I'll call you Lou

Its not the regular season...its much closer to summer league actually, but someone is playing for a job right now and they cannot stop Lou Williams.

Plus a few other important notes from last night (IMO):

• "There are always teams that nobody addresses during this time that are right there come playoff time, and I think Philadelphia will be one of those teams," Nets Coach Lawrence Frank said.
• Dalembert took himself out of practice Thursday when he felt pain in his left foot. He has been recovering from a stress fracture in the foot.The big question is whether it is time to worry, especially since the feet of an NBA player take considerable pounding. "If it keeps going into the preseason and something becomes more serious, yes, but right now I am not overly concerned," coach Maurice Cheeks said.

First Dalembert Headline

It hurts to be right...especially for Sammy D.

I think I was a little off; "Ailing Dalembert likely to sit out" is just off my thought process, but not far.

The thing I worry about is him not ever coming back. I think about 98% of 76er fans hope they stink this year - I'm in the 2%. Dalembert's cap number is bad for the 98% of you - so if I were you I'd hope he'd sit out all year.

How could they let him play 7 games in 8 nights for a team that didn't have "SIXERS" on the front? Rodney Carney is one thing...Dalembert makes $10m a year!



Dalembert with his Chiropracter

Camp...We Talkin' Bout Camp

I'm back...I never really left. I'm just laying low, taking in the overall themes, quotes and culture of camp in Durham. I just have one question before we go forward...what did you want Pat Gillick to do?

Onto SIXER Basketball!

What did we learn this week?

1. While there is no reason to worry about Iguodala's contract, I'd like it to get done. Ladies and Gentlemen...he's the face of the Sixers for the next 10 years. I'd like it to be a happy place for him to be. I'd like to see him get paid too.

I like what the guy brings in terms of tempo and temperament. He plays hard. He's known for his defense. His teammates like him. Oh, and he's a pretty damn good ballplayer. Even if they bring in a better player in terms of talent (and they may have in Thad Young), AI sets the tempo.

2. Andre Miller will not be a PG on a team that loses 60 games.

Phil Jasner's famed "Number" is 30 - that's 30-52. I don't discount that number, but I can't see it being a lot worse if Miller plays all year. Teams that are solid inside will have an advantage on us every night BUT...Miller is the equalizer against marginal teams

3. Let's not get too excited about Reggie Evans yet. If he was THAT good Denver would figure out a way to keep him (would you trust Kenyon Martin if you were a 60 win team? Me neither).

4. I'm very worried about Dalembert. Very.

5. I'm real pumped to watch the kids come along. I'm excited to see how they're playing in February - that's when we'll know what we got. I just want to see them get better.

6. I think the biggest thing that's come out of camp is the Willie Green is back to the level he was at before his injury according to Coach Cheeks - that's REAL good news. He was tough.

Apparently Bill King wasn't on vacation

Well shiver me timbers....the Sixers made not a minor trade when they essentially traded Steven Hunter for Reggie Evans. They also signed Calvin Booth.

You've heard of Reggie Evans but don't know much about him? Basically, he rebounds. A lot. More than anyone the Sixers have in their frontcourt now. Offense you ask? Not his forte. About a 1.5 turnovers in 17 minutes a night last year.

Calvin Booth blocks shots and that's it.

"He is an accomplished rebounder that we feel will make an immediate impact and will exemplify our commitment to hard work, rebounding and defense," 76ers general manager Billy King told AP. Sanchez's rights were acquired by the Nuggets along with the draft rights to Linas Kleiza in exchange for the draft rights to Jarrett Jack in a draft-day deal in 2005. "At 6-11, Ricky Sanchez is a young prospect that has potential and we will continue to monitor his development as he plays overseas," King told AP. The Sixers weren't finished, agreeing to terms with free agent Calvin Booth. The 6-foot-11 center played in 44 games with Washington last season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.8 rebounds. Booth has a career average of 3.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in eight seasons.

Uh Oh

Sorry its been a while - with Michigan losing and absolutely nothing going on in the Association while the players and execs are on vacation, there's not much to say. So I'm not saying it.

Training camp starts in 3 weeks (Oct. 2)...and this was not a good report this morning by Phil J. in the people paper about Sam Dalembert's left foot having a stress fracture.


Here are some other headlines we might see in the coming weeks and months:

• "Dalembert struggling with conditioning"
• "Dalembert continues to have left foot trouble"
• "Dalembert suffers hamstring injury"
• "'I'm shutting it down': Dalmebert"
• "Dalembert has microfracture surgury on ailing left foot, status for 2008 uncertain"

I hope Sammy stays well and doesn't push himself until he's ready (and the staff doesn't let him play...a note to Billy and Mo - guys...please don't hurt Sammy to the point where his contract strangles the cap and the team - if he has to sit out all year to be healthy, so be it!!!!).

I'm not going to lie to you either - I'm excited to see what Young and Williams are going to look like in training camp...to quote Ken Hitchcock, it'd be great if they took a "bigger bite" out of the team than we expect.

What Channel are they on again?

Just in case you didn't see our post pointing out that the Sixers didn't make national television this year, the owners of the team have decided to televise the games. Almost all of them as a matter of fact.

The biggest question I have is what will happen to the "Ask Marc and Steve" segment of the broadcast?

You think we've got it bad?

Imagine plunking cash down for this? I thought they brought in a power forward this summer?

Billy King

Joe Q. Public (re: Stephen A.) is at again...

- "Billy King shouldn't be picking the players; he hasn't done a good job this far, why would we trust him?"

- "The rest of the division is going to be better than the 76ers for the next 3 years"

I'm not a Billy King fluffer, but I'm not a hater. He's got the roster set up for flexibility. The Knicks and Celtics are not built to withstand a big injury. Jason Kidd and Vince Carter will not be healthy in 24 months...Kidd might get traded. I like Toronto's roster but they need improved guard play to be a problem.

He got Willie Green, Kyle Korver, and Louis Williams in the second round. He got Randolph and Amdunson off the scrap heap. He got a real PG in here (yes, he could have made a better deal, but Marcus Camby is just salary cap weight and will take a younger players minutes).

Tell me what you would have done differently? What if everyone we have just keeps getting better? You can acquire players

An ESPN roundup of NBA writers had some nice things to say about our team...these guys don't get fooled as a group all the time do they?

"You can never tell the actual consistency of a sauce until you boil it" - Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet

Elton Brand

As I talked about last month, I think the Sixers were targeting Elton Brand after this season with their cap space; he would fit right in with this team and has a great att-i-tude.

Unfortunately for Elton, he'll miss the FIBA tourney and season. And considering he was going to cash out this season AGAIN (this would have been his second long term deal, every NBA players dream), it couldn't have come at a worse time. But might that play into the Sixers hand? Could they not have to pay 15 million/year for him next year, but maybe 10? The Achilles is a long injury but you can come all the way back from it...plus he'll have a full year to rehab it.

The Schedule Highlights

The Schedule came out today...a few things caught my eye...

- Opener is at Toronto on Halloween; then they have a game at Chicago two days later that starts at 8pm CST. The home opener is 7pm EST the next night against the Nets.

- Boston home games - December 5th, March 10

- Greg Oden comes to Philly November 16th, Kevin Durant March 7th

- If the Sixers have any hope of making the playoffs, they'll have to get off to a good start and survive a horrid 12 out of 16 on the road, including west coast and Texas trips, from December 15 through January 18th. The second west coast trip at the end of February, is a tough one as well; only 3 nights but you get the Suns on the second night of back to backs and then right back east. If they can stay in contention until they get back from the second one they'll have a shot at a low playoff birth.

- Finally...ZERO nationally televised games. None. Nunca. Zippo. Wow...only Memphis, Washington and Atlanta are the only other teams with no nationally televised games. Its as if no one cares about the Sixers.

KG in Green

For all of us who questioned Danny Ainge, we may have to take a seat for a few weeks...I was actually excited when they got Ray Allen, but now KG?

I think the most concerning news as a Sixer fan would be KG signing a short term high money contract - something like 3 years 60 million - but if they want him until he's 38, well, they can have him.

IF...if the Celtics get KG, and IF Ray Allen and Paul Pierce stay healthy and play most of the season together...well, that wouldn't be good. For us 76er fans.

I'm still convinced the Sixers are doing the right thing - even if all the teams in the division are now considerably better than us.

US Men's Basketball

As always on Sunday Mornings, the editors here at 76BigShot hit the local papers, but then we go to the best sports section in the country - the Boston Globe.

Peter May has an interesting note in there about the US Mens team as it relates to the officiating and the US teams troubles the last few years.

Maybe while the NBA is looking at itself in the mirror a little these days, they can incorporate some of the international rules into the NBA in hopes of "standardizing" the game. As always, money drives behavior, especially in professional basketball. If players from 15 to 21 are preparing for an NBA that has different goaltending rules, different rules regarding "LBJ'ing" into the lane to draw a foul (LBJ'ing=Putting your considerably large and strong shoulder into a smaller defender in the lane, throwing a shot up and going to the line. That works in the NBA now, not in international hoops though. That's why LBJ struggled at times - he couldn't shoot jumpers and draw fouls going hard to the hoop. Allen used to get away with that here - he's deceivingly strong and long), and looking at the lane as it relates to scoring offense.

Just some food for thought.

Lou Williams in the Livin' Room

You can't get much closer to the pulse of the fan base than listening to the Living Room on Sunday Mornings (before mass). This morning we were treated to an "interview" (and I use that in quotes as Mr. Hill still works for the Sixers) with Sweet Lou Williams. Reading between the lines, and on Sunday morning before coffee, trust me its not hard to read between said lines, it seems the Sixers are VERY excited about Thad Young and the Sixers see the core as Williams, Iguodala, Young and....Kyle Korver. Sweet Lou mentioned that he sees Young as a "3 or a 4". I think we all thought he's a pure 3, but maybe we need to see him...play.

Oh, and one more thing...

Wasn't it convenient that the press conference regarding the referee scandal was held after the playoffs, draft and free agent signing period on the calender and before the US Mens team plays this summer? God I wish my life worked in that kind of orderly fashion. Makes ya think...

My apologies

Hi All...

This has been the slowest week of posting in our short history, and I assure you we'll be back at it next week...Mrs. 76BigShot is under the weather and we have our priorities straight over here.

I apologize as I know we all need our Sixer Fix.

Few thoughts before I go though...
- I hope we keep this roster this year regardless of record. If they can get a low post scorer on the cheap that's fine, but please don't touch OUR (Sixers Fans) Salary Cap.
- Heard Dick Jerardi a few days ago regarding the Tim Donaghy mess, and he had a few comments about the Sixers. The one that caught my ear was that the Sixers don't have a "#1" on the roster and until they do, they're kinda not going anywhere. Can't really argue with that. #1's do come on the market from time to time though; the Rasheed Wallace auction in 2004 comes to mind. That was a team that had all the support pieces in place and 'Sheed just gave them a player other teams had to double in the low post. Those guys do come on the market.
- I'll be buying beers for our loyal readers at the Portland game this year...looking forward to meeting all of you. More details to come.
- We have a few guest columns coming in over the next few weeks which I'm excited about - angry Cecil just wants to get going in the right direction.

Thanks to all again for your patience and look forward to posting next week.

He's better than me

Every time I think I take sports seriously, I always find out there are 5 people who know and care a lot more than I do. And that's ok.

Having said that, Bill Simmons wrote a great column about the Tim Donaghy today.

Doesn't it seem like the 2000 playoff run followed some of these same themes?

Louis Amundson Stuffing the Stat Sheet

Rocky Mountain Review Final Stats

I think the fans will like this guy.

Frank, the story IS Utah

A few things to clean up from the second part of the summer league season:

- Nice article today on Jason Smith in today's Inquirer. For those of us old enough to work for a living, I'm sure at some point someone had the same type of chat with you that Coach Cheeks had with Jason a few weeks ago. My first boss told me never to read the paper at my desk. I can see this headline in a November notes column - "Smith still recovering from ankle injury".

-Interesting note from Maurice Brooks in Vegas regarding the Knicks and their talent level.

- Louis Amundson looks like he's going to play 15 minutes a night this year.


- One of 76BigShot's league wide spies mentioned speaking with a NBA GM in Vegas; this GM said that he thought the Sixers had a tremendous draft and that Thad Young and Jason Smith are both going to be good players. Take it FWIW.

- The teams in Utah were not as good as the teams in Vegas. With all the issues that have occured over the past few days, will the summer league still be in Vegas? You bet...the players love it there!

- Herb Hill is coming on a little. There's a fierce competition going on for the final 2-3 spots on the roster; it seems from afar that Hill is getting every chance to lose that spot and he's hanging on...there is really nothing better than free agents and second round draft picks that turn out to be servicable to good players is there? Hill played four years of college ball in a big time conference so playing in front of 7000 pissed off Philly fans shouldn't be that big of an adjustment.

The Philly Aspect of the Issue

I don't know about the rest of you, but The Delaware County Times is one of the more entertaining publications I read online every day. So much wacky stuff goes on in that small part of the Delaware Valley that, to us here at The Promised Land is "must-read".

So when all the news broke yesterday regarding what most of us have suspected for ...well, ever...that the NBA refs are "off", and that there was a Delaware County aspect to it....let's just say we were excited to hop onto the site this morning.

A few good stories today from www.delcotimes.com today

Local Reaction

Jack McCaffery



My only reaction to this point is this...sometimes people get in way over their heads and get no way out. If someone threatened your family I'd assume most of you would do whatever it took to protect them regardless of 1. the consequences and 2. how you got yourself in that mess in the first place.

Obviously this all sucks big time and will stain the game...my question is 'What were the guys on Donaghy crew thinking?' and how long has this been going on?

Phil Jasner

I was re-reading some news and ran across this article that Phil Jasner wrote. Billy King's quotes are very telling.



(I love that "look")

More Musings..

First, a big thanks to all the new readers...I really hope everyone comes here for their 76ers information and opinion. My goal is to make this your "Sixers Homepage"...to that, please take advantage of the links on the right --->...if there is a link that you use that isn't there, let me know!

76bigshot@gmail.com

Onto the real stuff...

I was looking at the Sixers Salary Cap ... we all know what it looks like, but to look at it this summer with the salaries lined up it takes on a different form than it might have recently.

There's been a lot of conjecture about what Andre Iguodala is going to cost the team against the cap when his first contract is up - after this season - after what has happened w/ Rashard Lewis and his insane contract.

If you figure the cap remains at 54 million-ish for the next few years, being conservative, the sixers will be at $35 million with AI's existing 3.8 million. That should give them plenty of room to overpay slightly but not blow their cap room up. They would still have over 10 million dollars under the cap, a midlevel exception, and Andre Millers expiring 10 million dollar contract to move.

The other good aspect, to me at least, is that most of the young talent, with the exception being Louis Williams, is locked into low salaries for the next three years. The only albatross is Dalembert, but he's 7 feet tall, blocks shots and is very very very slowly improving.

After the cap situation is flexible, the team will have a good read on all the talent (as it will have played quality minutes in 2007-8) and can make a decision about which direction to go. They will also not win more than 35 games this season, which should yield another high pick in a relatively strong draft.

What if Thad Young is better than we think? What is Louis Williams has to play big minutes because Andre Miller pulls a hamstring and is just good? They could both stink too....point being that Billy King & Co. can make those decisions with more data and their backs not up against the wall with the cap.

Now we know The Plan

So what have we learned since draft night?

• The fans "plan" and Billy King's "plan" aren't the same. I, for one, like Billy King's plan. I'm going to call it the "Chicago Bulls" plan...keep drafting good players, let them develop into assets and TADA!, you've got some flexibility to improve. They got rid of Chandler and Curry when they were at their "upside" peak in exchange for Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and got the cap space to sign a premeire free agent (although thats now a questionable signing). The fans want to do what I'll call the "WIP" plan...fire everybody, its their fault, and get someone in here who knows what they're doing, and try to get the first overall pick while worrying about every free agent out there. Both plans do not follow Larry King's "today is worth 3 tomorrow's plan", which is good for all. People...Ed Snider is running a business. Right now, the business simply isn't in good condition relative to the competition within the league and on the open market (vs. NFL / MLB teams). I'm sure after sitting down with the team, the plan was to try to move up in the draft, but if not, Thad Young was their guy. We all HATE upside...but we need it right now. Its got value to other teams. Case in point - Darko. I mean, he's marginal, and might turn into servicable...we all know this. Memphis gave him a contract based on UPSIDE, not what he's worth now. One more thing in defense of the scouting and drafting - they haven't missed too much in the last few years since Larry left.
  
• Let's not get too excited about the Summer League. Please. Sure its neat to read the stories etc...but who is guarding Lou Williams? Let's see LW play some defense and not turn the ball over consistently in the winter. I hope they don't trade Andre Miller and let Williams get his backup minutes....its really too much for a 21 year old to be put in that spot. (Tony Parker has Tim Duncan)
  
• 2007-8 is a throw away year. Every team has to have one to "purge" a former core of players and develop a new identity, both within and without. The culture change promised by Billy King is taking place before your eyes...just a hunch, but Thad Young's att-I-tude definently endeared himself to the brass. I posted earlier that the starting lineup in 2009 could be Williams, Igoudala, Young, Smith, Dalembert ... if I told you that a year ago, you almost wouldn't believe it. Getting back to my first point, until the team generates wins (Wins = TV ratings), the team will be undervalued in the marketplace. The brass decided that they were going to need to take a step back to take three steps forward. The plan is to let that young core develop, get another draft pick, maybe find a D-League type free agent, and save cap room for 2008. I wouldn't run out to get a FA unless it was a perfect fit in 2008 either (Elton Brand!)
• I'm excited to watch the young guys play...hearkens me back to 1997/98 when the team was developing a personality.
  
• This planning takes some patience from management. The executives in Boston and New York are going with the WIP plan and its going to bite them while the Sixers are young and improving. Within 24 months, the Sixers will be better than both those teams for the better part of the decade. So my kudos to Ed Snider for fixing my favorite team
• Now that we don't have Joe Smith, our rebounding is really bad. Like worst in the league bad. We stunk last year and he was one of the better rebounders on the team.
  

The REAL Summer League Competition

A lot going on...while I'm hibernating for a few days putting some thoughts together, I thought we should all take some time to hope for the hottest chicks to make the Sixers Dance Team. Here's my thoughts on professional cheerleaders...why not just find 50 smoking hot chicks, put them in really hot outfits that have a team "theme" (so for the Sixers, red white and blue etc...) and have them walk around and greet the men and boys in the crowd? They shoot t shirts and hot dogs into the stands, why not just make the cheerleaders more interactive as well?

And for those of you who have never lived outside of Philadelphia...no, there aren't people handing out flyers for strip clubs outside the venues before and after games.

Assets...We're Talking Assets

Chad Ford put in a great piece today on free agency and the idiocy that goes into it.

Phil Sheridan at the Inquirer also did a piece today on the Sixers rebuilding pace.

Looking at both, seems the Sixers have a tough call to make on Andre Iguodala and whether he merits a "max" contract. Right now? No. And I hate that because I want him to be a part of the solution here.

2008

Thought this was an interesting thread.

I'd do whatever it took to get Elton Brand but he's Don Sterling's favorite.

"Point Guards" by Bill Simmons (The Sports Guy)

I dug up this column from The Sports Guy written in 2001 regarding Point Guards...I think that you can put Lou Williams and Andre Miller in his thesis and see where it takes their careers.

The Sixers are off to Utah from Vegas, and no one got arrested while in Vegas. Which is good.

Welcome to Real GM readers

Thanks to all our new readers from www.realgm.com - looking forward to having all the new readers.

Interesting note in the paper today about how Thad Young is dedicated to being aggressive and he wasn't in college....he played pretty well and has gotten better every game.

Let's see what happens at training camp!

Enjoy the Ribs Darko

Couldn't be happier for Darko landing in Memphis...and not here.

Best thing the Sixers can do? Nothing. Don't blow the mid level exemption. Don't do anything but dump salary and try to get the young guys minutes w/ Andre Miller.

Sixers Not Contending for any Free Agents

I was contemplating how I would feel if the Sixers landed Darko this morning...I decided it would probably be the last straw for many fans. I'd be scratching my head too...he doesn't do anything to help and will he develop into a starter?

Luckily, I read this little piece on SI.com basically stating the Sixers weren't contention for any of the crap left on the table, to which I say "GOOD!"

Lou Williams Interview

Nice little interview with Lou Williams today on NBA.com.

I'd love to think this guy could play more than 20 minutes a night on a winning team right now but I just don't see it.

One day...no TO-day...but one day, could the Sixers look like this?

G: L. Williams
G: A. Iguodala
F: T. Young
F: J. Smith
C: S. Dalembert

Bench: Carney, Korver, Green, Hunter

Darko Update

According to Phil Jasner, the 76ers continue to pursue Darko.

I would think that if Larry Brown is in any way associated with the Sixers, which I guess he still is currently, there is no chance that you'll see Darko in Philly. He won't come. I'm not even sure he'd help....what does he give you that Sammy D. and Jason Smith don't? I'd rather have Joe Smith.

I also think that someone will offer much more money than the Sixers will.

Did We Get Worse?

According to the only group that really knows (Las Vegas Books), the answer is yes.

Odds To Win The 2008 Title

Team	Odds
Dallas Mavericks	7-2
San Antonio Spurs	7-2
Phoenix Suns	4-1
Miami Heat	8-1
Cleveland Cavaliers	10-1
Chicago Bulls	12-1
Detroit Pistons	15-1
Houston Rockets	15-1
Utah Jazz	15-1
Denver Nuggets	20-1
New Jersey Nets	22-1
Golden State Warriors	22-1
Toronto Raptors	25-1
Washington Wizards	28-1
Los Angeles Lakers	30-1
Portland Trail Blazers	30-1
Seattle SuperSonics	30-1
Indiana Pacers	35-1
Los Angeles Clippers	35-1
Orlando Magic	40-1
New Orleans Hornets	45-1
Sacramento Kings	50-1
Milwaukee Bucks	60-1
Minnesota Timberwolves	75-1
Boston Celtics	80-1
Charlotte Bobcats	80-1
New York Knicks	80-1
Philadelphia 76ers	100-1
Atlanta Hawks	150-1
Memphis Grizzlies	150-1

Herb Hill

Nice article about Herbert Hill from Jessica Camerato at Hoopsworld.com

I don't know if HH will make the top 15 but he'll be with the Sixers for the season, probably in the D.

Summer Update

John @ MVN has a good update from Vegas about the wing position

MVN Summer Report

The folks at MVN will keep bringing you the best in 76ers Opinion...


Derrick Byars

The Sixers were never not for sale

I had to chuckle at the article today in the paper regarding the Sixers being for sale.

Guess what? The Flyers are for sale too...and the Eagles. If someone walked up to Jeff Lurie with 2 Billion dollars cash they'd be sold.

The reason the Sixers will not be sold (which is good for the fans) is that the real value of any sports franchise is not in operating profits but from year over year increase in the value of the entire property. These days, entire property means the team, the arena, and the rights to broadcast them and rake in advertising. Comcast Spectacor has painted themselves in a corner with this - they can't let go of the TV station and arena. Without them, the team is worth less than 200 million dollars, and that's for someone to come in and lose money year over year. To quote the first president Bush - "not gonna happen".

So the team isn't going anywhere in terms of ownership any time soon. The facade they went through last year was a joke - someone I'm sure ponied up half a billion or so for the team but they'd need the arena and tv revenues.

More later on the basketball aspect of our basketball blog.

Uh, No You Can't

"I think we can win the East next year." -- Danny Ainge




I'm not going to say the Sixers are better than the Celtics, but Toronto is. Is it me or is there no chance of Paul Pierce and Ray Allen playing more than 60 games together? Ray Allen has two bad ankles whatever he or anyone else says.

The Sixers can play with Pierce and Allen defensively - they just need to rebound.

Welcome to the NBA Yi

Yi played nicely last night, but he was introduced to The Association last night.

We'll dig more into some of the developments from Sixers camp later today.

Off to a Good Start

The Summer Leaguers lost an OT decision to the Pistons. They probably had better players than we did but last nights star, Louis Admunson, sprained an ankle - he apparently was off to a good start (theme...)

So I'm not one to pay attention to silly things like summer league stats, but this one caught my eye...Maurice Brooks points out that only a few guys have put 30 up in this league...and most of them have turned out pretty good. LW is only 20...looks like a good draft pick.

Thad Young took 11 shots tonight but only went to the line once.

The Start of the 2007 Season

Sixers eked out a 2 point victory over the Spurs tonight in the Summer League.

Few quick things to note:

- Player of the Game - Louis Amundson - 16 points, 11 boards
- Lou (don't call me Louis) Williams - 8 Turnovers
- Thad Young - 2-6 and got to the line once w/ two boards and two turnovers off the bench.

The Spurs didn't have Tim Duncan and Tony Parker was getting married.

Darko? Pass

Phil Jasner writes about Tony DiLeo inquiring about Darko...

Thank goodness for the Luxury tax because you know they won't pay a penny over it for him...its scary when that's what stops the team from investing in itself.

We're talkin...summer league

Ugh.

So I'm going to free-flow some thought of the past week and hopefully it will make sense.

The draft overall...Man was I and the rest of you upset with the draft. Fuming. I was sure that Julian Wright was going to play for the sixers...check the record. This is not Thad Young's fault. I'll say it again - while he wasn't the top player on the board according to Jay Bilas, it was obvious this is the guy they were going to take if they couldn't move up to get Yi.

Yi! Jeez...he still might be a Sixer, but at what cost? He was the guy they were chasing? He can rebound? Can Yi adjust to the NBA like Yao did from a mental standpoint? Yao struggles his first few seasons...which Thad Young is going to do.

On to Mr. Young...I'm not sure that you can equate a year in college at Georgia Tech comparable to Ohio State, Florida, or Texas...they actually make you study at Georgia Tech. A few more things I like about Young - the fact that he's still growing, maybe not so much from a height perspective (although he thinks he can grow another 2 inches) but from a weight perspective. He has a body like Scottie Pippen. Pippen was a QTip when he came into the league and developed about 25 lbs of muscle and was a huge physical mismatch on the wing. Young was the #3 player coming out of high school behind Oden and Durant....remember that 3 Florida players stayed in school, Jeff Green kinda came out of no where, and there was a backlog of good top end players. I'm trying to tell myself that they saw a higher end Andre Igoudala who could be a leader in 5 years.

I like Jason Smith pick, but why did they have to move up? For those of you who would have rather had Dequan Cook...he won't be productive for a few years. Maybe 5.

I understand why they traded down per se; you don't want three guaranteed contracts when you can get a player one pick down who isn't committed We at 76bigshot feel that the salary cap comes before almost anything unless it concerns a high end young superstar. I like Byers but I really don't know about Herbert Hill...I hope McRoberts doesn't turn into something. Honestly though I've never gotten a 2nd round pick right so why should I have this year.

I'm not expecting much before or during the season...maybe a swap here or there to fiddle with the roster. but unless a fight breaks out with a team and player

So what do we have? Not what I expected.

A first round pick next year and the opening of the cap...It's tough to put all your eggs in those baskets.

I'm not hiding!

I just don't know what to write yet.

I think we were ALL a little disappointed we didn't get a top 8 pick.

I think there's a chance Yi will still be coming to Philly.

I'm glad we're not the Celtics or the Knicks.

I think, reviewing all that I wrote over the past 3 months about this draft, that Thad Young is going to be better than we all think. Maybe just not in December 2007.

I'll have more.....later.

Oh, and a BIG TIME welcome to all the readers from Sixers for Guidos and Pride and Passion!

Looking forward to sharing the upcoming season with everyone!

Billy King's Contract

I'm just getting back from a long weekend out of the muck and filth of the city and listening to one of the worst crossovers in the history of radio - Sandy Penner > Paul Jolovitz. I was stuck between two old girlfriends last night at a party and that sounded more appealing than these two tools.




But I digress...

Much like the college football season, there is a lot of hand=wringing about the status of the current GM of the Sixers, Billy King. Folks, he's not going anywhere...why? I can't tell you why (thanks Glen Frye) other than I think Mr. Snider is going to keep King for another few years (at least 3). I can't tell you why they don't end the college football season with a playoff like every other sport in the world. I just accept it and not let it stop me from enjoying the sport.

Tomorrow we'll dig into the whats whys and hows of what this season might look like.

One final note - should be an interesting summer league...Usually the results mean absolutely nothing, but the list of players who are going all have something to prove quickly for roster spots.

• 4 Derrick Byars G/F 6-7 220 4/25/84 R Vanderbilt
• 11 Bobby Jones F 6-7 215 1/9/84 1 Washington
• 14 Jason Smith C/F 7-0 240 3/2/86 R Colorado State
• 20 Louis Amundson F 6-9 225 12/7/82 1 UNLV
• 21 Edin Bavcic F 6-10 230 6/5/84 R Bosnia
• 23 Louis Williams G 6-1 175 10/27/86 2 South Gwinnett HS (Ga.)
• 25 Rodney Carney F 6-7 205 4/15/84 1 Memphis
• 30 Thaddeus Young F 6-8 220 6/21/88 R Georgia Tech
• 35 Herbert Hill F/C 6-10 240 10/1/84 R Providence
• 42 Shavlik Randolph F 6-10 240 11/24/83 3 Duke

Taking a deep breath...

I'm going to hold off on analyzing anything until this weekend is over...I think there are trades to be made still.

Again - Bill King took some gambles last night, but you don't know what you can get from Thad Young. Reminds me of Rashard Lewis.

There's still some talk of movement with Yi.

So Summing Up...

Thad Young, Jason Smith, Derrick Byars, and Kyrylo Fresenko.

To quote Clifford C. Claven: "Who are four people who have never been in my kitchen?"

Goodbye Petteri Koponen, We Hardly Knew Yee

McRoberts

If Billy King wants to take him at 38, I have no problem with that. He's a big guy with good hands and can run.

Chad Ford on Petteri Koponen

Welcome to 76ers Basketball and Philadelphia FINLAND! (Shameless, I know)

Here is what Chad Ford had to say about Petteri Koponen:

Almost every team was shocked at how well Finnish point guard Petteri Koponen handled the workout. Only 18 years old, he was put up against college veterans like Taurean Green, Aaron Brooks and Sean Singletary.

Koponen, according to multiple team sources, stood out with his poise, shooting and ability to adapt his game to the speed of the workout. One executive went so far as to say he saw enough to rank Koponen as the fourth-best point guard in the draft. Others said that he was on par with Green, who also played well in the workout.

Koponen will skip the Reebok Eurocamp to continue individual workouts, and it looks like he may have a good shot at sneaking into the late first round. All of which makes it hard to understand why the Orlando pre-draft camp selection committee excluded him from the camp.

If I'm Billy King I select...

Gabe Pruitt

That's Why the Spurs are the Spurs

Splitter with the 29th pick - he won't fit into their rotation or anything.

Gabe Pruitt

Can't believe he might be on the board at 30...I think if they wanted either McRoberts or Davis they would still be there at 38.

I don't need to see ...

Glen Davis or Josh McRoberts at 30.

I like Alando Tucker, Taurun Green because he's ready to play.

Splitter is a guy I'd still like them to look at.

Not sold on Aflalo...not enough range and can't handle the ball.

Thad Young From May

Here's what we had to say about Thad Young back in May.

Jason Smith

As ... weird ... as the first pick was, the second one looks to be a good fit.

Smith has a combination of inside outside game and has improved his rebounding year over year. He's 21 so should be able to play 20 minutes a night next year.

International

I think they're going w/ Tiago Splitter

21

I would think (but i really have no idea) would be they would take either Jason Smith or Tiago Spitler.

Another possibility - McRoberts.

Well...

I really don't know what to say either. I got 4 phone calls from people who are puzzled. Mike Kern and Rob Charry are puzzled. For goodness sakes Paul Jolovitz is puzzled.

Could they be trading this pick?

If not, Billy King has some major onions.

Just a note for those of us freaking now - Thad Young was the #3 rated player coming out of high school last year and probably would have been a top 7 pick last year.

If I'm Billy King I select...

Julian Wright from the University of Kansas

WOW!

Spencer Hawes @ 10 is a BIG BREAK for the Sixers IMO.

Maybe Julian Wright will fall to 12!

Good Pick Bulls

It looks like Al Thorton people

I think Julian Wright won't be there at 12.

Yi & the Bucks

Why would you draft a player who you didn't see and who doesn't want to come to your town?
Can you imagine going from China to Milwaukee? What the hell's a brat?

Jeff Green gone...

The Celtics made a horrible trade for them, but then they prevented the 76ers from drafting Jeff Green.

Names to watch:

-Julian Wright
-Al Thorton
-Joakim Noah
-Spencer Hawes

First Good News of the night

Ray Allen to the Celtics?
Enjoy that contract.

Hypothesis

With all the Sean Williams talk, might the 76ers try to move both up and down? For example, trade to get #6 or #8 and take picks lower in the draft? Next years draft will not be as top heavy as this one, so trading a future pick could be a possibility in an attempt to move up as Chad Ford says below.

Yes Stephen A., we are optimistic.



Billy King's job is on the line tonight...I have confidence in him. I think he has a firm idea of what he wants and what he can do and will leave no stone unturned. Will he make the best decision? That I don't know. I thought Bobby Hurley Jr. was a surefire 12 year point guard. We all thought Kyle Korver and Willie Green were just chances on good college players. Could Dequan Cook be the next Gilbert Arenas or Rashard Lewis? Who's going to be left in the green room until 11pm?

Good Luck BK.

Shocking Results from a Fan Poll

Can't believe people are so down on Shawn Bradley!

Chad Ford Last Gasp

Interesting note from his mock draft today (we hear at The Promised Land had this nailed a few days ago):

One trade scenario has the Sixers trading No. 12, No. 21 and a future first-round pick to Milwaukee for No. 6, with the Sixers then selecting Green -- the guy (along with Yi) they covet the most in the draft. The other had the Mavs offering Devin Harris for No. 6.

Someone to Keep an Eye on Tonight with a Late Pick

Jared Dudley

Don't be surprised if he's the pick at 21 or 30....he can rebound and understands his role and plays good defense.

C's not moving

Danny Ainge said "we're sticking at 5".

Billy King is hoping he doesn't like Jeff Green.

Chad Ford Update (T Minus 27 hours)

Thanks Chad!

• The Bobcats are telling teams they'll make a decision sometime today on what to do with the No. 8 pick. As we discussed on Monday, they have been shopping this pick hard for the past several weeks and collected five to six legitimate offers for the pick.

Andy Katz reported last night that the Suns were one of the teams in the mix to get No. 8. That explains why they had Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Jeff Green in on Tuesday. And why they'll get Brandan Wright and Al Thornton in today.

However, a source says the Suns are not the front-runners to get the pick. Several other teams are offering better deals for No. 8, including the Sixers (offering No. 12 and No. 21), Warriors (offering Monta Ellis and No. 18), Grizzlies (???) and one mystery team that the source refused to disclose.

• The Sixers are also talking with the Bucks about a deal that could get them the No. 6 pick in the draft. They'd likely use the pick on Yi Jianlian, if he's still there.

Billy King Quote

King said there were three to four scenarios in which the Sixers could move up. He then offered yet another rumor that he read on ESPN.com: If Milwaukee at No. 6 doesn't get the players it wants, the Bucks might be willing to deal that choice for the Sixers' 12th and 21st picks.

After delivering this rumor, King smiled.

His thoughts?

"No comment."

Marc Narducci Article

The thought here is that if they get that #6 pick, they'll take Jeff Green.

Vanilla Gorilla Update

Thanks to Promised Land reader Cecil for passing this story about Matt Geiger along....Thanks Larry and Billy for the big contract!

Moving Up

With so much speculation around the Sixers moving up, I thought it might be prudent to see what it would take - from other teams to tango. Listening to WIP LATE NIGHT last night and hearing the calls Big Daddy took, a lot of fans had some great trades. Unfortunately, Al Horford and Mike Conley aren't coming together to play with Andre Igoudala in exchange for two low picks and Andre Miller.



Having said that:

5. Boston

Seems the Celtics need...to sell tickets. They're becoming a non-entity in Boston and New England with the Red Sox and Patriots having premeire players and winning championships. That's why you're hearing Jermaine O'Neal and Kevin Garnett's names being floated. I really can't see either of those guys showing up to training camp on the first day in Waltham, MA. I also don't expect Danny Ainge and Billy King to make a trade to improve each other directly as they are in the same division. The C's big tradeable assets are the #5 pick and Al Jefferson. Jefferson is unknown to me, I don't know that he's a winning player on a winning team yet....the #5 pick is good for a 10 year starter.

Odds of 76ers getting this pick: 10/1

6. Milwaukee

The Bucks have some good assets to build around and can score a Jeff Green, Corey Brewer or Yi to really help their team in the short and long run. They would also hop on Mike Conley in a heartbeat. The bottom line is if they're going to trade, they'd have to get a player back who will immediately contribute and a good pick. I guess the Sixers would trade Andre Miller, but they might be able to get the player at 6 that they would at 8.

Odds of Trade: 7/1

7. Minnesota

Owner Glen Taylor seems to have gotten the hint; its ok to make $20 million a season in Minnesota as long as the team is good. Now that the team stinks, and its Minnesota and not Phoenix or LA or Miami, the $20 million comes "with strings". Thats why he's directly involved in getting KG out of Minnesota by Labor Day. With a Mega Star and a high draft pick, count on Minnesota doing SOMETHING, maybe not with the Sixers, but maybe through another team.

Odds of Trade: 3/1

8. Charlotte

In Charlotte, they care about one thing - Making $$$$! They have no veterans. They have no leadership. They have an owner, Robert Johnson, who is notoriously cheap. They're GM, Michael Jordan, stinks. They played at the league minimum last year - and would have gone lower if they could. If there's a way to get younger (read: cheaper), they'll do it.

Odds of Trade: 2/1

9. Chicago from New York

Ah Zeke...always helping others. Chicago will trade to get the right front court player. The Sixers don't have that player. Garnett might be that player. They'll trade young players to get some low post scoring, and they have the players to trade. I'd trade the #12 pick for Luol Deng or Kirk Heinrich (not happening).

Odds of Trade: 5/1



Bottom line - I think they can move up to 8, maybe 7. That gives them a lot more options than 12 does. It would take both picks and maybe a player.