Deep Sixer

Well summed up Marc. Let's hope it's the last word on the trade deadline.

I'm not upset at all that they didn't make any moves. Miller is a perfect fit here. I hope that they do extend him. I'm not ready to put Lou in at the point yet, he's still only 21 and has tons to learn. I'm enjoying watching this current roster develope. It can only get better in the off season, no matter who they pick up. Here's hoping that they make the dance! Cheers!

I am one of those who are disappointed that the 76ers didn't make a move. I just don't think that $10M in salary cap room is enough to overhaul this team.

I also don't agree with giving Andre Miller a contract extension. By doing this, you take away the best opportunity for this team to get better, his $10M expiring contract. Folks, Andre Miller is a 32-year-old point guard on a rebuilding team. He will be 33 years old next year.

It would be wrong for Stefanski to tie the hands of the franchise going forward by giving A. Miller a contract extension. Well, it is what it is right now. Let's see what they do down the stretch.

Datruth:

I'm with you about not doing an extension for Miller. If we're talking free agency, my first choice would be Calderon.

Like to see the following at times during the 2nd half; Iggy at the 2,Thad at the 3 and J.Smith at the 4 for stretches during the game.Carney get some starts [ if he earns them through effort]. And hopefully the players get in roles they may play in the future [W.Green off the bench] and L.Will. as a starter at the 2.

Miller's expiring contract will have more value in the offseason or at the next trading deadline. Look at Kwame Brown, etc.

Stop making sense, the two of you. I won't have it.

They could still trade Miller in the offseason in a sign-and-trade, where his expiring contract will be that much more valuable. I think the idea is to see how these next 2 months play out in terms of being able to get a playoff spot and then make a decision in the offseason based on what's available. Why would you trade away your second best player when you're legitimately in the playoff hunt and your team is playing so well?

Ok with the lack of a trade - I was hoping Sammy was going to be visiting Graceland, but it looks like Miller wasn't really on the table.

I guess all this trade discussion will be done for a while. Nothing to talk about but our playoff run or lack thereof.

And possible lottery selections dancing in our heads................

...and resume our countdown for the beginning of the Herbert Hill era- any week now!

once he gets off his crutches..............

I was not disappointed in the lack of a trade, but I was a little surprised to hear that Stefanski had no interest in Nick Fazekas (waived Tuesday). With two big men (Shav and Hill) that can't seem to get on the court, and one (Booth) that shouldn't be allowed on the court, it would seem that another young big man might be an asset - and Fazekas can shoot.

Marc,

Is it too late to trade Cheeks:)

You know how I feel about Mo. On the plus side, he has the team playing hard most nights, which is no small achievement. On the minus side: 1) his rotations are awful, 2) after 3 years, we still can't defend a 3 point shot or a pick and roll, 3) he is strategically outmatched by most coaches, and painfully so against the good ones. Overall, I would give him a C- (and I always was an easy grader).

Why do you think Stefanski chose now to give him an extension? Do you think he wants to empower Mo for a run at the playoffs this year? I would have thought the path of least resistance would be to wait until the end of the season, evaluate who is out there, and then if you decide Mo is your best option, go with him then.

Larry:

I think ES did it that way to reward Mo for being a good solider and trying to do what ES wants him to do. He's giving him a shot, I'd say Mo has the first 1/2 of next season to prove himself.

See, this is the problem with not making a move.

This offseason, the Sixers are the only viable team with major cap space. Memphis isn't going to spend, and Seattle is concentrating on a move. The 2009 offseason is not the same, as multiple teams will have major cap space, and there will be no impact PFs on the market. There are two viable options at PF that the Sixers could have gotten: Elton Brand and Josh Smith. With Brand, he can opt out of his deal, and the Sixers could have signed him to a classic free agent deal. With Josh Smith, the Sixers could have done a sign and trade with Atlanta.

However, the Sixers now don't have the $$ to sign Brand or Smith outright; Atlanta just got Mike Bibby as its PG, so a sign and trade is pretty out of the question involving Andre Miller. Clearly, there won't be a sign and trade with the Clippers; if Sterling doesn't re-sign Brand, it won't be to bring replacement cap $$ on board.

Ed Stefanski said on 950 WPEN this afternoon that the Sixers will be major players in the free agent market. For who I ask? Calderon? Maybe you get him at $10M; let's assume that Toronto doesn't want him back because of the TJ Ford situation and $10M is enough to get him. Now what are you going to do about PF and SG? You're too low in the draft to get a threat at either position, and now you're stuck with 2 PGs, AND you've used all of your available cap space. In 2009, we'll address the SG position in free agency once Miller expires - maybe. But, you still don't have a semblance of a low post player on this team.

So congratulations. At this time next season, we'll be in the same prediciment with no PF and no SG. Well done Eddie baby!!

There are so many assumptions in that screed, that I couldn't even begin...

Lou Williams: Presently bounces off contact like a Superball. Gets used by big guards. Inconsistent J. Yes, effervescent. Yes, self-confident, quick, nice crossover, get-to-the hole talent. But no Archie Clark or even Hersey Hawkins - never ever. Fail to see reasons for all the ravings and big time projections about him. Eventually, a part, not a cog.

I'm not so sure I've seen all that much ravings and/or big time projections, unless we all have different ideas of big time, about Lou on this blog.

jumpin, enjoyed watching you play. Maybe when he gets a bit stronger and experienced he'll develop that technique. I'm not sure he's a cog but not convinced otherwise, yet.

That is to say, I think most here agree with you.

larry,

Mo deserved this extension, even me, one of his biggest critics, thinks he should've gotten more than 1 year, I could've lived with 3 years. I simply can't picture another coach with this team right now. With Doc Rivers, this is a lottery team.

But what I don't like is Mo getting all this credit for this Sixers turnaround, I think Stefansky had something to do with it, too. He's the one who suggested to Mo that they go young, and try to get out on the break more. All Billy King said was, "They're gonna play hard." Give ES credit for taking that one step further: "Let's play hard on defense, cause turnovers and get more possessions, then run!" It's that old maxim, "Don't work hard, work smart." ES helped channel this team's youthful energy.

And Billy King SHOULDN'T get credit YET for his drafting. If you take the collection of players he's drafted, what have they won? Take his best picks and make a team: Sammy, Thad, Korver, Iggy, LouWill - how good is that team exactly?

Anyway, I know everyone wants to do something traditional, something time-tested and proven, but it would be an amazing, amazing thing if our "steal and run" game works (this isn't "run n gun", this is better and smarter, anyone who knows basketball knows this isn't "run n gun", okay Dei Lynam?) Trust me, other, less original teams are gonna copy what we're doing right now in the years to come. We're gonna be hearing NBA talking heads throw around buzzwords like, "that Philadelphia offense", or, "they're playing Philly-style ball!" I hope ES and Mo can work on perfecting this style of ball, it's incredible.

Dean,

FYI if Brand opts out of his contract, which I really doubt, who else has money to sign him outright?

How much cap space we have depends on what happens with Lou Will and Iggy.

Some points to ponder. Assume Brand opts out and the sixers really want him, well you don't resign Lou Will and you now have $14 mil to offer or you could trade an expiring contract (Booth or Carney) along with a 1st round pick in a sign and trade for Brand and his starting salary could be close to $12 mil.

This years unrestricted free agent crop sucks. I think any significant moves made by the sixers in the offseason will be thru a trade in which they take back more salary then they give up.

I'm glad the trade deadline has passed so I won't have to read trade proposals for Greg Oden or the #1 overall pick in the draft and players whose contracts will expire before the draft.

Morty, appreciate your feedback but others' commentary has included a lot a braggin' on the talent and future (and wisdom of drafting) of Lou Will. For example, the Vinnie Johnson comparisons/projections are way over the top.
Personalities, abilties and court mentalities of the two - worlds apart.

swf, thanks for the compliment. if you don't mind my saying so, i was thad young long before thad young was thad young (though he already shoots it better than I ever did). your hope in young Lou is certainly respectable. and, fyi, i miss dunkin' on willis and bells.

It’s Time to Put ‘Sixers’ and ‘Playoffs’ in the Same Sentence:
http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/2008/02/21/its-time-to-put-sixers-and-playoffs-in-the-same-sentence/

Look - I agree that this year's FA crop sucks, but I would have liked to see a trade of Miller for expiring contracts for three reasons:

1) You don't have to spend the $ this off-season, but you have the ability to and

2) If we trade Miller, we get to see more Lou WIlliams before we are forced to re-sign him or let him go. Also, we get to see how the future of the team will play together.

3) Miller goes - we lose - we get in the lottery, etc.

Ed made the best move by no move but the ball is still in his court...Moe has done his part by getting close to the best out of the roster...And there are no more addition by substraction guys on this team so this summer is going to define Ed's tenure...

Jumpin at 5'5" I can only dream.......... However, those were the days that I grew up with BBALL. I preferred that game to the one played today. No 3pters. Joe Caldwell, Sweet Lou Hudson, Hal Greer, 6'5" power forwards. Those were the days........

I believe the reason Mo was extended has to do with the Doc Rivers and Boston situation. He won 23 games with little talent but when they went out and signed the superstars they felt they owed him a chance to actually coach some PLAYERS. Next year Mo will have to produce and I believe wholeheartedly that he will.

Just a quick comment on some of the posters who would do this/do that...I understand it's very very easy to play armchair GM, great to sit at bars over brews and say who we would trade and keep. But has anyone looked at the other GMs in the league lately? The cavs/sonics/bulls trade is a great example....only 1 of the 3 teams got even remotely better in terms of players (or at least tried to....we'll have to see how wallace holds up). the other teams were looking for $. Plus, remember the gasol deal? the same GM who donated him to the lakers turned around and wanted the moon and the stars for mike miller.

My point is this: it takes two to tango and I don't think NBA GMs are even legitimately trying to make their teams better, they're simply trying to not get fired, and generally that means either making no-brainer deals or selling off $. So give ES credit for not doing something unless it helped his team.

And just to chip in my own GM take, Miller's contract is going to be more attractive this summer. let him develop some kids in the meantime and in a few months see what the cap space, his contract and some other pieces might get you.

I am disappointed that we held on to Miller after the trade deadline.Trading him in the off season does nothing to ease the pain. Might sound ironic but the damage is done already.Miller at the helm is the difference between 20 wins and 36 wins,Wip Dee Do!

I think that it is insane to sacrifice the future for a 32 year old point guard that won't be around to reap the benefits.It's a possibility that the Sixers will be drafting behind teams like Sac,Houston and Portland.

Here's to a miserable March and an awful April.

To poster Recliner G.M:
It’s Time to Put ‘Sixers’ and ‘Playoffs’ in the Same Sentence:

Yes, I agree. The Sixers WILL NOT make the playoffs.

Cavs didn't get better. Their defense now sucks on the perimeter. Good luck stopping Chauncey Billups penetrating in the conference semi-finals. Plus, who the hell is going to score on that team other than LeBron? Wally World? Delonte?

They got two over-the-hill former stars in Wallace and Szerbiak and took on way too much in cap $$. No flexibility going forward. Bye-bye Danny Ferry in two years when LeBron doesn't re-up.

I love the fact that the sixers didn't make amove at the deadline we weren't going to get any value back from trading miller now plus he is the team's second best player. The idea is to win games, make the playoffs then win a championship. we are close to making the playoffs so why would you want to blow up the team again how does that help the team it doesn't. For all of you hoping the sixers don't make the playoffs you are fools there isn't any player in this draft that will make a major difference to any team without a proven star there in place. what the sixers need to do is keep miller, continue to improve their youth, make the playoffs and draft and sign free agents by need. The only positions this team needs are point guard and power forward. Next year Thad will play small forward Iggy will play 2-guard, sam at center, miller at the point. while lou and wille can come off the bench to play the guard spots.

The Cavs may not have really improved themselves but they hardly got the short end of that deal. What's up with the Bulls? I still can't understand why they did this. Do they want L Hughes as their PG? Maybe they're planning on letting B. Gordon walk this summer. It doesn't make one bit of sense

I'm extremely disappointed Ed didn't do anything at the deadline. I'm not saying he should have blown the team up! (I would've like to have seen him trade Miller and even Sammy but if the deals weren't there, fine!) But I can't understand why he didn't trade Green or Evans. I know I said on a previous post that I didn't want to give up Evans, but he does have 3 more years on his contract. I can't believe nobody wanted either guy. I would have given up either for an expiring contract and/or 2nd round pick. Plenty of teams in the West could have used some toughness. Evans would've fit that need. And Green is a solid addition to most benches. Neither makes outrageous money either.

I know their longer contracts aren't what teams want but they don't make a lot of money compared to some other payroll termites in the league! And the Sixer shouldn't have wanted much in return.

Patience.... I would love to see a top 5 pick in this draft but giving up A. Miller wouldn't guarantee it. If Ed is everything he's been made out to be, He'll get us in the right direction this summer and going forward.

An increase in Miller's value may offset the loss of the top pick. I agree with Suede who mentioned that the extra cap money will probably be used in trade rather then free agent signing.

Road to the Playoffs: Orlando

I hate Orlando. They always give the Sixers trouble. I hated Darrell Armstrong, I hated (and still hate) Pat Garrity, I was ecstatic when they knocked Orlando out of the playoffs way back when. It didn't matter who was on the roster, they almost always play us well, something about that black, blue and white. I hate Orlando.

Last time we played the Magic, we needed great games out of almost everybody to keep it close, I think we'll need more of the same tonight. Let's say Superman plays better than he did last the last time - then we'll need to offset that with Thad or Reggie playing better defense on Hedo. One good thing in the Sixers' favor - one quick glance at their roster and you don't see too much athleticism there outside of Nelson and Superman.

It's always a coin toss with these guys.

I was looking forward to some kind of trade deadline 'action' of some kind. Afterall, when your team has NO SHOT to win the title you dream of what additions need to be made and how you'd acquire those necessary pieces. That's fun! Hell Draft week in any sport can be a festival of joy (if you've got multiple high picks.) Building the team is where 'Hope' comes in for me.

So, that said, I'm going to hope for the best. I heard Ed on Jodie Mac's radio show and he sounds like no dummy. I'm pretty sure he's well aware of ALL of you concerns Dean (I can't disagree with anything in your post by the way.)

I just think the deals were not there. I'm just gonna "rationalize" and believe that Ed has a serious plan for our PF and SG voids and whether it's Europe (I'm glad he's there in the flesh), or free agency, trades, or the draft that he will get the job done.

Sometimes you have to have faith. I'm going to keep telling myself that over and over again until draft day!

My two cents on things.

Good for Moe and the organization on the extension---well deserved. Ed could not ask Moe to play the kids, see them develop and than fire him for not winning games. If he did that ask yourself if anybody worthwhile would come in to take Moe's place next year. $10M is enough cap room to sign somebody in the off season so expiring contracts were not necessary. If you assume Brand does not opt out and we don't want need Arenas, than we are looking at a RFA this summer. $10M is the starting salary on a 5/yr $60M contract. Anybody think there is a RFA worth a great deal more than $60M. Not me and I am not overpaying for anybody. That gets you into trouble...see BK. Right now A Miller is the best PG option going forward. I hear Calderon's name often but he really is not a proven commodity. Remember he has only been a starter for 1/2 season (Miller for 9 yrs)and during that time the Raptors have played at the same level they did with Ford as the PG. Sure he is younger (but he is 27) but right now Miller is the better player and JC may or may catch him. I'm all for moving A Miller but thye have to get a proven player or top prospect.

Just wondering: What are your guys' thoughts on Stefanski's assistant GM record with the Nets? I don't know much about his draft record. From afar (mentally if only 2 hours physically) I do know that he was part of the GM team that brought in Kidd and "Vinsanity". Whatever their flaws, those are two top tier players for the last 10 years. It would certainly help with attendance and ratings if we had two top tier players here. Only problem is: are we going to focus on ratings or on championship? You get the former with the latter, not the other way around. At this point, he had little to do with Kidd's departure, and Thorn seems to be handling things well without him. I also wonder if too much is made over ES' being "from" Delco? What do you guys know of ES' history with NJ? Any NJ die harders reading this blog?

Joe Doc:

I actually was thinking the same thing last night. Evans I would have held onto, but assuming ES likes Lou over Green (perhaps a big assumption?) than Willie is superfluous on this team, and could have/ should have been traded for an expiring contract. It does seem likely someone would have done a deal like that for Willie, look at New Orleans getting Mike James, who is a bigger name, but took more to get.

not a Nets guy but I liked his drafting of supplemental players for the Nets. They haven't had top lottery selections but seem to come up with contributing players.
I don't think we can evauate him based upon the Nets moves. I think it was similar when LB & BK worked together on the Sixers. You know the final say on those moves was LB and with the Nets the final say was Thorns.
This is his BIG opportunity. Let's hope he's successful!

Sixerzguy:

great point: "And Billy King SHOULDN'T get credit YET for his drafting. If you take the collection of players he's drafted, what have they won? Take his best picks and make a team: Sammy, Thad, Korver, Iggy, LouWill - how good is that team exactly?"

and Jumpin':

True, if Vinny Johnson comparisons have been made for Lou, that is premature. How about a better version of Willie Green as 6th man?

I don't know - you take a big risk on a guy running the entire organization that's only been in basketball management for 7 years or so. Also, the local ties may have played a role in this. If he was from North Carolina for example, would he have gotten this job? Did he get the job completely on merit - I don't know. Clearly, people think highly of E.S. on a personal level, but that doesn't translate to running an NBA franchise. We'll see how he does going forward. In my opinion though, he's off to a pretty horrendous start.

I actually like that we did not move anyone. I was on the fence about trading, and I think the trades that happened, other than maybe Seattle and LA have been poor quality decisions(assuming that Wallace does not pull his game together). Most of these exchanges look like panic moves.
I give Ed credit for sitting pat. I realize people want a big fix and a fast one, heck, I want a PF that really gives double doubles nightly. But the real issue in basketball always comes down to chemistry. Its the great coaches that are able to maximize their players and develop a style of offense and defense that suits those players. Bringing in big names doesn't guarantee anything. Look at Miami for that.
Giving Mo another year was great. He has shown adaptability. Let's see what he does with a true starting PF and what Ed puts together. Be glad we aren't NY.

I'd give Ed an incomplete BUT it scares me a bit that John Nash is good friends with him and gave Ed his opportunity eith the Nets. Hopefully, John realized he needed a talent evaluator not a friend.

Why would anyone want Willie Green for an expiring contract?

ahhh no more awful trade proposals. Let that go until the offseason when we'll probably try and do a deal on draft day. there will be alot to play with on that day.

anyways, Sixers have Orlando tonight, and I also hated Pat Garrity, and even Mike Miller cuz those guys always burned us with 3s.

This year it's Hedo Turkoglu, the guy seems to be getting close to triple double numbers and is the real leader of the team. I keep forgetting that Rashard Lewis and Dwight Howard play there too.

John Nash could be the worst GM in the history of professional sports. He managed to mangle 4 franchises in less than 20 years. He got fired by the Sixers, Bullets, Nets, and Blazers. You have to be pretty horrendous to get fired by those 4 organizations.

I apologize. John Nash only mangled 3 teams in 15 years. He did OK with the Sixers, although I don't really know what his duties were as GM 20 years ago. I thought he oversaw the Barkley trade, but I was wrong. That was Gene Shue. Nash only managed to mangle the Bullets, Nets, and Blazers. My fault.

That's enough mangling for a single GM. He learned his trade from Dr. Jack.

Benny:

Willie has proven he can score in the league, and can score in bunches, although he is obviously streaky. Maybe it's overly ambitious, but I thought if New Orleans would trade for Mike James, maybe they would have rather taken Willie, or another team in need of some bench scoring would take a flyer on him.

As much as I love Philly's new style of play. There is no way in hell their nae ever becomes part of a buzzword across the NBA. We're not doing anything new here, just doing it very very well at the moment.

Morty, I'll take Willie over Lou should a coach ever get Willie's head into that specific role and unleash him. Not as fast or daring as Williams but sounder - and as good a shooter. Despite much blog dissing of Green's game and worth, I personally think he is (and will prove through time to be) the better all-around player. Willie's got his limitations as all players do, but he's a winner on and off the court. Of course this evaluation carries a bias as I've never been taken by flash or sizzle, and I keenly appreciate blue collar, foundational aspects of the game. Foul shooting and taking care of the ball, for instance.

WG's game brings the following quip to mind: "We can't all be heroes. Somebody's got to sit on the curb and clap as they go by." - Will Rogers

Jumpin':

I agree about the value of putting Willie into his future role right now. I've posted on this blog many times about that. However, Lou is a much better passer, in fact he actually will pass - Willie really is a gunner. For the most part Lou is careful with the ball, and he can drive and finish with more ease and success in the half court game as opposed to the break.

That said, which player will be more valuable to this team going forward is still an open question, no doubt about it. And I do believe Willie has value in this league, thus my thought that he could have been moved for an expiring contract which are so valued in the NBA.

Yesterday I posted my thoughts on the job Ed has done so far and it was not positive. How can anyone look at what he has done so far and have any confidence this guy will do a better job than Billy? By firing Billy, Ed (the big boss) made a decision to change directions. So lets change direction.

Yet Ed (the GM) (other than his idiotic Korver trade) is basically doing exactly what Billy said he was going to do. How does that change anything and make this team better? If anything, Ed has badly managed the team and this team will end up as a sub-par playoff team.

Anyone that is paying attention witnessed the many moves teams made before the deadline. There were GMs that made their teams significantly better. Ed was not one of them.

By stealing Korver from Ed, Utah is widely regarded as one of the teams that did exceedingly well. Sure Marc let us in on the info (who knows if it is true) that teams were not offering enough for Miller. So what! If Ed gave Korver away for cap space why not do the same with Miller and get more cap space?

In any case the more I see of Ed the more I wish Billy was still here.

Adding, that upon a minutes thought, Willie's competition may actually be Carney as much as it is Lou.

Morty,

Great point about Willie, he would've been great as a Hornet, don't know what we could've gotten for him though, would they have been willing to part with picks and one of their young bigs?

Willie's been playing good recently, but the best thing about the move would've been the forcing of Mo's hand and playing Iggy at SG, Thad at SF

Part of me thinks Ed is placing a lot of faith in his ability to draft. But the flip side of not trading Willie is, and it's been stated before on this board, is that if we make the playoffs and these guys get exposure, they become more valuable, right?

Tyler,

You're right about one thing, it's nothing new - but we are doing it well, and you gotta think about that for a minute - why are we doing it well?

1. Our swingmen our really, really athletic and they're WILLING to run. Look at all the other young teams in the NBA, how many of them do what we do? Do you think Gerald Green would buy into this system, especially on the defensive end? Which brings me to the motivation -

2. Mo has the right personality to pull this system off. The strategist in him is a work in progress, but as far as getting on his team to bolt for the basket every chance they bet, he's a master.

Now, let's say you're the GM of a team owned by a tight-fisted owner, and you're only allowed a ridiculous amount of money every year, like $40M, what would you do? Well, what the Sixers are doing is one answer. It doesn't take amazing basketball skill to do what they're doing right now: get hands on balls, block shots, run your tail off; all you need are athletes who are motivated to do that. Let's say you take half of that $40M and spend it on one true superstar. How much would the other young athletic guys cost? And when they wanted to get paid, you let them go, bring in new fresh athletic guys.

I wish I could go more in-depth here, I know there are plenty of holes in my argument, but I gotta run...

Im glad that most people are rational and sane enough to realize that a two month old GM is not defined by his first trade deadline. Even happier that some people are actually starting to talk basketball again now that the deadline is past. And as a few people said yesterday, the arguments for the Korver trade are sound and have been explained multiple times(you just need to look a little past today to understand them). Nuff said. phew.

I do breifly want to address the argument that changing GMs mean we're changing directions, and not moving at the deadline means ed failed or is just follwing bk's footsteps. For one thing, anyone who thinks we have not changed directions has not been watching the games. The team plays a completely different style of ball now, and it is a direct result of Ed's collaboration with Mo. As far as the trade deadline, I know your anxious but with an emergent group like we have now, the prudent thing is to wait and see who emerges by the end of the season and how the draft shapes up before we start shipping anyone out. This is a very deep draft, at least as deep as last year's. bottom line is give the guy a chance to through the whole process(including draft and the whole offseason) before you judge him. OK, that was much longer than i intended and im out of time. Last word on that subject until we get closer to the draft.

I couldn't agree with you more Anonymous. There were so many options out there, and he couldn't get anything done. His comment of "the asking price was too much" doesn't cut it with me. He practically gave away one of the top outside shooters in the game and a locker room leader, but now he's worried about getting maximum edge over his fellow GMs re: trades? One of the DN columnist's response to me was "Utah was the only team offering a 1st rounder in return. It was the best offer on the table." Maybe so, but that was back in DECEMBER, not two months later at the trade deadline. He could have used the Korver chip in combination with other potential deals this week. Or, he could have decided to keep one of the best shooters in the league who's locked into a below average salary for the next 3 seasons. Either way, the Korver trade was a bonehead move. And, for those of saying that Thad wouldn't have developed if Korver was still here...what it Korver took the 25 minutes / night that those two dogs Jason Smith and Rodney Carney log? Neither one of those guys has done anything in the last 2 months.

Onto another brilliant E.S. comment of "I want to get even more athletic" yesterday on 950 WPEN. Please tell me the last "running" style of team that won the championship. Here's a hint: there isn't one. What San Antonio, Detroit, LA, Boston, Miami, Chicago, and Houston have proved over the last 25 years is that you need (1) smothering defense, (2) excellent halfcourt offense, (3) a dominating low-post presence, (4) accurate outside shooting, and (5) if you don't have at least 3 of the other 4, you better have Michael Jordan. That's why I don't understand this philosophy of getting more athletic, running more, etc. When you play good teams in the playoffs, they don't turn the ball over like the bad teams. They work the shot clock to get the best scoring chance possible and don't throw up ill-advised shots. They play lock-down, half-court D and don't give up open shots ESPECIALLY to teams without a low-post presence.

It's early in Stefanski's tenure, no doubt, and he still may succeed (I really hope he does because I'm a diehard fan). I gotta tell you though, this approach that he's taking has disaster written all over it. No team has ever done what he's trying to accomplish before. The Suns? The best running team in recent memory. They've never made even the championship round and basically admitted that their style of play won't win a championship. Hence, the trade for Shaq. From what I see thus far, the Sixers don't exactly have Steve Nash or Amare Stoudamire on this team either.

Sixerzguy:

I agree that ES is placing a lot of faith in his ability to draft and also a lot of faith in his ability to trade. Lastly he may be placing a lot of faith in the European market as well.

Will his faith be rewarded? Only time will tell, and unlike some on this board I have not written him off after 2 1/2 months and the trade deadline - like Curtis Mayfield sings: It's not the end, it's the beginning...