Where Do We Go Now?

The Sixers are a break and a few tweaks away from moving into the top 5 in the eastern conference playoff picture next season. While that is not the goal of what I want as a fan, a championship contender year in and out, its a first step. We've got infrastructure! Who wants to spend money on tickets for a team that doesn't have a chance to win the championship?!??!

How?

When injuries to Caron Butler and Gilbert Arenas flip the entire Eastern Conference playoff picture...

When the Indiana Pacers are preparing for the first round...

When Isiah Thomas in in the division...

When Chris Webber is the key move to ensuring a division crown and homecourt advantage...

...there's a chance.

We're young. We're athletic. We've got a MUCH better culture for player (asset) development.

We could use a break? - either a top 2 pick this draft or a trade that gets them a big time frontcourt scoring piece, but this is the Sixers...

Let's say things go the way they are supposed to with the draft (although it doesn't happen with Billy the King), we're going to get 3 good young players, one of which should be, kinda like, good. I'm not a big Noah fan ... no low post game - I'd take him later in the first round, not with the top 10 pick.

I think it is imperative we spend one of the first round picks on a legit PG prospect - I think Andre Miller is going to be here the next two years. Two years is a good amount for a high end talent to develop on the bench and play 15-20 minutes a night and spot starts when Miller is down.

Random thoughts....

- If the first pick comes up and Noah and Brewer are still on the board, I would take Brewer. That guy is going to be a matchup problem for 10 years.

- I'm not into any of the centers past Oden this year - I think you won't get anything more from any of them than what you get from Dalembert, who already has grown as an asset in the second half of the season for the team.

- There are two things that make players better assets for franchises - game (skill) development and salary structure. Now, we all will be praying that Billy the King will be more...judicious...with OUR (the Sixers collective which includes us fans!) salary cap.

If you look at this list of players, all have increased their value as assets for the franchise:

• L. Williams (floor game, game experience)
  
• Korver (floor game, team defense)
  
• Dalembert (REBOUNDING, self confidence)
  
• Green (health)
  
• Carney (game experience)
  
• Hunter (consistency in role has led to improved att-i-tude)
  
• Igoudala (does anything need to be said?)
  
• B. Jones (professional coaching, game experience)
  

With the committed money situation coming under control in two season, and with a new group of young players, the value of our assets will continue to grow and the average "value" per player will improve. This average "value" will also be improved by having Andre Miller playing a majority of the minutes at PG.

Its going to be a great summer!

1,2,345...Sixers