2007/2008 76ers Prediction from The Sports Network 

The 76ers are about to begin a new season, and a new chapter in the franchise history.  The changes of last year, trading Allen Iverson, releasing Chris Webber and the efforts to make something tangible from the remaining games after sealed the deal on the mesmerizing if not satisfying AI era.  Now things threaten to be frightfully boring on and off the court.  The rest of the division has improved, or was already ahead of this team.  Now that AI is gone, Andre Iguodala has to step up to be their focal point and leader.  He tried to begin that transition last year and had some success.  His ability to raise his play another level is a big key to how this year will evolve. 

The major addition in the offseason by GM Billy King, was trading for Reggie Evans.  This trade seems rather inconspicuous on the surface, since Evans was not a starter in

The other components of the team are mostly unchanged from a year ago.  Andre Miller came to the Sixers in the AI trade and will provide strong steady leadership from the point.  Strong point guard play is at a premium in the NBA and the Sixers are blessed with one of the better players at that position.  Willie Green and Rod Carney will get most of the time at the 2.  Green is so inconsistent.  Some nights he looks great, some he looks like he is not interested.  I think King overvalues him.  I would rather give Carney every chance to take his minutes.  He was erratic last year as a rookie, but he has a ton of athletic ability and basketball skills.  If Cheeks can mold his play into a consistent scoring threat, that would go along way to improving the Sixers chances of climbing above the basement. Dalembert had a career year, playing all 82 games last season but is another player that the team likes too much.  He can block shots from the weak side and rebounds well.  The problem is his D is not very good straight up on other centers and he has a very limited offensive game.  He came to the game late, as a teen, and it shows. He does not have good court sense.  Lastly, and firstly for this team, Andre Iguodala will have to prove it to me.  I think he is a better complementary player than a leading man. To his credit, he is not shying away from the role.  He is making every effort to fill the void.  He is just not a complete enough player to make it work well for the 76ers.  Until I see a consistent outside jumper to take advantage of sagging defenders guarding against his drives to the rim, I have to think that he will remain a tier 2 player.  Sixth man small forward, Kyle Korver gives the team a consistent 3 point threat off of the bench, but his D is a big issue. He is another overvalued player by the Sixers brass. I think his abilities could bring you someone in a trade that could add something substantial where you really need it, on the interior.

The Sixers received 2 first round picks for AI.  They drafted Thaddeous Young and Jason Smith (actually acquired when the team swapped picks with the Heat) with those picks.  As primary pieces in the move to untie the team from Iverson, the newest Sixers are a bit underwhelming right now.  Young is a 6′8″ athletic forward who has obvious upside potential, but is raw.  He only played one year at Georgia Tech, and while he had a good season, he was not the primary weapon on his team.  He could at some point make his selection a good one, but that is not going to happen immediately.  Smith is a 7 footer who is going to play right away a lot due to the lack of depth at the center and power forward spots. He will get pushed around by centers when he is defending, but could cause them match up issues when he has the ball on offense.  He was not a great player in college, merely good, while playing at

Besides Korver, the Sixers bench has another interesting player.  Louis Williams came out of high school directly to the pros 2 years ago.  He has been working quietly to round his game into NBA form.  He displayed a strong scoring ability in the chances he had to play at the end of last season.  That continued in the summer league.  If he continues to develop into a strong back up to Andre Miller, Miller could become a chip at the trade deadline.  Miller is the kind of player that teams look at and see the missing piece to their playoff aspirations. Otherwise, the bench is unremarkable.

The 76ers will have to scratch and claw for wins.  They are just too under talented as a whole to compete strongly.  I hope that they can find a way to get to .500 but a 35 -38 win season seems more likely.  That could be improved if Andre Iguodala becomes the 25+ pt per game guy, and Rodney Carney makes strides to be an additional consistent scoring threat.