Philadelphia 76ers Struggling to Find Their Stride Early

Coming into the 2008-2009 season, the Sixers were looking like a different team—a better team.

A team that was ready to make that push from just barely making the playoffs into being a solid playoff contender throughout the season.

With the addition of big name All-Star Elton Brand to their young team, the Sixers were ready for the first solid season they have had since the Allen Iverson era.

So what has happened? The team that everyone was talking playoffs has started off the season at a division-worst 8-10, which places them 8.5 games back out of first to the powerful defending champion Boston Celtics.

The big-name, $82 million dollar Brand is performing—but with a career low 44.5 field-goal percentage and is averaging a career low 17.4 ppg.

So is this start a sign of things to come, or is this start just showing a young team just off to a slow start? Whatever it is, it has to change soon—before that 8.5-game hole gets too deep to dig themselves out of.

Another issue with the Sixers is the slow fade of Samual Dalembert. The 6'11", 250-lb. center was handed a big-money contract not too long ago. He was never a proven player to begin with when handed that contract, but he did have star potential.  However, with his minutes fading as every game goes on it looks like that potential will stay put.

Dalembert is due to make close to $11.5 million this season, and with decreasing minutes the Sixers sure aren't getting their money's worth out of this young player.

Dalembert saw just 12 minutes of action in Tuesday nights win over the Chicago Bulls. At 27 years old the former first-round pick could have good enough trade potential to pull some big-name players into the city of brotherly love—but that big contract lying on the shoulders of an unproved player may work against our favor in that scenario.

Bottom line is that Philadelphia 76ers in this early season have shown the occasional spark of life and hope to Philadelphia fans, but overall have been one big flop. They are not all to blame though—a team that just made the playoffs last year and without much experience besides a few exeptions should not have had so much hype and promise around this season.

Especially in a newly-dominant Eastern Conference, which is home to the defending champions and three of the last five NBA champions, was it really fair to assume that one player was going to give them that push that they needed?

The season is young still but not looking good. How much time will Elton Brand need for that breaking-in period in his new environment—and will it be too late when it does happen?

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