow on the defensive end to guard opposing power forwards, Iverson gambled frequently on defense which allowed wide open 3-pointers, and Iguodala, Korver, and Dalembert were inconsistent at best.
What went wrong?
A main area of concern for the Sixers was a lack of depth. Last offseason, the Sixers did not have a first round pick. They traded Marc Jackson to New Jersey and used the Amnesty Rule to cut Aaron McKie. To replace them on the roster, the Sixers signed C Steven Hunter and F Lee Nailon. However, G Willie Green was injured before the season started, Dalembert was injured as well, and Lee Nailon did not pan out as well as the Sixers had hoped. The Sixers have two of the top seven salaries in the NBA with Webber and Iverson, and when that much money is going to two players, there is not a lot of available cap space for the other 12 players. The lack of depth also stems from trading draft picks and essentially trading Keith Van Horn for Glenn Robinson and then Robinson for Jamaal Mashburn. Mashburn never played a game for the Sixers.
Chemistry was a huge problem for the Sixers both on and off the court. Iverson, Webber and Ollie, all 30 or older, tried to lead a team that consists mostly of players 26 and under. The prime of an NBA player is usually between the ages of 26 and 29, and the Sixers had no contributing players in this age group. Chemistry was a problem on the court as well, as Iverson and Webber both need the ball to go through them to be successful on offense. On defense, the team was frequently scored upon when they used the zone. However, it is understandable why Cheeks would use a zone to cover up the holes that came up when he used a man-to-man defense.
Attendance figures were down this season. This could be a sign that Philadelphia is tired of this current Sixers team with Iverson and would like to see a change.
What happens next?
The Sixers management needs to understand that this group, as currently assembled, is not good enough to make the playoffs in a sub-par conference. Salmons, Korver, Dalembert, Green, and rookie G Louis Williams are all nice players, but none were drafted higher than 26. To make this situation more dire, the contracts of Iverson and Webber give the team little flexibility.
Many fans would like to see Iverson finish his career in Philadelphia, but the team is not going to win a championship with Iverson. There are too many weaknesses on this squad. If the team wanted to trade Iverson, this offseason would be the best opportunity to get something of quality in return. Iverson, who turns 31 this season, is coming off one of the best statistical seasons of his career. If the team can get a couple nice players as well a couple first round picks in return for Iverson, it would give them some cap flexibility as well as an opportunity to draft talented players to add to their young core. The Sixers would most likely take a step backwards next season record-wise, but this would improve their draft position for the following season. Hypothetically, the Sixers would add players whose contracts would be more moveable than Iverson’s since they would likely be much smaller.
Trading Webber would be tough for the Sixers with his age and contract. However, they will explore every opportunity to do so. If the Sixers cannot trade Webber, who is set to make over 43 million dollars over the next two seasons if he accepts his player option, they could attempt to buy out his contract. Even if the cost is high to buy out Webber, the Sixers might still consider the move to improve chemistry and remove an unhappy camper.
The younger Sixers are tradable as well, however it would be unwise to deal away players who are a year or two shy of their prime.
The Sixers have not drafted a contributing power forward in the first round since they selected Clarence Weatherspoon in 1992 with the 9th overall pick, and in their current situation, the likelihood of the Sixers drafting a power forward is pretty good. Depending on their other moves this offseason, drafting a point guard is also a possibility, but contributing centers and power forwards are harder to find right now than point guards. The chances of the Sixers winning an opportunity to draft first, second, or third in the NBA draft lottery are pretty low, but if they select there they will be able to get a very talented player and will probably take the best player available.
The road to glory for the Philadelphia 76ers will be a frustrating one for fans of the club. However, by taking care of the cap situation and going with younger players, the Sixers can avoid an extended stay in mediocrity. |
