Deep Sixer

Denver has nothing I want, neither do the Lakers or Houston. All the rest of the contenders in the West have a PG. I'd rather save our cap space than take Drew Gooden. We don't HAVE to trade Miller but here is an interesting one I came up with Dallas using ESPN trade machine. We'll have to cut 1 player as it is a 2 for 3 trade. So Herb Hill, Shav, Amundson, Giricek or Ollie will have to go.

Sixers Trade
Calvin Booth
Salary: $1,103,225 Years Remaining: 1

Andre Miller
Salary: $9,600,000 Years Remaining: 2

Dallas Trades
DeSagana Diop
Salary: $2,146,000 Years Remaining: 1

Devin Harris
Salary: $3,995,003 Years Remaining: 6

Devean George
Salary: $2,369,111 Years Remaining: 1

1st round draft pick

I am glad to see that Stefanski does not appear to be willing to take back stiffs with contract years remaining (Gooden, etc.) in exchange for Miller.

In the NBA, teams trade players for expiring contracts (Korver for Giricek), and vice versa. So Miller's best value will likely be as an expiring contract over the summer or '09 season.

As much like the Sixers were, some team will be rebuilding or dissatisfied, etc. And Miller's 10 mil expiring contract will be very attractive. Any current potential playoff team is unlikely be willing to part with talent in favor of Miller - unless we can make a steal like how O'Neal was nabbed for Dale Davis. But teams are smarter about late blooming high schoolers nowadays.

Much as I would like to see a big move, it's more important to make the right move, the best move. And that probably involves patience.
/Morty

Morty is right. Miller is somewhat valuable as a player this year, but he may be even more valuable as a 10M expiring contract next year.

Kwame Brown's 10M expiring was instrumental in landing Gasol. I hope we can get similar talent by moving Miller this Summer or next year. If not, than at least we have a good team oriented pg and 10M off the cap in summer '09 to use for a trade or FA.

For the 70% of fans that think this deal doesn't make sense for Phoenix check this out.
Shaquille O’Neal: The NBA’s Biggest 'Contract Killer' for Hire
http://reclinergm.wordpress.com/2008/02/06/shaquille-oneal-the-nbas-biggest-contract-killer-for-hire/

Morty, that is why I'm in favor of foundation moves like getting Sefalosha from Chicgo or maybe Diogu from Indiana. Sef played PG in Sweden and is a major, 6'7", ballhawk that could afford the 76ers to allow Lou to roam free off the ball. Gerald Green from Minnesota would add athletic depth. He's better than Carney and straight out of high school, which tells me he has potential to be really good down the line. Adding depth via using some of the pieces we have like Willie Green, or Ollie's contract, or picks could really pay dividends down the line when we add the special piece(s).

I like the idea of Sefolosha. But let's not get carried away. Is he even shooting 40% from the field?

The knock on Tyrus Thomas, as Marc stated above, is that he doesn't bring it every night. The kid (emphasis on this) is 21. Remember opening night? He's the only one on that Bulls team that didn't quit that night. I think he's in a bad situation up there and would benefit from the culture Stef is building with the Sixers.

As for Gerald Green...my disdain for Celtics players (yes even former) aside, why would anyone want him? His career 41% shooting? His inability to get minutes on the worst team in the league? Perhaps we should just trade for his Dunk Contest Trophy as Dala was robbed of his. Other than that I have zero interest in Gerald Green when we already have superior versions of him on the squad (Dala/Young).

In the end it does look like Miller will be with us past the deadline. Which I don't mind one bit. I love the idea of Lou learning from him. And while it is fun to banter back and forth about which players we should get, none of this is going to be resolved until we know where the Sixers draft. I think that dictates what happens in free agency or trades in the off-season more than anything else.

I have no urge to trade Andre Miller. If the Sixers are telling us they don't need anymore expiring contracts in a league where to get ahead, you trade for expiring contracts and 'wait 'till next year', why do so?

I also don't see where and how we'll get value for Miller before the deadline. I like Lou, but I'm not ready to cast off Miller to make Sweet Lou the starting POINT GUARD (Besides, I'm not convinced his future is as a PG).

In fact, I would be OK if Miller was back for another season. Are we guaranteed to draft or sign a successor? I'm not so sure.

What exactly is it that I'm getting carried away with? I like the idea of big guards for defensive purposes and I think Sef fits that bill. As far as Green. I think I gave the reasons for wanting him. You said in your post that Thomas was in a bad situation in Chi. Why can't the same be said for Green? I'm talking about depth. I didn't say start him.

I have to say that the culture being built has everything to do with the head coach and players. These positive steps were already going on before Stef got here.

I state the following again. Having Andre Miller around for another season sets back the progress of: a) improving draft position, b) freeing up cap space to go after one of two legit All-Star FA PFs in this offseason, and c) taking minutes away from guys like Lou Williams, who we could evaluate over the next 1.5 seasons to see if he's the PG of the future (even if I don't believe this to be the case). Again, if Andre Miller was going to be re-signed and was 27 or 28 years old, I wouldn't have this view. However, he's 32, can't play a lick of defense, and won't be here past next season at the very latest.

Please name me a team over the last 30 years in the NBA (save the Bulls with the best player of all-time) that has won a championship without a massive force in the post. There are none. So, not trading Miller and going after a stud like Elton Brand in FA, is irresponsible in my opinion and stunts the growth of this organization as a whole.

That will be my last post on the issue until after the trade deadline or until a deal is made by the Sixers.

You promise????

I agree there is no urgency to trade Miller because he will probably be worth more next season. That Josh Smith thing got me thinking about ATL though. Now that I think about it they probably wouldn't want to trade him for Miller, yet they do have an excess of forwards and a black hole at PG. The problem is we have an excess of forwards too. If they were to deal someone for a PG it would probably be Josh Childress which I think they would be willing to do. So here it is:

PHI trades:
A. Miller to ATL
R. Carney to ATL
C. Booth to ATL
R. Evans to IND

ATL trades:
J. Childress to IND
T. Lue to IND
L. Wright to IND

IND trades:
J. O'Neal to PHI

This deal goes through on Trade Machine and seems to work for all the parties involved.

PHI, only a game out of the playoffs gets another big man that Dalembert has never gotten to play with and gets to see what Lou can do at PG for the rest of the season. If it works and they get in the playoffs there is no telling what two good big men could do in the east. And if they miss the playoffs then they draft a PG, probably a good one and they have a $20M expiring contract next season. You end up in the same situation if no trade was made, with a valuable expiring contract.

Rebuilding IND gets rid of a $20M contract and gets a young Childress and $7M of expiring contracts along with Evans as a body to replace O'Neal's minutes.

Young ATL gets their much needed PG without giving up any starters. Childress only has 1 year left anyway so now they don't have to worry about paying $$$ for a 6th man.

I don't like O'Neal. He's an injury waiting to happen...already happened...will happen again.

Who are the two legit All-Star FA PFs this offseason?

I understand what everybody is saying about Miller's value possibly being higher in the off season as a $10 million expiring contract. BUT! There are plenty of other players on other teams with expiring contracts. Many with a similiar value to Miller(i.e.-Nesterovic $8 mill, Wally Szczerbiak $12 mill, Lafrentz $12 mill) So who says the team, with the player we want, is going to want Miller? Maybe they would rather have a player above and clear even more cap room. This is why I say if there is a deal that can be made before the deadline, then make it! You never know what's going to happen. Miller could blow out his knee, then what? Maybe somebody takes him at next years deadline. But the Sixers would have to eat his contract until then.

I say trade Dalembert too! Like Marc said "he is having his best season". His stock has never been higher! And this is a business, buy low and sell high! Again, if there is a deal out there that makes sense then do it! I'm not saying to give him away like Memphis did Gasol, but I would deal him. I would deal anybody on the team though.

As far as Tyrus Thomas goes. I like his upside! I agree with Theo, I just think he's in bad situation. He can't get consistant minutes so he doesn't have the chance to gain confidence and show what he can do. I think a change of scenery would do him good.

I don't want O'neal though. He is too big of an injury risk. And I'm not a big Villanueva fan. I'd rather see somebody else. He has never impressed me.

Craig - Please throw me some more phenomenal suggestions like Gerald Green (shoots 33% from the field), who would be out of the league if he didn't win the slam dunk contest. Thabo Sefolosha is a SG that averages 37% from the field. Ike Diogu has been in the league for 3 years and has never averaged more than 7 ppg.

You know what's amazing about all of these suggestions? Not one includes A PROVEN NBA COMMODITY. We don't have one player on this Sixers roster that's ever even been to an all-star game. We're one of two teams in the league in that boat. The other? Memphis. If you don't have any all-stars, you don't win games.

You can talk about these marginal role players all day long, but we already have plenty of them. Willie Green, Reggie Evans, Rodney Carney, Jason Smith, etc. We have even younger guys with even greater potential like Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young. We have enough of these kinds of players.

Give me a young guy that's proven something in this league and looks like he's ready to take the next step (e.g., Josh Smith, Monta Ellis, Jose Calderon, etc) to all-star status, and I'm all ears. Or, give me an NBA All-Star. Either of these routes can only be achieved with a ton of cap space. Otherwise, the rest of it is all bullsh*t interchangeable parts that won't have any significant impact at the end of the day.

I think the 76ers should hold on to Miller. I read an article on Hoopsworld.com about Miller's name surfacing and I think it would be a mistake for Philly to trade him if it is not a good deal.

There are many teams that need a point guard but the 76ers are in a good position for next year and having Miller as their point guard will be key next year as they will be a good team once again.

Dean, you don't think people want All-Stars? There is more than one way to obtain them, and you are preaching a very short-sighted strategy to attempt to get "All-Stars" or players ready to take "the next step" that require extremely high risks, the kind that backfire on front offices and turn fans against teams. There's no way for us to know what offers are made for Miller, who the Sixers' scouts are targeting in the draft, and what the status of Free Agents are. There's no doubt we need high-caliber players, but you need to take into account situations where doing it RIGHT NOW and THIS OFFSEASON aren't viable.

On a side note, the fact that teams always win championships with a dominant post presence is a good strategy to keep in mind when building a team, but should not be the motivating factor in signing any of the available free agents this offseason. Shaq and Duncan are once in a lifetime players. The Pistons team with Wallace was built on years of patience and efficient moves, and a Brand signing might fit into that description, but how would we know what his situation is or even if he is interested in Philadelphia?

No reason to get rid of Miller. He and Lou Will will be a pretty decent backcourt next season. What they need to do is let Iggy walk, use that 40 million of cap space next season to lock up Williams and Miller and to pick up either Brand, Marion, or maybe even Okafor. Not to mention they'll draft somebody else with size if we pick in the top-10. A starting lineup of Andre Miller, Lou Will, Thaddeus Young (who's a stud!), PF to be determined, and Sammy Dalembert, with Carney, Jason Smith, Reggie Evans, and Willie Green coming off the bench? That's a decent team next year and a good team in '09, when the Celtics will be too old to win. I'm actually optimistic about this team. And Coach Jeff Van Gundy might be a good idea too.

Anyone who wants Villanueva:

He could work at PF. For a power forward, he’s got one good skill – rebounding; he averages 5.1 in just 20 mins a game, which would be about 10 rebounds per 40 mins. But Thad is much more productive than him at PF because of his higher FG%. So, to beat out Thad, he’d have to raise his FG%. I did a quick check for this year, and found that his FG% goes up from 44% to 50% if you take away his 3P shots. You think he shoots 3s well? Check this out: 27.6% for this year, 31.6% for his career. He’s the new Chris Webber, in terms of 3P shooting. Compare that to Rasheed, who’s averaging 34% for his career, including this year. Charlie V at the PF position would be an upgrade, but only if he stopped taking 3’s.

Another thing I don’t like is that he doesn’t seem to improve Milwaukee much when he’s on the floor, and that Milwaukee sucks, and if he were any good he’d make the Bucks better when he gets minutes. The Bucks are a disaster, and with wrecks like Milwaukee, you always want to try and pry away one of their top players: Bogut or Redd. BTW, pay attention to the Bucks because they suck so much. The GM had high expectations for them, and if they continue down this road of sucktitude, Redd could be on the market soon…

Lastly, look at his development as a player. This is his 3rd year, and he’s playing his worst basketball. Compare that to a lot of the other 1st rounders from the 2005 NBA Draft. In 3 years, the ones who turned out to be good have shown tremendous development within the past two years. Charlie? Not so much, and that’s worrying.

Golden State is fighting for a playoff spot and two of the teams in their division just upgraded big time. They have a $10 million trade exemption from the Richardson deal. If they want to keep up with the other teams in the West they are going to have to make a move. And Webber isn't it! So why not take advantage of GS's trade exemption. They can take on up to $10 million more in salary then they give up.

So how about a 3 team trade with Clev and GS? Maybe:

CLE gets:
Miller (Phi)
Booth

GS gets:
Gooden (Cle)
Evans (Phi)
Green

PHI gets:
Branden Wright
Pietrus
Azubuike
Newble
Cle's/GS's 1st round picks

Cleveland gets there PG. GS gets some bigs to help battle the West and only gives up back ups. And the Sixers get a good young PF in Wright and some good bench players with expiring contracts. Plus another 1st round pick. They also get rid of 2 of their long term contracts(Green, Evans).

GS is going to have to do something, the Sixers may as well benifit from it.

I agree that if Ed doesn't find a deal that he likes for Miller, that he should just hold on to him. However, that doesn't let Stefanski off the hook from getting this team a PF. I still believe the best way to do that is to have $20M in cap room and 4 no. 1 picks over the next two years.

Andre Miller is an above average NBA point guard. He is not going to turn a franchise around or make a bad team good. He can make a good team better, which is why he has trade value. I'd be disappointed if the trade deadline come and go and Big Ed doesn't do anything because this team needs help.

I believe he can get that PF in a trade that he wants with cap room and draft picks. His no. 1 goal should be getting legitimate NBA talent on this team with players 1 through 15. This current team probably has about 9 players right now that are legitimate NBA players.

I still think a team could make Big Ed an offer that would be hard for him to refuse for Miller. As PFs are concerned, I think Charlie V., Chris Wilcox, Nick Collison and Ronny Turiaf would all be upgrades to our PF spot for reasonable salary. Of course, the hope is too get a Josh Smith or an Elton Brand.

If Miller isn't traded for more cap room, that won't happen. Atlanta, Orlando, Miami, Cleveland are teams that I think are interested in A. Miller. Two weeks and counting to trade deadline.

Well, a wasted year for Herbert Hill. Too bad. He'll have the summer and training camp to once again show something.

Dean's first post since his commitment to not post until after the trade deadline is on target on this point...Sixers need current NBA players with upside to become all stars, or in other words, quality not quantity.

I think Ed is smarter than any of us in knowing that you don't win in the league without at least 2 special players.

We may have developing special players - Iguodala, Young, Smith, LouWill...may have, no guarantee that any of them are good enough.

Over the next 2 years, Ed needs to get us at least 1 of those pieces with the cap space and our current roster.

Marc, I can't get excited about adding players who have not shown that significant potential upside like Charlie V.

If not trading A. Miller means we mostly stand pat and barely tweak the roster at the deadline I will be bummed.....Our glaring weaknesses (no post play, no outside threat, etc.) will be too painful to watch for another 41 games! Shake it up, Eddie...Roll the dice brother...!!!

Has anyone heard an A. Miller for K.Heinrich trade rumor? I thought it didn't make sense until I saw Kirk's contract which goes on for a while at big money. I guess if Chicago needed a change of chemistry and wanted to get out of his contract AND Ed thought he could be our PG of the future, it would work.

"That will be my last post on the issue until after the trade deadline or until a deal is made by the Sixers."

Carch, is that you? Sure sounds like you. Would have prefered you to say "that will be my last post".

Don!t want to trade Sam but if E.S. wants cap room, a young player and draft picks how about this; Sam to S.Antonio for expiring contracts[ Horry, Barry,etc.] rights to T.Splitter and 2 #1 picks[ this year and in 2010. The west is improving; Duncans window may be 3 years tops; and Sam could be an upgrade on the role playing centers that play next to Duncan. Splitter is a 6!10" p.f. that can run the floor.

Henrich can shoot,; is a legit 6!4" and his salary decreases to 8 mill. in 3 years.If Iggy and Thad are our 2 and 3 of the future than our point guard has to be able to shoot from deep.How good can Hinrich defend, S.F.W.?

can we do Rodney Carney for Ike Diogu straight up?

I wouldn't throw in a 2nd round pick, because our front office is extremely efficient in choosing 2nd round players. How funny is that.

I'd be okay with acquiring Heinrich......He sort of reminds me of Jeff Hornicek.

Suede,
Haven't looked at the tapes yet on Heinrich's Defense.

Sign that loser shaggy williams!

Dean,

Chicago bulls. Pre-Rodman. I can't buy Horace Grant, either.

Five can!t misses in this years draft, I want 2 of them. [Beasley,Rose,Gordon,Love andMayo]Trade Sam and next years #1 or the Utah pick to MINN. for Ratliff and their #1. Losing Sam should drop us into top 5 territory and Sam would compliment A.Jefferson on Minn. front line. If your Minn. would you do it?

Link from ESPN's TrueHoop regarding Gasol, Josh Smith, and a little about Mike Miller.

http://www.ajc.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/ajc/hawks/entries/2008/02/06/wild_wednesday.html

To everyone begging to trade Miller for cap space:

It very likely ain't gonna happin' capin'. If I am Stefanski, I want to use Miller to do a deal like the Lakers did for Gasol, or the Celtics did for Garnett. Pick up a disgruntled player from a rebuilding team in exchange for major (10 mil) cap space.
/morty
Morty and Moishe Recommend...

Maybe I'm just biased, but I can't stand Celtic players. That being said I don't want Gerald Green. At 22 he's already a complainer, can't shoot and has shown nothing besides an ability to jump real real high. I just don't want to take a chance or invest anything in a former Celtic cry baby that's not a power forward. If we were talking Al Jefferson I guess I'd have to listen. But anyhoo.

Hinrich is not the answer. Any rumor out there with Miller must find its base in the fact that the Bulls must finally realize they extended him to a silly contract. It's the worst rumor I've heard yet. Miller is a super valuable commodity.

I'm off the Tyrus Thomas kick now. Way into Donte Green being drafted by us though. Let's get it done. I hate talking draft in February.

Miller will be a much more valuable trading piece to the Sixers this summer because the Sixers will be under the cap. This allows us more flexiblity, as far as contracts are concerned, to make a trade this summer. It's not easy to convince good free agents to come to a team that didn't make the playoffs and most teams don't let good players hit the free agent market. This means the best bet for the Sixers to get the pieces they need to become a contending team would be to stand pat until this summer (unless someone blows us away with an offer), then use the cap space and the pieces we have (including Utah pick) to upgrade our front court and secure a point gaurd to replace Miller.

I think the Sixers need a superstar. The players like Thomas, Gooden, Jefferson are good players, but none of them going to turn the franchise around.

Its nice to see a chorus of rationality about Miller today. BoomDizzle - i heartily second your 12:33 post and Morty, agreed as usual. As a matter of fact, Ed's stated intention is to wait til the summer "when there may be some disgruntled stars".

It may also be true that the O'neal thing may shake up the market and scare somebody into overpaying, in which case i think you have to at least listen. but im not holding my breath on that.

Personally im very curious to see how he fits in phoenix...the daddy hasnt exactly been known for his speed the last few years, my first thought was that phoenix was grasping at straws. But after thinking a bit im not sure, maybe it does work. Anyway im hoping they're on national tv soon so i can get a look, it should interesting to see...especially since he'll be seeing alot more of kobe now

suede - no way Minn does that trade.

Ed - that's exactly what I was going to say about trading Miller. It will be easier in the offseason cause we can take back more salary as we'll be under the cap.

The unrestricted free agent class doesn't impress me. I'm not hoping on guys opting out or the restricted free agents.

Also something to keep in mind sixers fans, we could end up with more or less than $10 in cap space. Iggy and Lou are cap holds for $8 mil and $4 mil. If for example Atlanta offered Lou $6 mil and we match, guess what we're down to $8 mil in cap space. If we let Lou walk, we have $14 mil in cap space.

I think the Sixers need a superstar. The players like Thomas, Gooden, Jefferson are good players, but none of them going to turn the franchise around.

Ed is out of his mind if he believes that Jefferson is just a good player who isn't going to turn the Wolves around. Have you seen what he's been doing this season????

I have a little interest in Thomas but it's because of what he could be and not what he is. That said, I like that Thad and Jason Smith bust it every night on the court and I'm not sure that I would want to watch another version of Tim Thomas.

John, wonder if sweetening the deal with L.Will. would get it done, the 11 mill. in cap space would be tough for Minn. to give up.Dean, wonder what backtalking actually goes on in the N.B.A.; scenario, its draft night, we are on the clock; if we previously discussed a Sam and A.Miller for Josh Smith sign and trade deal it really changes how we draft [Lopez, Hibbard]. If we draft not knowing a deal is possible, its like putting the cart before the horse.

We still need to see what we have at Center and Power Forward. We have no idea if Herbert Hill or Louis Amundson can play. We don't know if Shavlik Randolph could be a decent PF in the league.

We have no idea how adding them to the lineup with Dalembert would work- better than, or worse than Reggie Evans or Jason Smith.

This is where the Sixers need improvement. Any trades or moves should be done with the idea of getting that special PF and or Center that will hope us to get the most out of our young talent.

We should be developing what we have, and not worry about moving Miller, Giricek or Dalembert or Booth unless an opportunity comes up that will move us forward.

The more Cheeks plays Williams, Igoudala, Young and Smith, the better I like the team. Dalembert works fine with that group, and so does Evans. I think Hill or Randolph might work with that group as well, something I'd like to see before the end of this season and before teams start giving up.

How can we tell how good a point guard we have if we don't have a post-up player to get the ball too? I know Miller is adequate but slow- and his plus minus stat shows he is a negative. So I'm not attached to him, I would rather see Williams get the minutes and develop, but it's important to keep Miller's trade value up (along with Giricek's!)

People who still believe that Shav or Lou Amundson or Herb Hill will be anything more than a 13th man on a good team is living a lie. These guys are borderline NBA players that will probably be selling car insurance within the next 3 years.

Randolph got hurt at Duke and here, its a shame but we can!t depend on him next year. Hill has good low post skills [off the bench], maybe in Evans!s role next year. But there!s a reason he dropped to the 2nd round, #1 was his ability to cover in man to man situations. I personally wish we kept Fesenko, I liked his upside. I believe Hill was 23 when we drafted him.

The Shaq deal was a genius move by Steve Kerr. Kerr knew that the Suns are limited with the run and gun core come playoff time. Their best chance was last year, and they couldn't beat the Spurs. This year, the Lakers are back to a powerhouse, the Mavs won't lose in the first round again, and if Denver makes a move for Kidd or Miller, they're in the Top 5 also.

I applaud Steve Kerr for having some balls and understanding that a monster paint presence is necessary to win. Hopefully, some on this board can come to understand this over time as well. Average PFs in this league don't cut it.

How about Miller & a throw in (Herbert Hill) for Carlos Arroyo, Pat Garrity (both expiring deals), J.J. Reddick, and a pick?

Works in the ESPN trade machine. Almost another $8 Million of the books at the end of the year. We get Reddick for cheap the next 2 years to evaluate. And Lou Williams takes over. We still have Ollie here to mentor.

Orlando gets a real point guard to go with Howard, Lewis & Turkgalo.

Dean:

No one is not understanding that you need star power to win championships. They simply would not have us trade Miller for a bag of balls (i.e. Steven Hunter) and 6 mil in extra cap space just yet.

We will have plenty of options in the off season to make a big splash, even without trading Miller. For example, Willie Green in a sign and trade or trade = 13.5 mil, Sammy in a sign and trade or trade = 20 mil, as does Miller in a sign and trade or trade.
/morty

Dean, after reading a lot of the articles after the trade, I think it is a major gamble on Kerr!s part. Marion was their best defensive player [Koby, Ginobli,Mcgrady,Anthony] Plus Pheonix always depended on matchup problems [Amare to quick for centers,same for Marion against p.f.!s. Plus Pheonix does a lot of pick and rolls in their offense. Originally thought ;an injury aside, that it was a good gamble,but not sure now.

I agree with the posters above. Let's see if Lou Admundson can play. I mean, power forwards standing 6'7" and who have zero offensive skills usually do well in this league. Shav Randolph too. I mean he's not under contract because he went to Duke or anything (Hi BK!). Let's give them minutes and sit Thad and Smith.

Why are people worried about the 11th and 12th guys on this team? Did you all not see enough of Admundson last year? Herb Hill might be something, who knows. He's been injured and honestly was a 2nd round pick. I won't even talk about him any more.

Like I said...let's draft Donte Green already. Send the card to the commissioner. Lock it up.

Shaq brings two things to the Suns that have been factors in why the they have fallen short the past few postseasons: toughness and veteran experience. Shaq brings these intangibles to an overall young team. Phoenix made a strong move in bringing Grant Hill in over the summer, and now O'Neal can act as an enforcer, a role that pretty much only Raja Bell (and to a point, Nash) have exhibited. I think he could provide a great change in attitude for this club. Also, the benefits of his experience should show in many ways. Just think, would Shaq have been suspended for roaming off the bench like Stoudemire and Diaw did last spring if he were in that situation? I doubt it.

At first glance, it would seem like Korver’s playing out of his mind in Utah. But I don’t think that’s the case, I think he’s that good, it’s just that the Sixers didn’t do enough with him. It wasn’t that the trade for him was terrible – the Sixers Korver wasn’t doing that well, and he was worth the draft pick and the minutes for Thad. But if we had had the Utah Korver, then THAT trade would’ve been horrible.

The Sixers organization messed up royally in not getting Korver to play the way he’s playing in Utah right now. I would love to ask the coaching staff why they couldn’t get that kind of production while he was here.

“Well, Jerry Sloan’s a great coach…”

And you guys aren’t, huh?

“Well, you know Deron Williams is a great point guard who can get everyone involved…”

And Andre Miller isn’t? Then what the freak is he doing out there?

“Well, they have Boozer, he draws double-teams, and Korver can get open…”

So, all of Korver’s shots are kick-outs by Boozer whenever he gets double-teamed?

It just kills me to be a Sixers fan sometimes.

sixerzguy:

Korver had plenty of high scoring games here in Phila. The guy did go from a second round pick to a valuable commodity, right?

Utah is able to use him more efficiently. He is averaging about 10 minutes less per game over there. They have more offensive weapons, and better coaching.

If we did not trade him (can't believe I'm getting into this again) then we would not have cap space this off season. Teams trade expiring contracts for players, and vice versa. Andre Miller value is as an expiring contract (he will likely go for a player), Korver value was as a player (he went for an expiring contract).

/morty

All I know is I'd like to debate Dean on his "Michael Jordan is the greatest player of all time" statements he constantly makes. Stop watching so much ESPN highlights. Jordan IS NOT the greatest of all time, unless you discount Magic, Big O, Wilt Chamberlain. Hell, I'd debate him being the best of this generation from 80 til now....Magic is, and I'm a Sixers fan saying this..

Morty,

You and Dean argued the whole Korver thing a lot - I get both your points.

I was just thinking - what if Korver had gotten good enough to be our small forward, and that had happened before last year's draft. I like Thad very much, but what if Korver had filled our SF need by doing what he's doing in Utah now, at his salary. Do you still draft Thad? With our SF position filled, maybe we do something else with the pick - maybe package it with Miller and trade it for another big man? With Korver NOT being the answer at SF, it became another hole we needed to fill, and thus, Thad's drafting.

He's showing in Utah that he could've been our starting SF, and at that relatively low salary.

God save us if we're holding out for Randolph, Hill, and Amundson so save this organization.

Sixerzguy - i take your point that a number of past players have put up better numbers after they left here. As for Korver, i cant say i've really been following what he's done since he left. but I did check his stats for the last 5 games real quick - looks like he had a game with 0, a game with 8, one in the teens, and two 20+ games...the high end seems a little better than what he gave us, but he's still throwing in clunkers too... I do like korver as a player for what he is (a solid 6th man with a crack shot but suspect on defense) but ultimately he never would have taken the small forward spot here because dre is ahead of him.

KM,

Utah has gone 16-2 or 18-2 (can't recall) since the Korver trade, and have beaten some pretty good teams. That makes him more than just a solid 6th man, and obviously the Jazz are getting a lot out of him; why couldn't the Sixers?

KM:

Plus, he's really a 20 minute off the bench type player, not a starter - just what Utah seems to use him as. Sixerzguy, don't get me wrong, I liked what Korver can do (what a sweet jumper he has), but just thought that he was superfluous on a young team that is 2-3 years away from contending, and that the financial flexibility his trade brought us was more valuable in the long term.
/Morty
Morty and Moishe Recommend...

KM:

Plus, he's really a 20 minute off the bench type player, not a starter - just what Utah seems to use him as. Sixerzguy, don't get me wrong, I liked what Korver can do (what a sweet jumper he has), but just thought that he was superfluous on a young team that is 2-3 years away from contending, and that the financial flexibility his trade brought us was more valuable in the long term.
/Morty
Morty and Moishe Recommend...

Stop with the Korver nonsense, please. What if he developed into a better player 2 years ago? Would we still draft Thad? What?!? Flat out, Korver is a luxury that's needed by team with a top point guard and a top big man. Did the Sixers have either of those? If they did they never would've traded Korver. He'd be raining 3's off double teams like he is in Utah right now.

Furthermore, Jordan was the best player of his generation. He did, in fact, win 6 RINGS with no legit big man. Last I checked, titles don't lie. There hasn't been a player since Wilt that affected a game in so many different ways. The only thing he didn't do was beat Hakeem's Rockets. Mostly because he was retired those two years. But he was so good back then I half expected him to still win those titles somehow.

Magic and Big O both had Kareem. Wilt for as great as he was had 2 titles. Jordan, all things considered was the best player of all time. He easily could've won another title in those two years he was out. And you could even argue if he stayed around another year the Bulls would've been odds on favorite to win yet another title. ALL WITH NO POST PRESENCE FOR HIS ENTIRE CAREER!

You want to disparage the guy, bring up the fact that he couldn't hit a curveball. Other than that, yeah, he was that good.