|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sixers and Under...Wear That is...
By Craig Berosh
phillypage2 columnist (10-22-2003)
The King Drawers:
Obviously, Allen Iverson is the team’s No. 1 pair of drawers. He’s the pair you wear under your suit or when you think there is any chance for nakedness. Unfortunately, Iverson and Donovan McNabb have a lot in common these days as mediocre talent that they aren’t great enough to overcome surrounds both. Their situation as competitors (and ours as fans) is especially frustrating because the management for both teams either doesn’t recognize the lack of talent (Andy Reid) or continues to do the same thing in attempting to update the surrounding talent (Billy King). Prediction: Iverson’s shots per game will be the lowest of his career due to the presence of Glenn Robinson and hopefully Kenny Thomas (I know, we’ve all heard this before). However, his number of assists will be the highest of his career (I honestly think Iverson could lead the league in assists in the right situation). Note of interest: Iverson is the oldest No.1 pick to have not been traded.
Old but Reliable:
The old holdovers are those pairs of underwear that you consider getting rid of but hold on to because of familiarity, reliability and past performance. These johns are versatile and can be worn on almost any occasion from the casual weekend with sweatpants to the office with khakis. For the Sixers, this group includes Derrick Coleman, Eric Snow and Aaron McKie. A Sixer season just wouldn’t be complete without this trio of players on the floor at the end of the game as well as missing multiple games due to injury. But like a good pair of briefs, they always are there for support when it counts. Prediction: All three will play fewer minutes this season due to the emergence of John Salmons and Willie Green, an improved front line and Iverson getting time at point guard. Snow will show improved range on his jumper (each year he adds one foot to his range, he’s currently consistent from 18 feet out and will be regularly making 3-pointers by 2008). McKie will slowly get phased out of the rotation because new coach Randy Ayers is not afraid to play younger players unlike Larry Brown, and Coleman will play well until he gets into a fight with The Big Dog about who was the better player in college (a really good argument if you think about it).
New but Trusted:
These are the new skivvies (can’t believe I used that word) that you are confident will become regulars in your rotation because you are familiar with their brand and style. You don’t take too many chances with these until a few wash cycles but after a while might even call a play for them in crunch time instead of just giving the ball to Iverson and praying. This group includes Robinson, Thomas and Marc Jackson. It’s a brand new front line, which is a good thing. With this group the Sixers have gone from having no post-up players to actually having two or three or four, which might lead the league in today’s NBA. The question with this group will be at the defensive end of the court. Prediction: None of the three will average a double-double (hard to do when sharing rebounds and minutes), but the Sixers could be monsters on the offensive glass with this group and Coleman. Best case scenario sees Robinson hit a good percentage (for the record, he’s a career 46% shooter and has already shown his streaky-ness this preseason with 4-for-16 and 3-for-16 outings as well as 9-for-11 and 7-for-13), Thomas consistently play big without getting in foul trouble (could be Kenyon Martin if he had Jason Kidd passing him the ball), and Jackson and Coleman hold down the middle. Another note of interest: The Sixers now lead the league in No 1 overall draft picks with D.C., Big Dog and The Answer.
(Not so quick rant: I don’t pretend to understand the NBA salary cap, but can someone explain to me how the Dallas Mavericks can afford, given the salary cap restrictions, to add Antonie Walker to a team that already has Dirk, Nash, Finely and Antawn Jamison? It’s seems like all of the contending teams from last year improved while the Sixers stayed about the same. Minnesota added Latrell Sprewell, Michael Olowokandi and Sam Cassell. The Lakers got Karl Malone and Gary Payton The Spurs added Hidayet Turkoglu, Robert Horry and Radoslav Nesterovic. I mean, what in the name of David Stern is going on here? A caste system seems to be in place and Sixers are banished to the middle class.)
Young and Unproven:
These are those new shorts that you’re not sure about. They might bind up or make you chafe, but at some point you have to take a chance and might be pleasantly surprised. For the Sixers, this is a big group (assuming they all make the roster) that includes John Salmons, Samuel Dalembert, Willie Green, Kyle Korver and the coach, Ayers. Don’t know much about Ayers, but the way I see it he hasn’t been given a terrible hand to play. Actually, this team has as much talent as any that Brown had. As far as anyone from the group actually playing, the backcourt seems to only place for minutes (assuming no injuries) so Green and Salmons have the best shot to show something. Prediction: Ayers shows a lot more flexibility than Brown and plays Iverson some at point guard with Korver and Green spotting up from the 3-point line. Salmon sees a lot time as a defensive stopper, replacing McKie. Dalembert is needed to play meaningful minutes at some point and shows he could be the next Ervin Johnson, not “Magic” but that big stiff that played for the Bucks
A Sixers’ Repeat:
Let’s face it; the NBA is not like other professional sports. Unlike baseball (Marlins), hockey (Ducks) and football (prediction: Vikings) there are only few teams that realistically have a chance to win the championship, and only several major injuries can change that. This year (just like last year) those teams are the Lakers, Spurs and Nets and maybe the T-Wolves, Mavs, Kings or Pistons. The Sixers have no chance of winning the championship; so why watch, care or write this article? (actually, I’m bored at work and proud of my new underwear collection). Prediction: Basically it’s the same team as last year, not overly athletic or big and kind of old and creaky. The frontline has been upgraded from less-than-average to adequate. Robinson will be a slight improvement over Keith Van Horn. Ayers is probably a Brown clone and the team will most likely be boring to watch. The Sixers will make the playoffs, place somewhere in the middle of the pack, and struggle to win one playoff series at best (then get a mediocre draft pick, try to replace a few guys, make the playoffs in the middle of the pack…it’s a vicious cycle). Next season, we start on socks.