Bleacher Report - Articles by Tom Dillard

Philadelphia 76ers: Rumor Mill—Rasheed Wallace Coming Home?

Tom Dillard — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:54:58 -0400

After the Detroit Pistons series lost to the Boston Celtics, General Manager Joe Dumars announced that every member of the Detroit Pistons roster was on the trading block. Everyone was available and he would be listening to calls.

This sparked some interest on Philadelphia talk radio. Rasheed Wallace? Richard "Rip" Hamilton?

Almost everyone wants Rasheed; not many want Rip.

This is an interesting thought. Bringing a Philly kid home.

There has not been any trade rumors that I have heard that involve 'Sheed's name.

The key thing is that the 76ers are $11 million under the cap. They will most likely sign Atlanta's Josh Smith to an offer sheet.

If the Hawks match the offer, this is an interesting scenario. Under Wallace's current contract, he has one year left in which he will make roughly $13.6 million, according to hoopshype.com So, there would have to be a trade.

With Wallace's one year left, it would be as though they were borrowing him but paid a price for the rental. They would have him for one year.

If things don't work out, let him go. If things work out, then resign him.

Rasheed Wallace has had trouble everywhere he has gone. UNC, Portland Jail-blazers and the Detroit Pistons.

My question is: if he were in his hometown with his friends and family watching every night, would he have the same problems?

So, I want to say to Ed Stefanski, If things don't work out with Josh Smith, make a run at Rasheed Wallace!!!

BRING HIM HOME!!!

NBA Draft: Who Will Be No. 1?

Tom Dillard — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 14:10:58 -0400

Just a year ago, the big discussion in sports was: Kevin Durant or Greg Oden? This discussion began midway through the NBA and NCAA seasons. Everyone was going back and forth between the two players.

People would compare Durant to some of the great scorers of all time. Meanwhile, people were comparing Oden to some of the great big men of all time: Bill Russell, David Robinson, etc.

Well now, the discussion starts up again, but this time, will it be Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley? Who goes No. 1?

People are comparing Rose to some of the great point guards in the game right now: Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, etc. Meanwhile, those same people are comparing Beasley to some of the great wingmen scorers of the today: Carmelo Anthony, Vince Carter, Kobe, etc. So who should go No. 1 in this upcoming June NBA draft?

THE CORRECT ANSWER: Whoever can help the team with the No. 1 pick fill a void!

The three teams with the best chances to get the No. 1 overall pick are the Miami Heat, Seattle SuperSonics, and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Miami Heat
Miami is the type of team that could use either player and use them well. They need a solid point guard to run their team for a full 82-game season, like Derrick Rose.

I don’t think Chris Quinn could do it for an entire season as a starter. He was able to do it for a weak Notre Dame team.

Imagine Derrick Rose playing alongside of Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, Ricky Davis, etc. He will make himself and his Miami teammates look just as good as his Memphis teammates.

Miami is a team that could also use Michael Beasley. There is a good chance that they will lose players like Ricky Davis, Jason Williams, and Shawn Marion due to expiring contracts at the end of the season.

Beasley is the type of player who could pick up the slack for the loss of all three of those players, if they do in fact lose them to expiring contracts. Beasley is a scoring and rebounding machine who can help any team no matter where he ends up.

Seattle SuperSonics
Seattle already has an experienced point guard in Luke Ridnour and a backup point guard in Earl Watson. Taking Derrick Rose would show that they have no confidence in either man.

I can’t blame them for taking Derrick Rose here. I have never been completely sold on Ridnour and definitely not Watson.

The only one of those two that can run an NBA team for an entire 82 games is Ridnour. Plus, could you see Rose playing along side of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and the many big men that they have??

My pick, if I were Seattle and had the top pick, would be Michael Beasley. As just stated, they have a solid point guard in Ridnour. What they need is another scorer to put alongside Kevin Durant.

Durant will surely win the Rookie of the Year this year and rightfully so. However, he cannot carry the scoring load all by himself. He needs a guy who will be a potential 25 point, 10 rebound guy…that guy is Michael Beasley.

Minnesota Timberwolves
The T-Wolves are another team that could use either guy. They have a young point guard who has already bounced around to a few different teams in the league in Sebastian Telfair. No coach or General Manager seems to have any confidence in Telfair.

If the T-Wolves are like this, then they need to draft Derrick Rose. Rose is a solid point guard who will be able to play in a quick back court with Randy Foye or Rashad McCants.

If the Wolves have confidence in Telfair, then they need to take Beasley. Beasley is a scorer who can help Foye and Jefferson carry the scoring load. Foye and Jefferson have been the two players putting up almost all of the points this year.

They can’t do that forever. Either player can help them balance the scoring but if that is all you need help with, draft Michael Beasley.

So, of the three teams who have the best chance at acquiring the #1 overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, they all could use either Rose or Beasley. It will just come down to whether the GM and coach have faith in their current players at certain positions.

If you don’t trust your point guard, draft Derrick Rose. If you need scoring and rebounding, draft Michael Beasley.

The Big Turn-Around: 5 Reasons Why the Philadelphia 76ers Are in the Playoffs

Tom Dillard — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 17:39:48 -0400

Prior to the start of the 2007-2008 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers were expected to make a run at the top overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft. The reality is quite the contrary to this. The 76ers will not only not get the #1 overall pick, but will not even be in the lottery. The Philadelphia 76ers will make the playoffs for the first time since 2002-’03. This Sixers team is making history with every game that they play. There are many reasons as to why this is happening, but the top 5 are as follows:

5. Trading of Kyle Korver

When Kyle Korver was traded, two things happened. The team’s three-point percentage plummeted but their defense improved. New General Manager, Ed Stefanski looked to dump salary. In actuality, he dumped a liability—A Defensive Liability. Kyle was lucky if he even knew how to spell defense. Hey Kyle, D-E-F-E-N-S-E!!! It’s not all about the three-point shot. You may be a big white boy, but learn to do some other things. Having that shot got you drafted and it will keep you in the league but it may not give you playing time. Hey Kyle, It’s time to hit the gym to work on your game. Take the trade as a rude awakening. If you do that then not only will you be helping yourself but also the Philadelphia 76ers and the Utah Jazz! After all, Ed Stefanski helped the 76ers by shipping your tail out of here and dumping your salary to make room for a big name free agent this summer.

4. Billy King Being Fired & Ed Stefanski Being Hired

When Billy King was fired, it gave the 76ers the chance to bring in a new face to the front office. Billy was the President and General Manager of the team since 1998. In that time, he had made many good decisions but even more bad decisions. He cannot draft to save his life. He would also give players on his own team contracts that they were not worthy of. Samuel Dalembert was given a 6 year $10 million contract. At the same time, King gave Willie Green and Kyle Korver similar deals. If given the chance, King would probably have re-signed Derrick Coleman, Tyrone Hill, and George Lynch again. Ed Stefanski is a brilliant mind when it comes to basketball decisions. He was the man in New Jersey behind the drafting of Richard Jefferson, Nenad Krstic and Marcus Williams. He was also the backbone behind the trades that brought Vince Carter and Jason Kidd to New Jersey. Imagine what he can do in Philly with that resume.

3. Maurice Cheeks Receiving a Contract Extension

Around February 20, 2008, Head Coach Maurice Cheeks was given a one-year contract extension despite not making the playoffs in his two years as head coach of the 76ers. You are probably thinking, how a one-year extension makes such a difference. This extension gave Mo the confidence to coach how he coaches. He became more relaxed and let his players play. This one-year extension told Mo that the front office felt that he would be their guy at the coaching helm for the future and they would work out the details for longer terms later-on.

2. It’s Miller Time!!!

After the departure of Eric Snow, the Philadelphia 76ers did not have a “True Point Guard”. They had Allen Iverson. He’s still not sure whether he’s a point guard or a shooting guard. When Allen Iverson was traded at the mid-way point of the 2006-’07 season, their “True Point Guard” was acquired in Andre Miller. He is able to groom Lou Williams to be the next point guard of this team. He also makes everyone around him better. He is that point guard who can be compared to some of the greats of today: Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, etc. Miller has one more season left on his contract in Philly after this year, and then we will see what happens with him. They would be foolish not to re-sign this “True Point Guard”.

1. Young’ns

All I have to say is Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Jason Smith, Andre Iguodala, Rodney Carney, and Willie Green. The afore mentioned players all have four years of experience or less. They are all playing like players who are just being given a chance. When Ed Stefanski came in as General Manager, there were rumors that he told Mo Cheeks to play the youngsters or Cheeks would be looking for a new job. Cheeks much obliged and it’s paying great dividends for the team. Thaddeus Young is playing like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Many doubted this draft choice, but that was because they did not know much about this freshman early entrant. Now they regret that doubt.

Of all of the teams in this year’s NBA playoffs, one of the most dangerous will be this young Philadelphia 76ers team. They have the ability to and have already beaten every team in the Eastern Conference playoffs at least once during the regular season. Plus, don’t forget, IT’S A WHOLE NEW SEASON COME PLAYOFFS!!!!