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**Coatesvillain** · 09-14-2004, 11:25 AM

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You are standing before the season ticket holders; give us a short state of the union address on the Sixers.
We are going to have an exciting team, a younger team, a much more athletic team than we had last season. I think with Jim’s (O'Brien) style of play, it will be one that will be appealing to our fans. We will get back to playing great defense, but also we are going to open up the offense a little bit. So, what our goal was for this off-season was to try to get a little bit more athletic, a little bit younger, and to get a little bit more offense, to get back to playing tough defense.

You recently made another move to trim the roster before training camp. What was the motivating factor behind waiving Buckner?
Well, I think looking at the overall picture, with the roster we need for Jim, and looking at the depth of our roster, I didn’t see the opportunity for him to play this year. The willingness to negotiate a buyout with him, gives him an opportunity to go play, but also is a chance where we could save some money. I thought it was the best for both parties.

What is Todd MacCulloch’s situation?
Todd and I will sit down when he gets back from Seattle, probably in two weeks. I don’t expect Todd to play this year; I don’t think Todd expects to play this year. I think the meeting at that time will determine the outcome of his situation.

Is there any move you made which you think will have an immediate impact?
Honestly, the biggest move of impact was hiring Jim O’Brien. Because I think he’ll set the table for all these pieces that we made moves on. I think if you want to look at one key move, that was having Jim.

What does Coach O’Brien bring to the organization, what attracted you to him?
What attracted me is defense. When the rules changed, Boston adapted and played the best defense of anybody in the league. And I think his offensive style allows players freedom to do a little bit more offensively. It reminds me a little bit of Coach Krzyzewski at Duke because we always had it defensively. You are going to play one way and one way only. But offensively you had a lot more freedom. I think he’s going to figure out ways to make each player better because he knows if he can make each player better and successful, then the overall product will be better.

Andre Iguodala has been called a steal of the draft and one of the best picks in the past draft. How do you think he will fit into the line-up or is this going to be a leaning year for him?
It will be a learning year because anytime a rookie comes in, there is a big learning curve. But I think he has the athletic ability and the upside to make an impact. It will depend on how quickly he picks up. The greatest thing about our roster is we have competition at every position, a lot of depth.

What positions do you expect the most competition at training camp?
It’s probably going to be at two positions. It’s going to be at the two/three position, and probably the five position. I think these will be the most battles for minutes.

Out of all the young players on the team, who do you see stepping up and taking a key role on the team this season?
A lot of what we put on Willie [Green], I think he will be able to step up to do that. I think Samuel (Dalembert) fell into the role, and proved himself last year. But I think out of everybody a lot of that will be on Willie.

What has Willie shown to you and Jim that he can handle the two-spot and a starting position?
The biggest thing is his poise. I think last year towards the end of the season there were games where in stretches he would take over a game on his own. And he allows the game to come to him. I think he has a great feeling for the game. Mainly, just seeing him in those stretches when we didn’t have veteran scorers out there, and he was willing to accept the role. The players on the court were willing to look for him to do that.

If there were a game today, how would the starting line-up look to you?
I would probably envision Allen [Iverson] at the point, Willie at the 2, Glenn [Robinson] at the 3, Kenny [Thomas] at the 4, and Sammy at the 5.

Jim O’Brien brings a new style of play and you have made attempts to adjust the roster accordingly. Are there more moves to be made?
I think right now this will probably be the roster we go into camp with. It may not be the roster we open the season with, but I don’t foresee any other moves before we get to camp.

How can Allen Iverson translate his Olympic experience this summer into a successful year with the Sixers?
The leadership role that he took with Team USA is something that I think he’ll need to do with this team. I think it’s something he’s ready for. I think he sees the young guys on our team, and I think he sees the fact that he may not be asked to do as much offensively in the sense of scoring, but more in the role of setting up other guys to score.

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**Coatesvillain** · 09-18-2004, 10:05 AM

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How do you think the 76ers will fare in the new Atlantic Division that consists of Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and Toronto?

Billy King: I think we have a chance to win the division and it gives us a chance to be one of the top three seeds in the East.

Did Miami do enough by acquiring Shaquille O'Neal to challenge for the Eastern Conference title?

BK: Miami is one of the teams that will be in the mix, but Detroit is the defending NBA champion and a very talented team, so the Pistons will obviously be the favorite.

Do you feel there is a lot more parity in the NBA?

BK: I don't know if there is as much parity as people are suggesting. Everybody looks good in the preseason but once the real games start being played, the stronger teams tend to stand out.

What about your backcourt? You traded Eric Snow and now Allen Iverson will be playing the point guard with second-year player Willie Green the likely starter at shooting guard?

BK: We will be more athletic and offensive minded in the backcourt. Eric did a great job with us and was a great leader, but with our style of play, I don't know if he would have fit in as well. Allen gives us the ability to
push the ball up the floor quickly.

That style of play the Sixers will employ looks to be a pressing, running game under new coach Jim O'Brien, which seems to be a drastic change from the recent past. What is your assessment on the new style?

BK: It will be different and I think it's something the fans will want to see. We will get up and down the court, but also under coach O'Brien, we will be a strong defensive team.

What are your impressions of coach O'Brien?

BK: From the time I hired him until now, I couldn't be more excited to have Jim coaching the team. He is somebody who won't be outworked and I think the players will really enjoy playing his system.

Last season the Sixers were hurt by a lack of depth. How deep do you think this year's team is?

BK: I think we are deeper at every position. One of the things we tried to do was become a more athletic and a better offensive team and I think we have.

First-round draft choice Andre Iguodala displayed great athletic and defensive ability this summer. He also showed that his offensive game will take some time. Can he challenge for playing time on this veteran team?

BK: I think Andre has a great opportunity for minutes, but they will have to be earned. That is what makes this season so exciting because many players are in the same boat and this fierce competition should make our team better.

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Bruno · 09-19-2004, 04:18 AM

i like what i hear of billy king . he said things that the fans can expected good thing of sixers this season . he says he can win the division , he can be a marketing way of talk for ppl are in watchovia center but i would like to see what this team will do ...

Rayza · 09-21-2004, 06:56 AM

One thing Iam worried about is Philly's half court offense. Iverson will have to run things from point and they don't have any great individual scorers besides AI.

But defense and full court offense looks promising

Bruno · 09-21-2004, 07:36 AM

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Originally posted by Rayza!
One thing Iam worried about is Philly's half court offense. Iverson will have to run things from point and they don't have any great individual scorers besides AI.

But defense and full court offense looks promising

Thats why i talked the should sign players like kutulay.

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