Philadelphia Nightmare to Begin... On Halloween Night

Before I get into the main topic of the article, let me take a moment to complain about the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies finished the season 13-4 and won the NL East title, but then got swept in the first round! They scored the most runs in the NL during the regular season, but they couldn’t average more than 2.7 runs against a Colorado Rockies pitching staff that stinks. They couldn’t even last long enough so that my article, explaining how awesome the Phillies could be, would be released in time of their postseason presence. A lesson then comes to mind, and that is that it’s okay to underestimate Philadelphia sports teams. I mean, they have been letting the city down since 1983, so what makes 2007 so special? Nothing. I have learned that lesson though, and I will apply it to the Philadelphia 76ers’ upcoming season. Unfortunately for Sixers fans, it’s not very difficult to figure out that the team will be awful this upcoming season.

The Philadelphia 76ers were in the media a lot last year as they traded away superstar Allen Iverson and bought out Chris Webber’s contract. They were one of the worst teams in the NBA and there didn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. The Sixers could have tanked the season to increase their chances of winning the lottery, but instead they did what most other teams would never do, play to win every remaining game even with the season in the toilet. The Sixers did just that and ended their season winning 17 of their last 26 games. If the NBA awarded the team with the best karma, the Sixers would no doubt receive the honor, unfortunately, that’s not how things work.

Despite how good they were finishing their season, it will not translate into wins this season. The Sixers were 26th in the league in points per game. It’s not that they can’t shoot, (they were 15th in the league in field goal percentage) it’s just that they don’t shoot enough (22nd in the league in field goals attempted). The team had several big holes to fill in their roster and for some reason they did little to fix this problem in the off season. It maybe because they were trying to get the taste of Iverson and Webber out of their mouths before spending more money on other players, or it could be because of the free agency frenzy that might occur at the end of the 2008 season (Elton Brand, Gilbert Arenas, Shawn Marion, Jermaine O’Neal, Baron Davis, Corey Maggette, and Ron Artest can all opt out of their contracts next year becoming free agents).

Whatever it is, it will ultimately mean that the team and the city suffer this season. They have SG Kyle Korver and PF Reggie Evans starting for them who are at best, backups. Korver is a great 6th man that can shoot but the problem is that the Sixers have him listed as a starter. Reggie Evans is a great rebounder, and he is exactly what the Sixers needed finishing 25th in the league in defensive rebounds. The problem is, he can’t score. The fact that the Sixers neglected to resign PF Joe Smith is very puzzling to me. He was a big factor in why the Sixers went on the 17-6 run at the end of last season averaging 10.6 points per game and 7.5 rebounds per game in that stretch. Center Samuel Dalembert isn’t something to brag about either. Not only is he an average player, but he is also hurt. He suffered a stress fracture in his foot during the off season, which will not keep him out of the game, but will definitely slow him down. Playing with this kind of injury may result in the problem getting worse as the season moves on.

The Sixers do have a silver lining on their team and he is SF Andre Iguodala. Iguodala is one of the most athletic players in the NBA meaning he can move around the court, play multiple positions, defend, and also score. He can very well make the All-Star team this year now that Iverson is out of the equation. The problem is that teams will recognize that Iguodala is the only one that can hurt them and all they have to do is double-team him, thus making him irrelevant. Andre Miller, a veteran point guard, will do everything to try and stop this from happening. A true point guard, Miller is an excellent piece to the team who can create plays and pass the ball very well which means everything to Iguodala’s productivity. Miller averaged 13.6 points per game and 7.3 assists per game with Philadelphia last season.

The Sixers are relying on their draft picks to have an impact on the game as well, which is a problem in itself. Their first selection, Thaddeus Young, is a lot like Andre Iguodala, which isn’t necessarily a good thing. The fact that you have two young athletic small forwards who are almost exact replicas is a problem. The Atlanta Hawks tried to do this with their team and haven’t won more than 30 games in the past four seasons. The team also drafted PF Jason Smith which was a horrible decision as he will most likely be a bust. The fact that he’s a 7-foot tall shooter who’s too skinny and can’t rebound puts up many red flags. This is a kid that couldn’t help his team win in college playing for the Colorado State Rams (17-13 record, 6th place finish) in a weak Mountain West Conference. Does Sixers general manager Billy King, really think Smith can make a difference in a professional league? Not a very smart pick-up in my opinion, especially considering the fact that the Sixers traded away SG Daequan Cook, a great scorer, to get him.

Not only did Philadelphia not do enough to compete, but the rest of the Atlantic Division grew stronger as well; the Boston Celtics acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the New Jersey Nets resigned Vince Carter, the New York Knicks traded for Zach Randolph, and the Toronto Raptors were great already gaining one more year of experience.

76ers fans have a long season ahead of them because there is no way the Sixers are finishing better than last in the Atlantic Division barring opponent injuries. Statistics speak for themselves and the team did little to improve themselves based on the numbers. With little scoring capabilities, lack of 3-point shooting, and an insufficient presence at the post, this season will truly be a nightmare for Philadelphia basketball. It’s very appropriate that the season starts on Halloween night at Toronto, but at the end of a storm, the sun always shines… O.J. Mayo or Michael Beasley in 2008!!!

Sports Moment of the Week

Rob Bironas had the game of his life on Sunday against Houston when he went 8 for 8 on field goal attempts setting a new NFL record. He also set the record for most points by a kicker. His last field goal won the game for Tennessee with two seconds left as Tennessee blew a 25-point lead in the 4th quarter.

This is a tremendous achievement for a guy like Bironas as he has not been so successful in the past. Bironas transferred from Auburn (D-I) to Georgia Southern (D-IAA) during his college years. He was out of football in '01 and '02 working sales and marketing with his father. He kicked for the AFL team, the Carolina Cobras and worked at Best Buy before being cut from training camp with the Packers in '02, the Bucs in '03, and the Steelers in '04. He made the Titans team in '05 and was the team's leading scorer that year; but he continued to stay at an extended stay hotel the entire year because of the fear tht he might lose his job.