Philadelphia 76ers Preview

Hello All,

Finally, on to the playoff teams from last year.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Key Additions: Andrew Bynum (trade), Kwame Brown (FA), Nick Young (FA), Jason Richardson (trade), Dorell Wright (FA), Royal Ivey

Key Losses: Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Louis Williams, Jodie Meeks

Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Richardson
SF: Evan Turner
PF: Spencer Hawes
C: Bynum

Role Players: Thaddeus Young, Lavoy Allen, Young, Brown, Ivey, Wright

Comments: The 76ers finally broke the stalemate that they were in during the offseason. This team was built to play good defense and team ball, but never had the big man or great scorer to lead them far in the playoffs. Sure, they beat a Rose-less Bulls team, but they weren't going anywhere with the Iguodala-Brand core. They used the Dwight Howard situation to get Andrew Bynum, and a player they believe can lead them to the top half of the Eastern Conference. Doug Collins is a really good players coach, and his relationship with Bynum has to be good for this to work. Bynum is kind of a psychopath, so it is important he stays motivated and focused.

I really like Jrue Holiday. He is a lanky PG that is quick and has a decent shot. I would like him to be more aggressive, and with Iggy and Williams gone, he will have the ability to take more of the offensive load, rather than letting his other teammates control the ball. He also needs to develop chemistry with Bynum. Kobe was very good at getting Andrew the ball in places close to the rim, with his stupid "looks like its a shot, but its actually a pass to the rim" shit. Holiday needs to get him the ball close to the rim to maximize his ability. The Sixers have no real backup point guard. Royal Ivey is mediocre-bad in terms of a backup, so I would assume they will use Evan Turner as the primary ball handler when Holiday is out, to try to use Ivey minimally. Ivey was last seen on the Thunder where he would play 3 minutes, clank a few threes to the delight of the opponent, and then exit for Russell Westbrook. I assume the Sixers will look for a backup at some point in the season.

Jason Richardson was another piece the Sixers received for Iggy. While he can't do this anymore- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PejeH1uzDJs. He can still get hot from outside and provide solid scoring and defense. He has the ability to shoot you out of a game, but J-Rich should be a good floor spacer for Bynum and the penetration of Turner and Holiday. I love Nick Young. Only for the reason that he doesn't miss in NBA 2k11 and I was able to beat avid blog reader Jacob Posner many times with the Wizards (young's former team). Young is a really good shooter in real life too, and he proved in the playoffs for the Clippers that he could set his attitude aside and provide the scoring punch to be a one-man comeback. I think he will be great on this team, and he might see himself playing in crunch time.

When the Sixers took Evan Turner with the 2nd overall pick, I thought it was really dumb. And it showed his first year, where he seemed lost in the NBA. Turner is OK in pretty much all facets of the game, but not particularly good at any of them. Is he a distributing point guard? Is he a rebounding SF? Is he a defensive SG? We still dont really know, but he did show significant improvement in his shooting and offense in general. I see him as an Arron Afflalo type with a bit better passing ability. We will see if he creates a more defined role this year, his first where he won't be behind Iggy on the depth chart. Thad Young is the backup. He is one of the premier bench players in the league. He provides an offensive and defensive spark when he comes in, and he usually remains in during critical times. I always thought he should start, but Doug Collins likes someone to anchor the bench, and Thad Young provides that. Unfortunately he sucked against the Celtics in the playoffs, a big reason they didnt advance.

Spencer Hawes had a breakout season, after a few years of showing no ability on the Kings. Suddenly, he was a double-double machine, could shoot from outside. I credit Doug Collins and a winning environment, but Hawes's improvement made the loss of Brand easier to swallow. What is cool is that Hawes is a really good passer for a big man. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0C6yVOGoqE Lavoy Allen made the Brand loss easier as well. Against the Bulls in the playoffs, he consistently outplayed Joakim Noah inside. He is a big body inside, and showed really good post moves after rarely playing in the regular season. I know the Sixers see him as the PF of the future, so he should get ample playing time alongside Bynum up front.

I have already said a lot about Andrew Bynum, but he is the star that this team will have to lean on. Bynum can be a superstar if he is able to take on the challenge of being the focal point on this team. What this means is that he has no Kobe or Pau to take the load off on both offense and defense. He will deal with serious double and triple teams and needs to develop better passing and shooting. His defensive presence as long as he is not elbowing defenseless players is sound (see Timberwolves preview for video). There are not a lot of good big man in the East, so the Sixers must use this advantage. That is their chance to beat the Heat, if Bynum can take his game to the Dwight Howard level. Kwame Brown I mention as a backup, because he is actually a solid backup defensive center. Sort of like Theo Ratliff. Despite being a draft bust, he has gained some respect back by remaining a solid role player. It will be interesting to see if he can contribute to a winning team.

The Sixers will be improved from last year, pending Bynum's health. They should be in the Top 4 of the East with homecourt in the first round. I don't see them beating the Heat yet, but they could find themselves in the Eastern Conference Finals with a little luck.

Next Up, Utah Jazz