Deep Sixer

DURHAM, N.C. -- It’s easy to get carried away by seeing things in training camp, which is why a player such as 76ers point guard Andre Miller is good to talk to and get some perspective on the state of the team.
When asked as training camp was breaking at Duke University about the young talent on the team, Miller gave an honest assessment.
“It’s too early right now to tell,” he said.
Miller doesn’t say a whole lot, at least off the court, but when he does, everybody listens. He is entering his ninth year in the NBA and the Sixers are his fourth team, so he has seen his share of training camps.
His message is simple – wait until some games are played before making any judgments.
All we have from a week in training camp are initial impressions. It won't stop us from making some judgements, but take it for what it's worth, which at this stage is very little.
The biggest impression is that coach Maurice Cheeks is going to have a difficult time distributing minutes, even in the preseason.
The Sixers have so many players at a similar skill level, but as Cheeks often reminds everybody, the games will separate the competition.
Here are some early impressions based on what we were able to see. (Only a portion of the workouts are open to the media).
*Miller’s leadership is invaluable to this team. Even veteran players look to him for guidance. He is among the most intelligent players in the NBA.
*Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith might be ready for a spot in the rotation quicker than originally anticipated. Both played well and caught the eye of Cheeks and the coaching staff.
*Kevin Ollie won’t relinquish the backup point guard spot to Lou Williams very easily. Prior to sitting out the final practice with a groin strain, Ollie was having as strong a camp as anybody on the team, according to Cheeks.
*Samuel Dalembert still has a way to go to get back in the flow of things, but considering that he is coming off a stress fracture in his left foot, his work in camp has to be encouraging.
*Willie Green seems to have the edge at shooting guard over Rodney Carney. Green seems so much more confident of his knee, which wasn’t the case last year. He has surgery on Aug. 16, 2005 and now more than two years later, says he is a different player.
*Herbert Hill might have the edge over fellow second round pick Derrick Byars for potentially that final roster spot. Hill is still a work in progress, but he goes for the ball strongly on the offensive and defensive glass.
*The Sixers need a lot of work in their perimeter game, but then again, just about every NBA team could make the same claim.
This was only from a week’s worth of observations. The team’s strengths and weaknesses will be more evident as the preseason games are about to begin