With Donyell Marshall officially locked up the Sixers now have 14 guys under contract.  I team can hold as many as 15, but any addition at this point would be a cosmetic change who wouldn’t see a minute of relevant burn all season (re-signing Shav, for example).  As such we’re in a position where we can take a look at the Sixers roster and see what they got, what they need, and where they’re headed.

The Team:

Andre Miller                Lou
Williams               Royel Ivey

Andre Iguodala           Kareem
Rush              Willie Green

Thad Young                Donyell
Marshall

Elton Brand                 Reggie
Evans              Marreese
Speights

Samuel Dalembert       Theo
Ratliff                Jason Smith (IR)

The thoughts:

The 08-09 76 team may not have a top five talent at any position  – Duncan, KG, Dirk, Bosh, Boozer, (and Gasol) over Brand; Kobe, Wade, Manu, Iverson, and at least one of the Kevin Martin/Brandon Roy/Monta Ellis group over Iguodala – but they do have excellent depth, a lot of players who can play multiple positions, and a system that fits their talent.  We’ll go position by position to see what they got, and how they’ll use it.

Point Guard

The Sixers have one true PG – Miller – and no obvious option for the future. Williams and Ivey provide great depth, but neither is a true 1.  Truth told, they might be best suited playing together on the second unit – they’re like reflections of each other, and while I know repetition is the new balancing act, those two could both handle the ball, create nightmares crossmatching on defense, and allow Lou Will dominate the scoring on the floor.  If everyone stays healthy the team looks good for this year but bad if Miller blots in the offseason. 

If an elite PG becomes available during the season, expect the Sixers to take a long, hard look at moving Miller, his expiring contract, and some of their young talent for him.

Off Guard

If AI2’s jump shot becomes a legitimate threat the two is a strength for the Sixers.  Iguodala can physically overpower most off guards and is quick enough to stay with them on defense.  Behind him Kareem Rush knows how to put the ball in the hoop and is active on D.  Playing Iggy 25-28 minutes at the 2, (& 10-12 at the three) would allow Rush to get a solid 15-20 minutes a game to establish a rhythm.  

We’re all hoping that this is the end of the Willie Green era, but if not expect Green to take some of everyone’s minutes and AI2 to play serious minutes at SF

Small Forward

The signing of Elton Brand turned the Sixers deepest position into their shallowest.  Originally the plan was for Iguodala to get the lions share of minutes and have Thad Young split time between the 3 and the 4.  Now, AI2 has shifted to the 2, and TY expects to the small forward position to be all his. The only player officially behind him on the depth chart is Donyell Marshall, and he’s being talked about as a 4 (bad news for Reggie Evans).  Still, the depth the Sixers have at guard and the trajectory of the NBA means that the Sixers will often go small and their guards will slide over to the three.  Young’s promise and Iguodala’s versatility makes this position one that the Sixers shouldn’t have to worry about for years to come.

Power Forward

Elton Brand should take care of this one.  Behind the new Sixers’ centerpiece is reliable veteran Reggie Evans, who gives you hustle, rebounding, and underrated on-ball defense night in and night out.  The problem with these two is that that neither of them can shift over to the 5.  Both are closer to 6′8″ than 6′10″, and while their stick-to-itiveness allows them to never be out-muscled by bigger fours, putting them together on the floor is asking for quick guards to penetrate.  This problem is highlighted because the Sixers are expecting Donyell Marshall to contribute, would love to see first-rounder Marreese Speights get a few minutes here, and would like to slide TY in for when the team goes small.

Center

Samuel Dalembert is what he is.  He’ll block shots on the weak side, he’ll rebound on talent (not always on position) and he’ll get you 11-12 points a game.  The addition of Brand, who is an excellent on-ball defender, should help him greatly because it should allow him to roam.  It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if he led the league in blocks this year.

Behind Sammy is Theo Ratliff, who will give you 8-10 good minutes a night and won’t be asked to do anything more, and Marreese Speights, who is at the point where any production he gives you in a bonus.

Overall the team looks to be in good shape.  Their strengths are obvious – they’re deep, athletic and play defense – and they’re weaknesses – still don’t have a true go-to player and could be in trouble in Miller goes down with an injury or old age – are less so. Or I’m wrong.  Have I placed the players in their wrong locations? Can a Brand/Evans frontcourt work?

Let me know.

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 10:23 am and is filed under Sixers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.