In all of the success the the 76ers found late in the season, the one area where improvement seems most needed would be the power forward position. Nothing against Reggie Evans, but it seems as if adding a big body who can play some post defense and also score in the low post would be just what the team needs from the 4 in the upcoming season.
While the 76ers were near the top of the league in rebounding, an additional big body would help out most in the half court offense, using position in the low post to create high percentage shots in the form or layups/dunks or kick it out to a perimeter player for an open jumper. To boot, the East is devoid of many impact big men, while the West is filled with them. Getting a dominant big to pair with Sammy would help take the team to the next level in their conference.
On the roster: Reggie Evans, Herbert Hill, Lou Amundson
While Reggie helped the team lead the NBA in offensive rebounding, he was little more than a glorified hustle man who found himself a starting position on a team with no PF. Reggie is a great rotation guy who can really eat minutes, but he's not who you want as a starter. If he's here next year, I'd love for him to be able to spell our starting PF (whoever it be) and provide energy off the bench. Chances are, he and his 3 year, $15 million contract are more valuable as trade bait than he is as a role player. I'd try to package Reggie with a pick and upgrade at the PF, either through moving up in the draft or straight up for another PF. If he stays on the team, he'd be a great guy off the bench, but if we want to improve over last year, Reggie cannot be the starter.
Hill hurt his knee. Sucks for him. There are better PF prospects available in the draft who are younger and without the injuries. I wouldn't sign him unless we had an extra spot and he's looked good in workouts.
Lou was one of my favorite summer league players, because he fits in perfectly there. He's an undersized worker who has a knack for rebounding, despite his skin color. Who knew white boys under 6'10 could rebound? Unfortunately, the summer league competition was a lot less steep than in the NBA, and Amundson barely got any playing time, and only in blowouts. He's a free agent and will not be resigned, which is a shame, since you don't see too many guys sporting that mini-pony tail. Scot Pollard, where art thou?
Trade: Zack Randolph, Chris Wilcox, Charlie Villanueva
ZBO is someone who I've thought long and hard about. While he's spent his years on disastrous franchises like Portland and New York and has gotten the rep as a "bad attitude player", his skills match exactly what the 76ers need out of a PF. He can score in the low post, has good range on his shot and will board up every night. Unfortunately, he's been known to lack hustle/effort and has always played a bit out of shape. He's been coached by Mo before, and they had a good relationship in Portland, so I could see him stepping up the effort once he's got a chance to play on a team that doesn't resemble a train wreck. His HUGE contract may seem like a deterrent, but considering how empty FA looks this year (if we resign Iggy and Lou and Brand stays in LA, no quality players are left), using our money now might be best achieved by taking a chance on Randolph. I hear the 6th pick and Randolph for Evans and the 16th pick is a popular rumor, though more pieces may be added to get the deal done. And for the doubters who say he'll slow down the break, I just imagine this scenario: On every break, Miller pushes the ball to either Iggy, Thad or Sammy. If they can't score, they wait for Randolph's fat ass to get down the floor and run the half court O. Sounds like the best of both worlds to me.
The safest option, IMO, would be to trade for Chris Wilcox. If the 76ers can grab Wilcox and the 24th pick for Evans and the 16th, I would do this deal in a heartbeat. Wilcox is a tremendous athlete who can get up and down the floor and score in the low post. He's got one year left on his deal ($6.75 million), so basically he'd play a year with us, and we'd get to see how he does. If he plays well, we can resign him as a FA. If he doesn't work out, we let him walk and look at other FAs. In that scenario, we'd have the 24th pick to draft JJ Hickson, Alexis Ajinca or Jason Thompson for the PF of the future. Or if we resign Wilcox, you have him and a young big man to swap in and out of the lineup. We get an instant upgrade at PF, a prospect at PF and the flexibility to see what comes out of the situation. We won't lose any key young pieces (Lou, Carney, Smith) or Utah's pick in the deal, either.
I can't believe that me, a Cuse guy, is openly lobbying for a UConn alum to come play for my 76ers, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. Charlie is a guy who was drafted the year after Chris Bosh, and was quickly sent to Milwaukee, where he was then able to watch his team draft Yi Jianlang to play in front of him. He could come cheap and would provide some depth and has really yet to find a home to show off his abilities. I watched him dominate Cuse on a few occasions, and he has shown hints of that at the NBA level. He could be a cheap option to start in front of whoever we draft at 16 and take some minutes (and pressure) off our pick's shoulders. He'll make just under $3.5 million next year and his contract would be up in time for the FA sweepstakes of 2010/11 (LeBron, DWade, Amare, Bosh). Hell, he hit 7 3-pointers in a loss to the Raptors in April, which equals what anyone playing PF for us combined for the entire season (1 from Evans, 6 from Thad). Getting Charlie would be a low risk, high reward move.
Free agent: Emeka Okafor, Elton Brand
Okafor is a tough guy to evaluate, considering he'll most likely stay in Charlotte. I hear they want to draft a big man to move him over to the 4, but considering he turned down a $12 million a year extension, he may be looking to leave. It may not be about money, rather the chance to be on a good, competitive team with a chance to win. Does that sound like any teams you know about in the market for a PF? DING! The Bobcats probably wouldn't let Okafor go as a free agent, so more likely we'd have to do a sign and trade, most likely including Utah's pick and one or more of our young guys (Carney and Smith?). He'd bring another great defensive presence to the 76ers, and he has a bit more offensive polish than Sammy does. He'd fit in great here in Philly, but I'm not sure we have enough pieces to bring him in/sign him to a deal.
Elton, Elton, Elton. You were supposed to be the gem of this FA period, but you've kept your intentions a secret. Will you opt-out? If you do, is it just to get a new contract/more money from LA or are you legitimately interested in testing the waters? Obviously, signing Elton Brand would be the best immediate upgrade to the PF position, but he'd also be able to play in his prime for another 3 years, giving the Sixers a nice window to win. I hear Dunleavy say that he plans on having Brand in LA next season, but the choice is ultimately up to Elton. We'd love to have him here, and really it's only Philly who would have the space to sign him, so I'll cross my fingers and hope Brand is a 76er next season.
Draft: Marreese Speights, Darrell Arthur, JaVale McGee
Speights is who I want at 16. He looks like he's got the blend of being NBA ready and also having a high ceiling. He ripped it up at Florida in limited time, but was able to play with (and in practice, against) a bunch of NBA players in Noah, Horford and Brewer, so he's seen what it takes to be an NBA player. His range and athleticism has me thinking he could be the next Chris Bosh, though questions about his intensity/focus turns me off a bit. Then again, this guy was barely recruited going into college and worked his way to a mid-first round pick, so can he be that much of a slouch? He's got the best motivators-money and playing time, and he's on a young, rising team. I heard his conditioning was questionable, but he showed up at workouts looking more fit and sculpted than reported. He's my pick.
Arthur is the opposite of DeAndre Jordan. He is ready to play in the NBA today. Solid low post moves, explosive leaping ability and good positional defense is what makes the Kansas star an attractive option. His upside may not be on the same level as Speights or Jordan, but he would be able to fill a role immediately and also grow into a starter down the line. This is a very safe pick at 16, and I'm not sure that's what should be done by a team with cap room and flexibility. I'd like to see a little more balls by the brass, but Arthur would be a pick I was satisfied with if that's who we go to in a week.
JaVale was a name I have been watching for a few months now. Originally picked as a guy who might be taken in the 2nd round, he flew up the draft boards late, but has fallen back down to the mid to end of the first round after some sub-par workouts. Like Jordan, he's got tremendous upside (huge wingspan, good handle for a 7 footer, decent range on his J) but has bust written all over him. I trust the 76ers and Eddie enough if they think McGee is the guy, but he's a high risk, high reward kind of guy.
So who should the 76ers draft if they go big? Will Zack Randoplh really be that bad for the team? Is Reggie better as a trade piece or a player? So far no comments at all, so I'd have to assume everything I've suggested is dead on.
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