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| You can't handle the Jruth |
2009-10 Record: 27-55
Additions: Rod Thorn (President), Doug Collins (Coach), Evan Turner (Draft), Spencer Hawes (Trade), Andres Nocioni (Trade), Craig Brackins (Trade), Darius Songaila (Trade), Tony Battie (FA)
Subtractions: Eddie Jordan, Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Jason Smith, Francisco Elson, Rodney Carney
Philadelphia's an interesting team. They've got quite a few young pieces I like, but they're also saddled with contracts that I hate (Elton Brand, Andres Nocioni). Iguodala is overpaid, but I also feel that he's underrated by a lot of people simply because of the fact that he's overpaid.
Philly was pretty active over the summer, making one trade that I didn't like for them (Spencer Hawes isn't a good enough prospect to lose out on Dalembert's expiring and having to take on Nocioni's bad contract) and one that I did (losing their two worst players to pick up Songaila's expiring and Craig Brackins was a great move). They also lucked out into the #2 pick of the draft and selected Evan Turner, the Naismith College Player of the Year.
Speaking of Turner, Philadelphia's future lies in its backcourt of Turner and sophomore Jrue Holiday. Turner had a disappointing summer league getting used to the pace of the NBA game. New coach Doug Collins said this was the best thing that could've happened for him and I agree. Turner's a hard worker and if that poor performance inspires him to work even harder, it was worth it. His versatility will allow him to help out the team even when he's not performing well offensively. I don't think he'll be a candidate for Rookie of the Year like I did pre-draft, but I think he'll be very solid and he's still a potential future star.
I have much higher present hopes for Jrue Holiday, a player I think could have a Russell Westbrook type breakout year. His defense for a point guard is exceptional, and I think within a few years he might challenge Rajon Rondo as the best defender at the point guard position. Unlike Westbrook, Holiday is a good shooter and proved it last season with a 39% performance from range, something that complements a team like the Sixers very nicely, as both Turner and Iguodala are poor outside shooters.
I'm a bit more pessimistic on Philadelphia's frontcourt. For one, I think they're going to get killed on the boards this year. They weren't exactly world beaters last year at 21st in the league in rebounds, and that was with one of the best rebounders in the league in Dalembert. Now they've replaced him with a below average rebounder in Hawes, and Speights isn't much better. Thaddeus Young is an extremely poor rebounder, and Craig Brackins doesn't project to be very good at it either. Elton Brand used to be an alright rebounder, but that has declined with age and injury.
The perimeter defense of the Sixers should be great however, especially in lineups featuring Holiday, Turner and Iguodala. This should keep the pressure off the bigs, which is good, because none of them are really that great at defense. What the bigs are however, is excellent at offense. Newcomer Spencer Hawes will give the Sixers a guy who can pass and score inside and outside. He hasn't yet put it together consistently, but there is still potential there. Mareese Speights, for all his inadequacies, is more than capable on the offensive end, and could bloom into something special on that end this season.
Andres Nocioni will probably capture the hearts of Philadelphia fans with his scrappy play the first few months, that is if he doesn't start jacking up three pointers with 20 seconds left on the shot clock every other play. He also might be disappointed by his playing time, as both Iguodala and Young look to play more than him.
The Sixers also have some nice depth this year, not the case last year. I think things can go one of two ways for the Sixers: They end up being an extremely versatile up-and-down team that shares the ball on offense and plays competent defense, or they can devolve into a me-first style of play. I'm leaning towards the former, and I think that if everything goes right for them, they can sneak into the East Playoffs as an 8th seed.
Projected Win Total: 30-40
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