Spitzer v. Rave: Round 3 (Spitzer's Take)

First off, when I said the Sixers should model themselves after the Celtics, I didn't mean they ARE the Celtics. What I meant was that their only shot of winning a championship in the next few years is if they model themselves after Boston, in a sense that they make "the big splash" in terms of player movement and free agency over one summer, a la Boston in 2007. My point was that, considering their cap situation, the only way they (or any other team in the NBA is concerned nowadays) can get much better is by sacrificing the future somewhat and going for the 'ship right now (see Boston trading Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Telfair, Ryan Gomes, Delonte West, Sczcerbiak's contract, and several draft picks for Garnett and Allen).

The Sixers have a lot of tradeable pieces on this team. I know Rave won't want to hear this, but if the Sixers keep floundering this year, I would trade Andre Miller in a heartbeat to a contending team in need of a true point guard (Portland, Miami, Houston, Lakers), in return for young talent and/or draft picks in return.
Lou Will has been struggling for the most part this year, as it doesn't seem like he's grown as a player at all. He makes horrible decisions with the ball, and looks out-of-control when bringing up the rock on offense. I think some of that has to do with who he's paired with on the floor, as it seems like he usually finds himself flanked by some combination of Willie Green, Reggie Evans, Speights, Thaddeus, Iguodala, etc. My point being he rarely plays with Andre Miller and Elton Brand, the two proven veterans who can make others look better on the floor with their passing ability in Miller's case, and their post-up and attracting the double-team ability in Brand's case. There is something to be said, however, for a player that consistently shoots under 40% from the field, as his shot selection needs to improve.

As it has been alluded to, Iguodala is completely miscast as a shooting guard. I'm willing to allow him some more time to get used to his new job, but it's a very awkward situation in Philly as it is clear to every single fan that Iggy doesn't look comfortable in the least bit as a 2. Albeit he can't hit a shot consistently to save his life, I still have a lot of hope for him given his athleticism, his defense, and his rebounding and passing abilities. He's also only 24! People forget that even though he's been in the league for four years, he still is very young and should get better.

Thaddeus is very good. Again, it may have been unclear in my earlier analogy, but in no way did I mean to say I equate James Posey to Thaddeus Young. It was an incredibly rough analogy between the Sixers and Celtics, and that was the closest match I could find (although Thad could become a Pierce with steady improvement). That being said, Sixers fans as a whole are blowing Thaddeus's early production out of proportion. I have been very impressed with his output thus far - his shooting especially has dazzled me. Yet if you watch how he plays, he is still VERY raw and inexperienced. He is a little out of control on offense and is somewhat weak on defense and rebounding. He also is the 4th or 5th option on offense, so while he's on the court with Iggy, Brand, and Miller, he is an afterthought of the opposing defenses, and for better or worse he is benefiting from that. Eventually, when opposing coaches gameplan defensively more for Thad, however, that's hopefully going to free Iguodala up for more production and you'll see Thad's numbers decline slightly. My main point with Thad is that he has really impressed me, but to say that he's already our best all-around player (which many Sixers fans have tried to argue) is a little preemptive, as I'd like to see a little more consistency before anointing him the next savior of our squad. He probably needs to keep starting at this point, although I wouldn't be opposed to seeing the Sixers deal him over the off-season in a trade that would catapult us immediately to the class of the East (similar to Boston with Al Jefferson in the Garnett deal).

All of this being said, I am sick and tired of the Dalembert defenders. He is an absolute liability out there, there's no two ways about it. He either refuses to listen to coaches who tell him not to shoot from the outside, or the coaches are too stupid and haven't yet told him not to step outside his range (which is another issue completely: coaching). Dalembert repeatedly finds himself in compromising situations with the ball 20 feet away from the basket, which leads to an inordinate amount of turnovers from bad passes or attempting to dribble his way out of trouble. The only thing he does well which Rave alluded to - weak-side defense and blocking - isn't that hard for a guy who's 7 feet tall. He doesn't even do it THAT well - he STILL goaltends a couple times per game, and he's so block-happy that he flies in the air for every pump-fake that's sent in his direction.

Honestly, saying a 7 foot athletic big-man is impressive because he's a good weak-side shot-blocker is like saying a Jewish kid is impressive because he's smart. Granted like being Jewish, being a 7 footer is pretty rare, but I'd be willing to bet that almost every single big man in the NBA could do Dalembert's job almost as well - and without the plethora of undisciplined goaltends to boot. I'm definitely not lobbying to start Theo, as after I watched him in the Bulls game on Sunday I wanted him to hang up his sneakers immediately, but many other big men could do the same rebounding and shot-blocking job that Dalembert does.

Lastly, Mo Cheeks's run in Philadelphia may just about be over. What he did with the squad last year was impressive, getting a bad Sixers team to the post-season and stealing a couple games against Detroit. Nevertheless, this team looks stale, boring, lifeless, and mediocre to throw out a few words, thus far this season. It may not be all his fault, but this team needs a shot in the arm, and more than anything else as a coach who can divvy up minutes responsibly, actually draw up a couple offensive plays that run through Thaddeus, and finally get adequate spacing on the court so opposing teams will have to cover Brand with only one defender.