76BigShot - The Promised Land

I'll call you Lou

2007-10-13T11:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

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

2007-10-08T13:56:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-10T22:15:00.000-05:00

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

2007-09-07T12:13:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-08-22T13:04:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-08-17T07:24:00.000-05:00

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

Billy King

2007-08-06T20:56:00.001-05:00

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

2007-08-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-08-02T14:58:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-30T15:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-29T10:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-29T08:38:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-07-28T10:51:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-28T10:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-22T16:03:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-21T13:25:00.000-05:00

Rocky Mountain Review Final Stats

I think the fans will like this guy.

Frank, the story IS Utah

2007-07-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-21T09:40:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-19T22:11:00.000-05:00

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..

2007-07-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-18T15:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-16T16:38:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-12T20:09:00.000-05:00

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)

2007-07-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-12T07:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-11T14:10:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-11T07:41:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-10T12:05:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-07-10T11:53:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-10T11:31:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-09T12:23:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-09T12:08:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

"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

2007-07-08T07:18:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-07T22:09:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-06T23:28:00.000-05:00

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

2007-07-05T12:01:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-05T01:31:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-07-03T15:10:00.001-05:00

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

2007-07-01T21:58:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-06-29T12:26:00.001-05:00

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...

2007-06-28T22:25:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T22:01:00.000-05:00

McRoberts

2007-06-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-06-28T21:31:00.000-05:00

Gabe Pruitt

That's Why the Spurs are the Spurs

2007-06-28T21:26:00.001-05:00

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

Gabe Pruitt

2007-06-28T21:23:00.001-05:00

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 ...

2007-06-28T21:06:00.001-05:00

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

2007-06-28T20:54:00.001-05:00

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

Jason Smith

2007-06-28T20:45:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T20:38:00.001-05:00

I think they're going w/ Tiago Splitter

21

2007-06-28T20:30:00.001-05:00

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

Another possibility - McRoberts.

Well...

2007-06-28T20:06:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-06-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

Julian Wright from the University of Kansas

WOW!

2007-06-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

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

Maybe Julian Wright will fall to 12!

Good Pick Bulls

2007-06-28T19:31:00.001-05:00

It looks like Al Thorton people

2007-06-28T19:22:00.000-05:00

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

Yi & the Bucks

2007-06-28T19:09:00.000-05:00

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...

2007-06-28T18:51:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

Ray Allen to the Celtics?
Enjoy that contract.

Hypothesis

2007-06-28T16:34:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T16:29:00.000-05:00

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

Chad Ford Last Gasp

2007-06-28T15:36:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-28T08:09:00.001-05:00

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

2007-06-27T15:39:00.001-05:00

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)

2007-06-27T15:33:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-27T13:39:00.000-05:00

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

2007-06-27T13:20:00.001-05:00

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

Moving Up

2007-06-27T12:40:00.000-05:00

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.

Sean Williams

2007-06-26T12:22:00.000-05:00

Seems the Sixers are sending key scout, extremely underrated assistant coach , and our blog's namesake, Moses Malone to Boston to see Sean Williams. Williams, much like former Eagle Bernard Williams, likes to smoke pot and play hoops. Sean is just a better cager than Bernard.

There's a great article today by one of the premiere NBA writers Peter May of the Boston Globe regarding Williams. Former 76er head coach and luminary John Lucas had this to say about the situation:

"Sean doesn't have any real-life issues," Lucas says. "There are other guys I've had here who have had real-life issues. He doesn't. His issue is, he just wants to smoke some weed sometime -- and you can't. We're learning how to handle life issues without smoking weed to medicate. I would venture to say, he hasn't smoked any more weed than a lot of the other guys who are going to get drafted. The difference is, he got caught. Now, the question is, do you have an addiction? That's another issue. If it's worth it to you, if you have to have it, then you have an addiction, because look at what you've lost. If it's not worth it to you, then we're on our way. And I think he's more than on his way."

Does he worry about Williams?

"He worries me from the standpoint that he's going to get a speeding ticket or a ticket for running a red light," Lucas says. "That's it."

Let's get one thing straight...this kid can play. If they could tell him when the drug test would be do you think that would help his career?

Dick Jerardi

2007-06-26T12:08:00.000-05:00

Great article today on Jeff Green by Dick Jerardi in the People Paper today...

Andre Miller - He Ain't Goin' Nowhere

2007-06-26T09:31:00.000-05:00

Speculation is rampant that Andre Miller is on the move - we here at The Promised Land are against that ... good news is so is Billy King.

From today's Newsday:

Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King, who has three first-round picks Thursday, has publicly shot down speculation that he's considering trading point guard Andre Miller and the 12th pick to Atlanta for the third selection. The Hawks, perennially inept on draft day, also are said to be considering a deal for Portland's Zach Randolph.

Rumors and Innuendos

2007-06-25T20:13:00.000-05:00

Chad Ford put out his 5th and updated version of the draft and has some interesting twists...the major piece of news is that the Sixers are angling for the 8th pick. Chad also has Corey Brewer going at that spot...I'd be surprised if they moved up for Brewer.

According to his latest mock draft:

The 76ers prefer to get their hands on a guy like Al Horford, Jeff Green or Brandon Wright.

And one final thing - I've heard from multiple sources about the Andre Miller to Atlanta trade - not going to happen. Would you make that trade if you were the Hawks?

Al Thorton

2007-06-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

Looks like Billy King and the brass won't let Al Thorton slip past 12. I guess I wouldn't have a problem with that...but...what problems does he solve?

Was he the best player on the court last year when the 'noles played the Gators? Yes.

Is he old, meaning that the 76ers will pay lower dollars for a more mature possible starter? Yes.

Is he better than Rodney Carney? Probably.

Will he solve the low post dilemma? I don't know...and thats what worries me about him.

Will he rebound? I think so.

Can he play defense? When they say the knock on him is "consistency", I read that as "defense".

2008 Free Agent List

2007-06-24T07:21:00.001-05:00

John Hollinger of ESPiN put this list together of the 2008 free agents...not that the 76ers will have these guys on the team, but they'll be able to use their cap space to be big players and manipulate the roster.

Marc Narducci

2007-06-23T14:06:00.000-05:00

From today's Inquirer:

Among the likely lottery picks the Sixers seem to be enamored with are Washington center Spencer Hawes, Chinese power forward Yi Jianlian and Georgetown forward Jeff Green, who all could be gone before the 12th pick.

D.A.

2007-06-23T07:35:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or is it a treat to have David Aldridge writing about the hometown 15? He did a great job this morning of summing up where Billy King is.

Mr. Snider showed faith in Paul Holmgren...it seems to be paying off. Because of the nature of the beast, King's rebuilding should take about 2 years, but the results MUST be evident or he'll start to feel the heat in the one way Mr. Snider will pay attention to - season tickets and luxury boxes revenue.

Also, Bill Simmons is doing a podcast; great chat with Rick Bucher about what the NBA is all about in 2007.

MantoMan

2007-06-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

From Phil Jasner today:

Add longtime NCAA and former New Jersey Nets analyst Bill Raftery to the list of people contacted by Comcast SportsNet as a potential successor to Steve Mix as the Sixers' TV analyst. Raftery, a onetime star guard at La Salle, is recovering from hip-replacement surgery.

I got no problem spending 100 nights w/ Mr. Raftery (The 76ers plus college games).

Top 11 + 2

2007-06-21T14:28:00.000-05:00

Interesting note in an article by Marc Narducci about where Billy King sees the draft moving:

King has mentioned that, through the conversations with teams and agents, he thinks there are two players who could be selected in the first 11 who aren't on the Sixers' top 11 list.

Marc Narducci Article

Looking at the top 11 from Chad Ford's List (Link), and from information gleaned from....no where, you'd have to think that Yi and Thorton are the two guys who would be "out". Just a hunch.

Greg Oden
Kevin Durant
Al Horford
Yi Jianlian
Brandan Wright
Corey Brewer
Jeff Green
Mike Conley
Julian Wright
Al Thornton
Joakim Noah

Yi

2007-06-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

Random Thoughts:

Jeff Green, Yi Jianlian, Brandon Wright, Al Horford...you have to think Billy King is going after one of these 4 guys and knows he'll take the last one of them and feel good. You would also have to figure none of them will be there at 12. You would also have to figure that with two mega-stars and a superstar (Kobe, Garnett, O'Neal) on the trading block there are opportunities to be a broker and turn a few picks into a higher one (Chicago, Minnesota, and Atlanta seem to be the most active in wanting to change their teams. The Lakers just seem like a mess right now; seems they haven't recovered from the day Shaq left.)
They went and saw Yi yesterday with a lot of people - either a smokescreen or the picture is coming together. They'll see Al Thorton next week. There are no other players between 3 and 12 who fit the bill for what the Sixers need - Beef.
I still think that if there was any way to get Mike Conley Jr. I'd try to do it

Just a reminder -

2007-06-19T11:36:00.001-05:00

76 Big Shot - The Promised Land will be filing live reports from the draft next week...if there is anything you think we should dig on, just let us know.

Chad Ford Update

2007-06-19T11:30:00.000-05:00

A few interesting tidbits from Chad Ford on ESPiN today - he's got Horford being a solid #3 in the draft and Conley #4. He mentions that Al Thorton will be who the Sixers take at 12; but mentions that the Sixers are desperately trying to move up to get Horford or Brandon Wright...we here at the Promised Land applaud that strategy.

DelcoTimes.com

2007-06-19T08:25:00.000-05:00

Jack McCaffery Article

Seems the "local media" is picking up on what we here at the Promised Land already know...that we've hit the bottom already!

G-Man

2007-06-18T16:15:00.001-05:00

Not that we here at 76 Big Shot have anything against Mike Gminski, especially as he was the Center on the 1989-90 Atlantic Division Championship Team, but I don't see any upgrade in the broadcast booth from the G-Man to The Mayor.

The Mayor at least knew the team and was happy to help at training camp.

Joe Juliano & HouseKeeping

2007-06-13T01:20:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Dad for supplying the best Phillies tickets in the park tonight - about 8 feet away from Charlie Manuel. Watching him manage for 8 innings is like watching a National Geographic special about an animal in the woods...Charlie seems to get along with ALL of the players. The coaches didn't talk much, especially Jimy Williams and Charlie Manuel to each other. Seems that Dubee kinda stays to himself. Then, after Rowand got hit for the second time, a few fans we're giving Contreras a hard time, and Charlie turned around and got into it with the fans...good stuff.

On the way back, we got to hear Joe Juliano with Glen Macnow on WIP at 9:45ish...Joe didn't have much to report that we didn't know but did make a good point...the 76ers do not have room to take on 3 first round picks on their roster unless they cut someone or a few someones. I think I'd like to have Joe Smith back next year if we can get him on good terms, NOT BAD TERMS BILLY! If not I'd personally rather have the 3 kids...but that's me.

Finally, a giant thank you to the readers who have started reading the site...I hope you enjoy the content and hope you all know how much I enjoy doing this....I would like this site to make a difference in the fans viewing and venting experience. I am shocked at how many people have been logging on and hope to keep this going until we have a good team.

Good Reading

2007-06-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Matt Kamalsky of DraftExpress.com for this article about the state of the Sixers...a couple of good graphs about the efficiencies of key 76ers and a great breakdown of the cap.

Asset development people...and the class of 2009 free agents.

2007-06-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

Jeff Green Article

It seems the Sixers made sure to let everyone see that Green will not slip past 12....but he may not be a 76er.

Refer back to the 04 draft and Andre Iguoudala...they kept that on the down low...it seems they've hired a PR firm to let everyone who isn't watching Paris in jail that Green is impressive and will be gone by 12.

Today's Workouts

2007-06-06T14:35:00.000-05:00

Sixers Notes

Today the Sixers will bring in an impressive list of players - Georgia Tech freshman forward Thaddeus Young, LSU junior forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Colorado State junior center Jason Smith (whose stock is apparently rising), and Vanderbilt senior swingman Derrick Byars.

You have to think there's a good chance one of these guys will be picked at 21 or 30...maybe not by the Sixers though. I think today is "what are we going to be missing?" day...

Also interesting to note that the Sixers are GOING TO Washington DC to see Green...you think they'll tell him that there's no way he gets by #12?

The Finals... and other things

2007-06-06T11:28:00.000-05:00

So 76er fans, what did we learn about the NBA in May 2007?

Even if you have that "special" player, you need balance on defense. Sure LBJ went MJ in Game 5 and Magic in Game 6 (with a special 'sheed ending for the Cav fans), but Varejo, Z, Gooden, Hughes, Snow etc...really played tight team defense (along with LBJ). This was especially prevelent in Game 5.
It sure helps to have "that special player"...in the East, it seems you can get to the second round any year because everyone is so up and down. Besides LBJ and maybe Dwayne Wade, there are no other stars you have to plan around on a nightly basis. For as good as Rip Hamilton played in the series against the Cavs, the key player for Detroit, Wallace, was up and down. Hence the results for Detroit...for everyone hoping to build a "team" a la Phoenix or Detroit, note the number of championships that those two teams have won (1). If Billy King plans on having a spread floor with lots of options, does that really mean he has no options at the end of the game? And I don't want a 6 foot shooting guard to score 30 points either.
Where is the 76ers special player? Remember, the last 3 years MVPs have been drafted below 8 (Nowtizki and Nash), neither are American, and flashy athletisicm aren't part of their games. I'm convinced there are "special" players in this draft - I'll call a special player someone that instantly becomes the focus of the other teams offensive/defensive game plans - but I think b/c of the age of the kids is younger, its much tougher to see who will develop.
While Michael Conley Jr. goes up in scouting, the fact that Jeff Green is on the fence is not good for the 76ers on two fronts:

He could be a good fit with the Sixers THIS year
It's one less player that will be available in the top 10 that was a sure fire high pick...that pushes the Spencer Hawes and Tiago Spitler down to 12. The pick loses some inherent value and becomes less valuable should a trade in the top 7 become available

It sure feels like Bill the King will be moving one if not more of those picks...I hope he stays in the draft this year as much as he can...nothing like getting 2009 draft picks to fire up the fan base. Right now we need ASSETS and they come $0.70 on the dollar this year.
The Cavs will take the Spurs to 6 games...the Cavs will get hurt by the pressure defense the Spurs will apply to Hughes and Gibson and unless LBJ knees Bowen in the onions at some point, he will wear down by the end. The Cavs have two things going for them - LBJ and good matchups with Duncan.
Chris Webber is a dog. Maybe he can play for the Spurs or Cavs next year to get his ring. I'm sick of hearing what a good guy he is too...where are the banners in Chrysler Arena Chris?

You might notice that we've taken a step back on the player reviews - we'll get back into that when things start to shake out a little more after Orlando. The one thing I think we all know is that we have no idea where the Sixers are going to draft and that 12 is probably less than 50/50.

One final note - only here on 76BigShot - a senior official on USA Basketball was talking to a colleague recently and the conversation of "How will Greg Oden be in relation to LBJ?" as a force in the NBA. This official said "Greg Oden in the best prospect to come out of college basketball and will be the best player in the NBA...soon."

Congrats E Snow

2007-06-02T23:46:00.000-05:00

...and the rest of the Cavaliers.

Our new AI can guard LBJ in a series.

E Snow & the Small Guard Problem

2007-05-31T22:59:00.000-05:00

First...congrats to E Snow - what a performance tonight in Detroit. I think they got one foul shot against him and that was it.

Second...at the end of big ball games against great teams, you need to have guards that are big and strong enough to handle any player on the perimeter one on one - I hope when they rebuild the squad, we don't have players at 6'1" who can't play post defense.

KOBE

2007-05-30T12:48:00.000-05:00

Stephen A.'s Livin' Room

Dalembert, AI, and two 1's for Kobe. Or Miller, Dalmebert and 3 1's for Kobe and their 1. Or AI, Miller, Dalmebert and our picks for Kobe, Bynum, and their first this year and next year.

I'll find some better role players than the Lakers have and Kobe will be the best player in the Atlantic Division.

Orlando List

2007-05-29T16:45:00.000-05:00

Happy Summer - sure we've got The Finals coming up, but are they going to be watchable? Next year when Oden and Duncan...oops, Sixers site!

Here's a list of the 20 players invited to the "Elite Prospect" camp in Orlando...figuring even if Billy the King trades 12 or 21, one of these guys is going to be a Sixer on draft night.

Looking back to our post about the draft being broken down into a "top 2" and top 9", here are the 11 players outside of those top 9 that are going to be round 1 picks (or enough GMs want to see them to see if where they'll be drafted):

Javaris Crittenton, PG, Georgia Tech
Spencer Hawes, C, Washington
Acie Law, PG, Texas A&M
Josh McRoberts, F, Duke
Joakim Noah, F/C, Florida
Jason Smith, F, Colorado State
Rodney Stuckey, G, Eastern Washington
Al Thornton, F, Florida State
Julian Wright, F, Kansas
Nick Young, SG, USC
Thaddeus Young, SF, Georgia Tech

Chad Ford's Blog

The big question is "Is the 'top 5' player that Billy wants on this list? And if he's not (which I'm guessing he's not), how's he going to move up? What does he have to trade?

Besides the 4 draft picks this season, which are worth more than they ever will be, here are some other assets they have to move in a trade:

Andre Miller - He's got two years left for a team that thinks it needs a PG to get to the "next" level (Lakers? Mavs? Heat? Cavs? Detroit if Billups leaves? Clippers?) I would hate to see him leave but if it meant getting a Brandon Wright or Mike Conley Jr.
Louis Williams - If there are any believers in his skills (which there may be), he could be a throw in to move up
Dalembert - He's not as good as his salary but he's got size, so if someone has a need at center he might be worth quite a bit in a trade (Atlanta?)

Sixers Salaries

Let me also say, being the master of the obvious, that there is no one on the Sixers that in untouchable when it comes to this draft...including Iguodala.

If it meant getting #3 and retaining some picks, I think its worth it for Conley, Brewer, or Wright.

Hibbert

2007-05-24T14:34:00.000-05:00

The fact that Hibbert is going back to school is not good for the Sixers...someone would have reached to get him in the top 10 and pushed a player the Sixers wanted down, or given them more leverage to move up.

That "Special" player and 3's

2007-05-24T14:24:00.000-05:00

So now that we got some bad news/good news on Tuesday, its time to reassess what options are coming up...

Billy King let it go to someone in the media that there is a player in the top 5 that he wants...I would have to think that that top 5 player he wants is Brewer, Horford, Wright, or Conley...I think Brewer, Horford and Conley are worth the move - all All Star Level players...not so sure that Wright is.

Considering the blurring lines between 4's and 3's, and considering that Larry Hughes is killing the Cavs right now, I thought we should look at some 3's before the long holiday weekend. I've taken Durant off this list because he's not going to be a Sixer.

3’s

1. Julian Wright 6-9 220 20 Kansas

2. Jeff Green 6-8 225 20 Georgetown

3. Al Thornton 6-7 210 23 Florida State

4. Thaddeus Young 6-8 210 18 Georgia Tech

5. Derrick Byars 6-7 220 23 Vanderbilt

6. Marcus Williams 6-7 207 20 Arizona

7. Alando Tucker 6-5 205 23 Wisconsin

I'd be happy with Thorton at 12 right now, but a lot of moving still to do.

Sorry - Couldn't Resist

2007-05-24T13:38:00.000-05:00

"Thank goodness I got the extension BEFORE the lottery!"