Deep Sixer

Great game to watch tonight. The bottom line is that the 76ers couldn't stop Utah from getting buckets in the second half. Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are as good as it gets in the pick and roll game. And if Mehmet Okur, Kirelenko, and C.J. Miles (a good looking youngster) are hitting shots, it's game over. I didn't even mention another player I like there, Paul Milsap.

Korver will be a good fit for Utah. They have people who can draw a double-team and he's playing with a top 3 NBA point guard in Derron Williams. He'll have a lot of wide open looks with the way the move the ball. Maybe they have enough good players defensively that can help make up for some of Kyle weaknesses on the defensive end.

The 76ers showed a lot of heart tonight. If Iggy keeps playing like he is now, he'll get his money. The cost of getting Miller in a trade keeps going up and up, and Lou Will seems to have gotten his aggressiveness back. The block on Okur and then the alley-oop dunk on the other end is an ESPY award winner for 2008. He's just not shooting as well as he was before the injury.

Besides not getting key stops, the 76ers missed 9 free throws tonight. That's critical in a game that you lose by 3 points. Jason Smith showed some signs tonight of his athleticism and potential. I'd love to see his game a few years from now after working with a good big man coach to get comfortable operating on the block along with some time in the weight room.

Thad or Carney really didn't get too many minutes or chances to do anything tonight. (I missed the entire first quarter, so I'm going off of what I saw for the last 3 quarters.)

Anyone notice that Mo is now playing Reggie Evans or Thad at the end of games now. One caveat of the Korver trade is that Mo can't stick him at PF now. That was worth the trade by itself.

Stefanski should be able to get something pretty good for Miller with the way he's balling. Here are my top 3 packages I think Stefanski shoud look seriously at:

Miami Heat -- A. Miller/Carney for Jason Williams/Earl Barron/D. Cook. In the end, the 76ers get $20M in cap room next summer along with a young prospect that could end up being a starting 2-guard on this team.

L.A. Lakers -- A. Miller, C. Booth, S. Randolph, Lou Amundson for Kwame Brown, Sasha Vujacic, Javaris Crittenton or Farmar. (With this deal, the 76ers get $11M in additional expiring contracts, giving it $21M in salary cap room this summer and a young PG).

A lot of people say the Lakers don't need another point guard and A. Miller couldn't play in the triangle. I think that's a bunch of bull, plus the Lakers would get one of the best PGs in the league for nothing. Derek Fisher can move over to the 2 and Kobe can play the 3 at the end of games.
Another caveat for the Lakers is that Miller and Odom's contract both expire at the end of next year, allowing the Lakers to be $25M under the cap. This would allow the Lakers to add a third star to Kobe and Bynum, right at the time Kobe can opt out of the last 2 years of his deal.

Cleveland Cavaliers -- A. Miller/Lou Amundson for D. Gooden, Ira Newble and 2008 no. 1 pick. (With this deal, the 76ers would get an additional $3M in cap room, a starting PF in Gooden and the Cavs no. 1 pick in 2008. So we'd go into the summer with $13M in cap room and 2 no. 1 picks for 2008.) This is the least attractive of the 3, in my opinion. I'd probably make Cleveland bring in another team to get at least another expiring contract for this to happen.

Thoughts on any of the above?

This was a good game tonight, Several players played really well: Andre Miller had 25 pts and 8 ast, Andre Iguodala had 30 pts, Sam went for 20 pts 10 rbs and 3 blks, Lou Williams contributed 17 pts and 4 ast, and Reggie Evans had 12 rbs. The Jazz tried their best to break it open, but we wouldn't let them, We hung with them shot for shot.

Considering this was the fourth game of a long sixth game western swing, I thought the team performed admirably. If Boozer hadn't hit those 2 jumpers at the end, this game would have had a different ending. Nevertheless this team continues to far exceed what the basketball pundits predicted, (under 30 wins, last place in the Atlantic Conference).

After reading Marc's blog, I felt compelled to point out the positive aspects of this game. Because, if you didn't see it, and just read his blog, you wouldn't have had a clue as to how well we played. Sixer fans should be proud of this team. They're exciting, and definitely headed in the right direction.

The way the Sixers and Miller are playing right now I think the best ( and only ) move I would make is the Laker deal. The other two deals don't excite me much. The Heat are out of contention already and I doubt with their cap situation they want to add older players. I don't care for the Cavs deal because I don't think Gooden is a long term answer at PF and the Cavs #1 in 08 isn't going to be much better than 18 - 22.
The Laker deal works on the so many more levels.
Miller gives them a legit PG to compete in the West. It gives the Sixers a young PG ( I prefer Crittendon ) that has tons of upside, a 3 month free trial of Kwame Brown at PF and cap space.
I'll pick those guys in LA and bring them to town

The phrase "didn't get stops" covers so many types of defensive mistakes. I would just say that the Sixers could not defend Utah's pick and roll. Sammy, God love him, looked clueless in those situations. Smith went to school trying to guard Boozer and Evans showed a lack of discipline in his defensive rotations. I really appreciate Evans' energy and his rebounding skills, but some coach needs to teach him about team defense.

All that said, I enjoyed watching the game and the heroic efforts made by our squad to play against this disciplined team. Bring on LA!

I am adjusting to LAK (Life After Korver), but I think that adjusting to LAM would be much more difficult. Cap space is wonderful, but unless this team gets blown up into something that does not look a thing like the current group, then these young players will need to keep studying - and Andre Miller is a great on the court teacher.

Couldn't agree more, Rick. If they trade Miller, will the players regress without their on court leader (ie jack up ill advised shots, run shoddy plays)? There aren't many good free agwents out there, so whats the point of freeing up cap room for a weak crop of FAs? Trade him next year or simply let his contract expire.

I think Mo should get at least one more year. Give him the tools he needs to win and I think he could make something happen. We know he can motivate players, and he's getting a lot out of this group that not many people expected. He still aggrevates me with some of his moves, but every coach make questionable decisions sometimes.

All in all, it was a good game. So many things could have swung that game our way. Things like Carney missing a dunk, Milsap goaltend that was never called, Sammy leaving Okur alone so many times. Couldn't Boozer miss at least one of those jumpers??? And how many times can we take a team to the end of the 24 sec clock and have them hit a 3 at the buzzer (what can you do, right?) Missing so many free throws. UGH!!!! That game was so maddening yet positive to know we have been giving good teams a hard time. I think that goes back to the coach's influence and the players' acceptance of the influence.

Sixers beat Lakers on Friday.

I'm tired of the Andre Miller scenarios. Watching the game last night I realized how important he is to the Sixers. Even prospective free agents know that they will be better served by a team playing quality basketball. That's why Stefanski is wise to openly say he's not trading Miller. They've already given Korver away for less than equal value.

I see a team that doesn't need to tank and hope a prized rookie comes to save the day. It could be, if management plays its cards right, one more piece at the four spot and this team can really take off. I'm really impressed with the younger players and how Iguodala and Dalembert are progressing. But they need the "glue" and Andre "I hit the shots Eric Snow never could" Miller is that guy.

DaTruth - Carney got some time in the first quarter and unfortunately looked pretty bad. He couldnt really hit anything and at one point he missed a dunk, somehow got the rebound, and somehow managed to miss the dunk again...It was ugly, not surprised he didnt find his way back in. Thad was in for a bit too, but was kind of invisible when he was...

To me the story last night was Sammy and Dre the Younger...the Hatian sensation is playing like he knows what he's doing(for the most part) and Dre is playing like he's got a pair.

I have one major bone to pick, and it has nothing to do with anyone's level of play. Im sick and tired of seeing everyone on this team argue every call. That goes for Mo also - his T last night was completely asinine. Yes, there was some real bad calls, but i want to watch a team that shrugs them off plays through. News flash - the officials are not going to change their minds about a call after the fact, no matter how much you jaw at them. In fact, they'll probably make calls just to spite you if you get in their faces too much.

I remember a year or two ago LeBron was victimized by a terrible call that arguably cost the Cavs a playoff game - He looked indignant(which is fine), but didnt say a word. When asked about it by the press, he said "We're a no excuses team". That is how i want to see the Sixers play. Yes, they are frustrated by loosing so much, but nobody wants to see crybabies and Mo should be leading by example, not getting stupid T's.

You're dean on, James. We need Andre Miller on this team.

Very nice trip so far... The HOME TEAM continues to IMPRESS with great effort and HARD PLAY, props all around (except for CARNEY)

Iggy looks like he has found his GAME from the end of last year hope he keeps it up.

Thad looks like he found the ROOKIE WALL
He'll be ok just let him play through it, he should still get at least 12-15 MPG

J Smith looks like he is coming out of his ROOKIE WALL mini funk.. BOOZER did take him to school but he takes EVERYBODY to school.
He contiues to earn his 12 - 15 MPG.

A MILL is OOC (OUT OF CONTROL) right now and you have to LUV IT!! the more i see him play at or near this level the less I want to see him go. It would not be the worst thing to keep him until his contract is through.
Althought I would still strade him if the price was right..BUT the price would need to be HIGH becaue I think he is a BIG reason the young guns are doing as well as they are.
Plus the Sixers need to find a young PG he train....

Still no Herb HILL or SHAV?????
Let'em PLAY MO

One last thing it's nice to see the real
LOU Will out there again

First off, the Sixers played so well last night that they should be getting some props. In truth, they played well enough to win, but the Jazz simply shot so well that it was impossible.

It's not clear how good the Jazz really are, but the Sixers did give them all they could handle last night.

I don't want to see Andre Miller traded. I like the way the team is developing and have no problem with the Korver trade. I think the move will actually be good for both teams.

The Team isn't that far away from being competitive. Miller is a top 10 guard, Andre Iguodala is a top 10 small forward, Louis Williams will become a top 10 guard, Sam Dalembert could be a top 10 center.

That should be good enough to compete in the NBA. The team has improved in steps over the season and continues to get better. Even with Willie Green out with an injury, the team is playing very well.

Carney appears to be a bust, just not a smart player. The continued development of Thad Young and the return of Green will put Carney back on the bench.

The real thing that is driving the fans nuts is the Center and Power Forward spots. Sam is a pretty good Center, but not good enough to compensate for Evans who just doesn't score. We want to see Hill and Randolph play. We saw just a little bit of Shavlik last year and he was coming along before the injury. All I know about Hill is that he's another young big man.

I like Jason Smith and and happy that Cheeks is giving him more time, but we need to see the other two.

IF it turns out that either one of them can really play- the Sixers should consider standing pat. This team has some good players and with a little improvement in ball handling and free-throw shooting is definitely a playoff team in the East.

When the Sixers finally get the PF they need,they will be pretty good.I've seen enough of Reggie Evans to now understand why he was buried on the Denver bench.Our SG situation is a mess,and Carney takes a step forward,then takes two steps back.And it amazes me how teams,with so many scouts and all,could have passed up on Carlos Boozer to the point he fell into the second round.If that rule restricting second rounders was in place back then,he would still be on the Cavaliers,and they probably would have won a title by now.Utah is so good,that they have a shooting guard named Morris Almond,who everybody wanted the Sixers to draft,buried on their bench.I was wrong,he was sent down to the NBDL,so he can get playing time.

Many on this board are very short-sighted. Andre Miller is very good now, but what will he be in 2 or 3 years? He'll be 35 yrs of age at that point - he can't even play defense now. Deron Williams TORCHED him (and Lou Williams to be fair) all night long - why do you think Utah had so many open 3s? Christ, they're the WORST 3-pt shooting team in the league.

I like Andre Miller, don't get me wrong. I think he's the perfect PG on a team like the Nuggets that have two big-time scorers and a nasty defensive presence inside. However, when he has to be the 1st or 2nd option on offense and is COUNTED ON to be at peak performance every night, his team clearly is lacking the prime time pieces needed to compete for a championship.

Would you trade Andre Miller for either Elton Brand or Josh Smith AND a backup center (e.g., Steven Hunter) AND a young propsect (e.g., JR Smith)? When you look at it from that angle, it's a no brainer to move him FOR THE RIGHT DEAL.

I know Andre Miller has probably the most value of anyone on the team, but do we HAVE to get rid of him? If every team needs a good PG, why shouldn't we have one too? Lou could back him up and split his time at the 1 and the 2 spots. As great a PG as Miller is, doesn't he like having the green light to score as well? How does he feel about staying here? I like knowing that we have another player capable of scoring 15-20 pts when shots aren't falling for someone else. Aside: For goodness sake someone please get Reggie Evans in the gym. I like his hustle and his rebounding, but he can't score from ANYWHERE (including and most importantly, the free throw line). Every time he ends up with the ball in his hands, the game becomes a horror movie.

One of the good parts about watching last night play was seeing Sammy live up to that contract. I can't help but think how impressive he will look with a Power Forward who is actually a scoring threat. Pair Sammy with Josh Smith and we have two athletic big men who can run and are two of the great shot blockers in the game. I think Josh Smith would be such a great addition to this team. On the other hand I continued to get disappointed by any of our "Shooting" Guards. Look how much better the team does toward the end when the back court features Miller and Williams. I am looking forward to seeing Green come back about as much as I look forward to seeing Evans shoot free throws.

Dean, Miller is the perfect PG on any team. Miller never was a stopper on defense, he never was close to being a stopper. At 35, I say he will still be close to what he is now. How's Jason Kidd playing now? How old is he? He doesn't play good defense either. Miller is not Kidd, but Miller is a baller that even Kidd can admire. The leadership, vision on the court, the neck breaking pump fake, the mid range "J", and the snap passes will still be there.

Having said all of that, no one is untouchable in my eyes. If the right deal came along, I'd certainly look at it. I'd just have to think long an hard about giving up all those attributes listed above that the next point guard probably won't have.

I live in the ATL. so I don't get to see many Sixer games. My question is for all of the poster who keep asking for Hill & Randolph, are they buried on the bench or even in uniform.
Maybe they're not 100%. My guess is, if they're able to practice pain-free and they're in shape they'll start to get minutes. I bet Cheeks wants to know when they'll be available to him also, let's ask the trainer.

Dre, does Josh Smith operate much with his back to the basket?

Craig, Josh is a face the basket, beat you with a quick first step guy, with a powerful jump off two feet. He has a mid-range game but is iffy from deep. Most of his points are put backs and drives to the basket.
The Hawks have Horford and Zaza down low, and Joe Johnson who post people up also. Josh isn't asked to that much.

Dean, i Think you misread us - no one is suggesting we sign Miller beyond is current deal. He's only got one year left - and then he's cap space. Lou Williams is stepping up, but he's not ready to take over yet. I cant think of anyone better to learn from than Miller. Yes, his defense is fair-to-middling, but that is something they're going to have to live with unless we come up with another point gaurd who can run the offense.

Josh Smith is interesting and i wouldn't get on Stefanski if he made the deal, but first of all im not seeing it happen realistically and secondly there's a good possibility that everyone takes a few steps backward without the steady veteran at point. I do not like Brand's contract at all - we have made far too many mistakes on supposed blue chip players with huge contracts, some of whom we are still paying(one of whom is collecting two paychecks, since he's an assitant coach for us now). To me, this is short sighted, mortgaging the future on one player. Plus he's hurt. If he was healthly i'd consider it, but definitely would not make a trade for someone who wont even get in this year. Injuries can be funny, there is no garaunteeing that a given player will come back all the way.

I think one way or the other we will not be going to any championships for a few years anyway, so lets just see what we have this year before doing anything too rash. Remember, this is still the first year post-AI and that essentially means its a rookie year all over again for the most of the guys(ie, they have to re-learn team ball). And its a real rookie year for most of the rest of the team. So lets take a deep breath and get through this year and the draft. Then i wont be surprised or upset if some moves get made this summer.

But, if you can find someone who wants Green and/or Carney now, have at it.

"Every time he ends up with the ball in his hands, the game becomes a horror movie."

Thanks phillygirl109! I couldn't quite find the words to describe that horrible feeling I get in my gut when Evans gets the ball in the low post, but that's it right there. When Evans gets that look in his eyes and decides he's gonna chuck it up, it's like the scene from "Hostel" where the guy with a leather apron walks into a room with that young backpacker chained to a chair bolted to the floor.

On a lighter note, I wanna recommend Marc and Joe Juliano's podcasts, they're really good. I wanted to kill some time on the plane so I thought I'd download them and give 'em a listen. I'm never missing another one! Gotta make sure Marc keeps doing those. I don't know how much traffic those podcasts get, but for those of you with mp3 players, get 'em and listen on your drive to work or something. I think they release one once a week.

Because of them, I found that I was wrong about something - I thought Mo started using the run and gun only after BK was fired, but it turns out it's something he's been stressing since the start of the season. Maybe that's why the free throws weren't going down early on, the players were always tired when they got to the line because they weren't in the right shape for that kind of offense.

I never would have imagined that this team could turn around so quickly... There is still much improvement needed, but they are already beginning to look like a team that will be a contender in the East in 2-3 seasons. If Stefanski can continue to make sound basketball decisions, like the Korver trade, I see this team back in the playoffs by next season... (Might even steal a #8 seed this year if Dalembert continues to improve)

Amen!! ... to Craig and the others who realize how essential Miller is to this young team. Those of you projecting Lou Williams as your PG today are being foolish. Williams is a nice player but, alas, more in the mold of Iverson.
Blow my socks off with a trade involving Miller or let it go.
Fortunately, apparently Stefanski recognizes this as well.

I don't know why everyone seems to be down on Lou Williams progression as a point guard. He still average about 5 assists a night despite coming of the bench and most of his time coming when he's paired up with Andre Miller so he's not actually playing the point then. So far I think he's done a good job at proving that next year he could become a good solid Point Guard.

Hey guys, really enjoying this blog. Only found it a few weeks back, but alot of you are really knowledgable, and I have been looking for a spirited place to talk Sixers. Thank you all.

Anyways, maybe im wrong in reading him, but Jason Smith really, really impresses me. In fact, I would take him over alot of PF's in this league given his potential. He can dribble for god's sake! How many PF"s can dribble and create their own shot? I like his presence in the post, and the kid shoots a pretty nice jumper to. Are we looking over the fact that he may end up being our PF for the future? Thoughts?

I agree that I think we need Miller here one more year to let Lou Williams develop time at SG or PG. I think for my money's worth, I would prefer to let Williams play behind Miller at PG for another year, because I don't forsee Williams as that great as a shooter. Of course, I may be wrong and he may just need another year to develop his NBA shot (in which case he could be a viable scorer). As it stands now though, I would rather them move Miller and just bring in a lights out shooter as opposed to a PF. Of course, that may just get us into another Allen Iverson situation where he took 40 shots a game and made 13 of them and it doesen't allow other players to develop. But when do you stop the "rebuilding" and "developmental" process and concentrate on building a team?

Also, just wanted to mention Bill "Sports Guy" Simmons article on team chemistry in the NBA. Well worth the read.

TRUE PG's are just different from the rest of the players in the way they see and react to the game..you either have to have that mentality or you don't. If you do it can be honed or even enhanced by good example or good coaching or both.

NO ONE CAN MAKE a NON PG a PG!!!
If you don't have the natural gifts.

Can anyone name me a player that was MADE into a good PG at the NBA level???

LOU WILL is a nice combo guard, HE DOES NOT HAVE the TRUE PG MENTALITY of seeing things a step or two a head or the pass first & second then shoot - that the good PG's all have.

I LIKE LOU... BUT he is NOT the PG of the future. 3 - 5 APG does not mean you are a PG.

That's all most folks are saying NO HATE we luv LOU..but he is what he is a natural scorer.

The sixers still need to bring in the heir apparent

Let me get everyone's take on the following 10 deep lineup for the Sixers (starter / reserve):

F Andre Iguodala / Thad Young
F Josh Smith / Reggie Evans
C Pau Gasol / Steven Hunter
G JR Smith / Eric Gordon (or flip-flopped)
G Lou Williams / Kyle Lowry (or flip-flopped)

OR

F Andre Iguodala / Thad Young
F Elton Brand / Reggie Evans
C Sam Dalembert / Steven Hunter
G JR Smith / Eric Gordon or OJ Mayo
G Lou Williams / Willie Green

Here's the best part...YOU CAN ACHIEVE EITHER ONE OF THESE TEAMS WITH THE TRADING OF ANDRE MILLER (especially #1). If you don't trade Andre Miller, then Josh Smith, Elton Brand, Eric Gordon / OJ Mayo, JR Smith are all a f'ng pipe dream. The status quo will not change at all if Miller stays on the team; if you let him play out his contract, then you get NOTHING in return. Does anyone on this board seriously think that the Sixers can do any better AT BEST than the 7th or 8th spot in the playoffs with the current lineup? I hear this argument: trade Willie Green and then you can sign Josh Smith in the offseason. Do you really want Josh Smith and Sam Dalembert starting together - neither has even a semblance of a "back to the basket" game!! You'll never win with that lineup.

C'mon everyone - wake up!! Andre Miller isn't going to get you past the Celtics and Pistons now, or Magic and Cavs in the future. Why did we trade AI? So we could sit here and watch a 35-45 win team every year? We have two very good pieces in place (Iggy and Lou Will), one solid contributor (Sam), and one MONSTER trade chip (Miller). Let's do the right thing here.

Until we get a legitimate PF,and a legitimat SG,we'll continue to be a 25-35 win team.

Dean, I'm not sure I understand how you are coming up with these rosters. How do they end up with Josh Smith, Gasol, JR Smith (whose awful) AND one of the top 3 guards in next years draft? In the second lineup you assume Brand signs here, his option is for $17 mil per. The Sixers can't match that.

Dean,slow down on the coffee.Why would the Sixers invest that type of money in a player who is coming off of a achilles injury.Elton Brand will be lucky if he is given another long term contract.

Hey guys, it's Oldre Miller here. I don't play any D and its getting worse the older I get. D Williams torched me for a career high 20 assists last night and I feel pretty good about it. Doctor says I need a backiotomy but I'm glad you guys like me so much. You should however realize that i'm not good enough to get you over the hump and no team i've ever been on has ever been elite (for a reason). If your team doesn't play D, you can't be elite, what champion has ever been just an offensive powerhouse and had a terrible defensive point guard, the pistons? No. The Spurs? No. The Lakers? No. The Bulls? No. Do your homework people. I can't get you over the elite hump with my terrible on ball defense no matter how many mid range jumpers I hit in a row...

Please do not judge the 21 year old Lou Williams entire future as a point guard right now considering
A. We've never seen him start and play a good 40 minutes and
B. Whenever he does come into the game he's mostly paired up with our current point guard anyway.

I think we have bigger fish to fry then whether or not our 21 year old lightning fast guard will be better for the future than our old but sturdy current option considering we have The worst starting Power forward and Shooting Guard in the game right now.

Hey, Oldre. How good was Deron Williams' defense that allowed you to drop 25 on his head? How good of a point guard is he then? I guess the Jazz can't win with him either....

Put me in the camp of the guys who want Miller to stay. As someone above said so well, the reason some of the Sixers are playing much better now is because they are playing with a true PG who knows how to run a team and makes his teammates better. Iggy and Sammy, and especially the young kids on this team, desperately need a veteran PG to help them develop. Moving Miller for cap space or even a young PG like Crittendon is going to set this team back for at least 2 -- if not more -- seasons.

As a Sixers fan who lives in Atlanta, I can tell you all that there's little or no chance the Hawks will give up or trade Josh Smith. He's still really young. He loves to play defense (a rarity among many NBA players let alone a kid who skipped college) and may already be the 2nd best PF in the East.

Suppose I'm wrong and they are willing to trade him. Guess what? It's gonna cost us some combo of Iggy, Sammy and Miller (along with other pieces from the Hawks to make the deal work.) That's how much the Hawks think of Smith and I don't blame them. He still has some growing and maturing to do, but in another year or two he will be among the top 5 PF in the entire league. So much as I'd love to see Smith in Philly, I just don't believe it will happen.

I actually only dropped 11 on Deron and did the other 14 while he was on the bench...look up the play by play. Besides, who said Utah was going to be beating the Spurs anytime soon? Or any of the top 3 teams in the west for that matter? Deron is a great player but has a ways to go before he knocks off the upper echelon talent in the west. That said, if you would really rather have me over Deron Williams, I won't argue...although, i'd have to call you utterly insane.

RG and MJ:

The Sixers can acquire Pau Gasol and Kyle Lowry from the Griz (who want to move Pau badly) for a combination of Sam Dalembert, Rodney Carney, and either Jason Smith or a 2009 #1 draft pick. That deal is doable right now.

The Sixers can also send Miller and either the 2009 #1 or Smith (whichever doesn't go to Memphis) for Eduardo Najera (expiring contract), JR Smith, and Steven Hunter. That deal is also doable right now.

After the season (when Kevin Ollie and Najera come off the books), the Sixers will have the club option to re-sign JR Smith and STILL have $16-17M or so to go after Josh Smith (you don't need Brand if you get Gasol; however, you don't want Smith if you still have Sam). And, since the team clearly will not make the playoffs after these deals, the Sixers then have a legit shot at either Eric Gordon or OJ Mayo. Hence, the following depth chart:

F A. Iguodala / T. Young
F J. Smith / R. Evans
C P. Gasol / S. Hunter
G E. Gordon or OJ Mayo / JR Smith
G K. Lowry / L. Williams

11th and 12th men will be Willie Green and either Herb Hill, Amundson, or Shav.

Dean, slow down my brother. Please, no more Steven Hunter scenarios. It makes me sick to my stomach just to think about it. And for those people who think they can get expiring contracts for Reggie Evans, Willie Green and Carney, you're dreaming. They are ALL bench players. It jus so happens Evans and Green are starting on a bad team.

For the Dre supporters, I understand where you are coming from. The 76ers could do worse than keeping Miller another year and letting his contract expire. However, this team has an opportunity to make some moves to establish itself as a long-term playoff contender. Miller is the best asset it has to make it happen.

Even with Miller for the next two years, this is still a 30 to 35 win team. I'd rather have the opportunity to get a Brand or a Josh Smith, and if that can't happen, then get what I want via trades and draft picks.

The good thing is I don't think Stefanski is missing the forest for the trees like many of us are. He knows he is in a rebuilding phase with this team and still have a lot of moves to make before it is a playoff contender.

Marc, could you tell Mo how much the 76ers fans would love to see Hill or Randolph on the floor? Or even ask Stefanski what he thinks of those 2 players he's never seen play? Just a thought.

Thanks for the clarification. I'd be shocked if Memphis would really do that deal, I'd jump on it in a second. However, with Pau and Lowry, I'd be looking to keep Miller amd use Lou as a potential trade chip. Otherwise you may be wasting the prime of Gasol and Andre with a young, inexpereinced backcourt.

F Evans/Jason Smith
F Igudola/Thad Young
C Gasol/Booth
G Miller/Lowry
G Green/Lou Will

Free up playing time for Hill and Shav and add a SG in the draft.

Last time I checked, Chauncey Billups wan't always a true point guard, but he, in fact, developed into one. So there is always hope... The difference is that Billups has the tools to be a great point guard, which we have yet to see from Lou

Who's Memphis' GM, because he'd have to have a screw loose to trade Pau Gasol and Kyle Lowry for Sam Dalembert, Rodney Carney, and Jason Smith. My God, if he called Ed and made that offer, I think Ed would crap his pants.

Ed: "Well, I don't know dude... I guess I could consider it."
*click*
Ed: "Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!! What a dumbass!"