Make it Work on the Court...

After an amazing summer capped off by the signing of Elton Brand, the Sixers took the court last week and proceeded to yuck-it-up, falling to 2-5 before beating the Raptors two nights ago to end a three-game losing streak and finally win their 3rd contest.

The problems on the court are varied and though we can blame them on "growing pains," as Philly fans we fear for the worst. Does this team have the right chemistry? Did the addition of Brand amount to pouring cold water on last year's uptempo style? Is Andre Iguodala--a jack-of-all-trades, but clearly not a no. 1 offensive option--really worth his huge new contract? Do we need to take a step back before we take a step forward?

Here's what we Sixers fiends have been seeing on the court:

• Not enough cutting when Brand has the ball. Not a lot of movement in general without the ball. This has been the Sixers problem since they became relevant again when they drafted Allen Iverson, and I have not had the pleasure of seeing a Sixers team that was characterized by good ball movement and off-the-ball cuts since the 2001 Finals year.
• A lack of shooters. Look, we all liked the addition of Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall is an okay older player, but these guys cannot be relied on to be the team's shooters. They simply should not be playing heavy minutes at all. As is, it looks like Rush will get some minutes when the team wants to go small and surround the court with shooters, that's fine. But one of the main rotation guys has gotta step it up in the shooting department. Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams in particular need to improve their shot lest they become one-dimensional offensive players.
  
• Thaddeus Young may already be the Sixers best player. That's overstating it a bit, but just a bit. The guy is leading the team in scoring and he's 20 years old. He's so under control and can really do it all on both ends of court: way beyond his years. And while we're praising young guys: Marreese Speights, despite his ridiculously spelled name, looks like the real deal. Definitely a good backup to Brand.

In sum, the Sixers are going through some troubles and they need to figure out a style of play. They also need to realize who fits what role on the team. Lou Williams needs to become a point guard, not Allen Iverson Junior. Samuel Dalembert (though looking improved) and Elton Brand need to learn how to play together. Mo Cheeks needs to realize what's the best lineup to put out there.

Clearly, there's ample talent on this team and it needs to gel, but we also have to realize that all the pieces may not be in place yet. I wrote a while back that an Andre Miller for Chauncey Billups swap would put this team over the top. Guess what? Denver essentially made that swap. They traded Miller for Iverson and Iverson for Billups. They're not going to be world beaters because I don't think they have the supporting cast to do it, but I think a shooting point guard could eventually be what this team needs. But, then again, it's too early right now to throw anybody under the bus, right?