Sliccat

My 2004-05 Sixers Preview:

Point Guard:
Predicted Depth Chart- Allen Iverson, Kevin Ollie, John Salmons, Andre Iguadala, Willie Green.


Most Underrated: Keving Ollie- perfect for playin 5-10 mpg with lots of energy, which is exactly what he will most likely be doing.

Sleeper- John Salmons- give handles and a consistent jumpshot, and he's Penny Hardaway

Strengths- Very quick and high energy at this position, and when this team gets running, they'll be able to put points up in bunches.

Weaknesses: AI is their best single-player half-court option, but at PG, either the team offense will stagnate while he tries to drive and create options, or he'll play more like a true PG, which will kill his impact on the game offensively, so they may struggle against the better defensive teams. Also, they'll be one of the worst teams in the league whenever AI misses a game, unless John Salmons steps up.

Overall: A- While they have serious half-court issues, AI and O'Brien are easily resourceful enough to work their way around them, and they also have a lot of scorers, which will help. When AI getrs injured, though, it leaves a huge gap in their offense.



Shooting Guard:
Predicted Depth Chart- Willie Green, Andre Iguadala, Kyle Korver, John Salmons, Kedrick Brown


Most Underrated- John Salmons: While inconsistent, he's long, fast, and has an underrated jump shot. Coaches haven't seen the best of him yet, and he may not get the chance to show them.

Sleeper- Andre Iguadala- One word: talent

Strengths- Extremely deep at this position. They could lose the top three and nor be tremendously hurt. None of them have outstanding weaknesses.

Weaknesses- None of them seem to be more than average yet, and they could all be very inconsistent, although Iguadala appears to have great upside.

Overall: B- Willie Green would have gone in the first round if he was a few inches taller. The problem is he's not. However, people said the same thing about Carlos Boozer, who has about 40 million resasons to smile. Some people can just play(see: Allen Iverson), and Wille Green seems to be one of those people. Besides, if he struggles, get injured, or busts, they're one of the deepest teams in the league at SG. However, unless he excels, I don't see Philly going very far, especially when Iverson gets doubled or injured.



Small Foward:
Predicted Depth Chart- Glenn Robinson, Kyle Korver, Cloriss Williamson, Andre Iguadala, John Salmons, Kedric Brown.


Most Underrated- Glenn Robinson: People forget that he's probably one of the best mid range shooters in NBA history. The problem is he does nothing else. This is his contract year, however, so expect that to change. On the flip side, he could cause chemistry problems if his minutes are cut.

Sleeper- Kyle Korver- showed the willingness to play defense, and poise in the clutch last year

Strengths- The Big Dog and Korver can shoot the lights out, and Williamson abuses most small forwards(ask Keith Van Horn), plus Iggy and Salmons can score on the break. They can rack up points when Iverson struggles, something Philly has never had at this level. Korver looks like he's improved on all levels, and will work hard on defense, even if his instincts are terrible.

Weaknesses- Can any of them spell defense(except Iguadala and Salmons)? What will happen when Robinson doesn't get the ball enough?

Overall: B+ If Robinson will play nice with others, or O'Brien benches him when he won't, this position could turn Philly into a contender. They can flat-out score



Power Foward:
Predicted Depth Chart- Kenny Thomas, Cloriss Williamson, Brian Skinner, Marc Jackson


Most Underrated- Marc Jackson- He's got skills, and if hell freezes over he could actually get some minutes.

Sleeper- Marc Jackson

Strengths- Kenny Thomas was brilliant at the end of last year, but with AI and Big Dog taking up shots, he won't be able to post up much, limiting his points. He'll be the insurence against anybody getting injured, and could keep them alive during the points when their offense stalls.

Weaknesses- They're relying way to much only Cloriss Williamson to be a consistent threat. He's more of a match-up player.

Overall: B+ If Thomas can stay heathy, they'll get everything they need from this position. If Big Nasty ever starts, prepare for a nose dive.



Center:
Predicted Depth Chart- Samuel Dalembert, Brian Skinner, Marc Jackson.


Most Underrated- Marc Jackson: see power foward

Sleeper- Zendon Hamiliton. What? Billy King let him go!? And then signed Brian Skinner for $30 million!?(disgust)


Strengths: Sammy Dalembert is one of the most unique players I've ever seen. He's also a perfect fit for Philly. Iverson has a natural chemistry for centers, and they were great together last year. Also, he's so fast that he gets to shots and boards everybody else gives up on. Also, Brian Skinner are tough enough to spell him when Shaq comes through

Weaknesses: The problem with Dalembert is that he misses some of the things other centers do fundamentally. Also, durability could be an issue. He's the type of player whose injuries build on themselves. Also, there isn't a seven footer among them, and Skinner is 6'9.

Overall: B If Dalembert can stay healthy, he's guarenteed to produce, and Skinner's a great backup. Jackson has all the tools, but he'll only get playing time if one of them gets injured, and in Dalemberts case, that could cripple the team's defense.




Team Overview:


Philly's success lies on momentum. A team based on the fast break usually is at some point of the season, and lags at another. If they can time their hot streaks right, they have the potential go deep into the playoffs. Remember, this is much better than the '02-03 team, which was probably a lucky Chucky Atkins bounce from going into the semis, where they would have had great match-ups against the Nets and Spurs. If they can stay away from Shaq and get hot at the right time, another finals is possible. If they suffer a meltdown, they may miss the playoffs again.

Overall: B+ As long as Glenn Robinson keeps his mouth shut, they should be between 4th and 7th.

Coatesvillain

Great write-up and welcome to the board.

It's always good to see an opinion on the Sixers, because I have to balance my optimism. Prior to last season, I had high expectations and chemistry, coaching, and injury problems stood in the way, now back at square one I feel really good about this season as well.

The depth on the team is undeniable, and it'll be interesting to see how Jim O'Brien puts together the starting lineup and rotations.

The one thing I might have to disagree is the most important part of the Sixers, right now I'd have to say it's Robinson. If Robinson plays like he did in his prime and doesn't disrupt the locker room things could look very good for the Sixers. Problem with that is with his elbow already acting up, it's hard to imagine him not missing a good chunk of games this year.

Oh, and I wanted to know, are you worried about Kenny Thomas' lack of production on the floor with Iverson and Big Dog? It's something that has consistently bothered me, and I wonder why they don't try getting him at least a few touches in the low post while the other two are on the floor.

__________________
Who cares about a championship drought?:
My teams will never win a championship anyway, so why don't you discuss everything else at my forum? Good idea, right? Yeah, I thought so. It's called.. Booing Santa Claus. See you there.

Sliccat

I think Kenny Thomas will be more effective when AI is on the bench, because he seems to need to create his own shots. AI is allways better setting up people for immediate shots, which is why he and Dalembert/Mutumbo work together so well. I think he'll improve on his season averages but not up to what he was doing in April.

Kunlun

I think with the emergence of Dalembert Kenny's rebounds will go down a bit.

Coatesvillain

Dalembert will have to show consistency rebounding the ball before he'll hurt Kenny's rebound numbers.

__________________
Who cares about a championship drought?:
My teams will never win a championship anyway, so why don't you discuss everything else at my forum? Good idea, right? Yeah, I thought so. It's called.. Booing Santa Claus. See you there.

Kunlun

Also, Kenny's rebounds would go down because of the way O'Brien wants the defense and offense to be played. Kenny won't be as close to the basket as before.

Coatesvillain

That's a great point, one I didn't even think of. On defense he'll probably be getting the same boards, but on offense he's operating so far from the basket (at least in the first few games) that he won't get the boards.

__________________
Who cares about a championship drought?:
My teams will never win a championship anyway, so why don't you discuss everything else at my forum? Good idea, right? Yeah, I thought so. It's called.. Booing Santa Claus. See you there.

Kunlun

And one of the greatest aspects of Kenny's game are his offensive boards.

Sliccat

I don't think it will make a difference if he's 12-17 ft away from the rim, he can just rush the moment a shot goes up.