Too much of a bad thing
It’s evident from the Sixers 98-89 loss to Detroit last night, their third loss in a row, that subtracting Allen Iverson from the equation hasn’t made them a better team. Sure, it may have given Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver a chance to show what they can do if they touch the ball more. But it’s also shown that those two, along with a very talented pass-first point guard in Andre Miller, aren’t enough to make this group a good team. The Sixers weren’t good with Allen, and they’re not good without him.
So what’s my point? The point is the Sixers are bad. Andre Miller is good. When’s the last time we saw a point guard, or anyone for that matter, pass so incredibly well in this town? (For those of us not lucky enough to remember Mo Cheeks as a player, the answer would be never). Iguodala and rookie Rodney Carney are young, freakish athletes with great upsides. Korver and Samuel Dalembert, also two younger players, are, well, young. Miller is 30 years old. Now, I know that’s not ancient, but that other guy Philadelphia traded to acquire Miller is 31. Many people have said Iverson’s getting old, so it was time to part ways with such a young squad.
With such a young team that clearly has no shot to do any real damage, why not continue to stock pile draft picks? Keep the youth movement going. If they continue to lose and ultimately end up in the lottery, the Sixers will have three first round draft picks. Miller is a valuable commodity to help make the team younger. Virtually every team in the league needs a true point guard with few exceptions. Miller is that rare pass-first type, who truly does get the ball to his teammates in positions where they can score. He’s third in the NBA assists, which is proof if you haven’t been able to stomach watching the Sixers.
I know Miller is no Allen Iverson. The Sixers won’t be able to pull off two first rounders and a solid, young player. But what they can do is possibly get a first round pick. If not, at least a couple of second rounders. In a draft class that experts are considering the deepest in a decade, why not get as many chances to land some young talent. Plus, given Billy King’s tract record of draft picks (http://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/PHI/draft.html), especially with Larry Brown on board, wouldn’t you want to give him as many picks as possible? That might actually give them a shot at picking one player who can have an impact.
What I’m saying the Sixers should do is definitely go through with buying out Chris Webber’s contract, trade Andre Miller when the trade deadline comes and then lose as many games as possible. I know it’s not in players’ competitive natures to try to lose, but chances are they won’t need to try. Then they might get a shot at man-child Greg Oden. If not, there are still plenty of talented players that could fall in their lap. If they stick to their guns and try to actually win the dreadful Atlantic, well, the Sixers may be bad for another four or five years.
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Posted on January 10, 2007 by Joseph | Filed Under Philadelphia
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