Philadelphia 76ers: Why a Lineup Change Isn't the Cure to Their Long-Term Ails

The Philadelphia 76ers officially entered free-fall mode this week, having been blown out by more than 20 against the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics in the past seven days. 

After looking like a playoff lock a few weeks back, the Sixers must now fight tooth-and-nail against the New York Knicks and Milwaukee Bucks for one of the final playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. 

Sixers coach Doug Collins responded to his team's precarious playoff situation by tinkering with his starting lineup on Tuesday night against the New Jersey Nets, swapping Evan Turner for Jodie Meeks at shooting guard and rookie Nikola Vucevic for Spencer Hawes at center. 

The result? A dominating, 107-88 victory over the haphazard Nets, who were missing two of their top three players in Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace. The win stopped a four-game skid for the Sixers, opening a 1.5-game lead over the Bucks for the eighth playoff seed. 

Forgive me for not getting nearly as excited as Sixers owner Adam Aron did on Twitter during and after the game, though. 

Whatever superficial changes Collins makes to his rotation over the next 10 games, this much is clear: The Sixers, as currently constructed, aren't built to win an NBA championship.

They'd stand no chance in a seven-game series against the Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder or San Antonio Spurs. Let's not even mention their recent track record against the Miami Heat. 

The Sixers' roster is in need of surgery, and Collins can only cover the wound with Band-Aids for now. 

Given their schedule over these final 10 games, the Sixers do have a very real chance at going on another mini-run and squeaking into the playoffs. But a playoff berth and a likely first-round exit at the hand of the Chicago Bulls or Miami Heat is no cause for celebration. 

Ultimately, assuming the Sixers do make the playoffs, how would this season be any different than the year before, fundamentally? 

Sure, this year's team showed signs of excellence early. Their plus/minus figure of plus-4.7 ranks third in the East, behind only the Heat and the Bulls. Neil Paine of Basketball Prospectus recently wrote an ESPN article about how the Sixers "are quietly having one of the greatest defensive seasons of all time." 

But you can just as easily cherry-pick some real head-scratching stats for Philly. They're tied with Charlotte for dead-last in the league in close-game winning percentage, according to TeamRankings.com. They're attempting the fewest free throws of any team since 1946-47, according to Basketball Reference. 

Yes, Collins technically replaced a less effective five-man unit (Jrue Holiday, Turner, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand and Hawes) with a more effective one (Holiday, Meeks, Iguodala, Brand and Vucevic), according to 82games.com. He did all he could to salvage the season and save the Sixers' once-predestined playoff spot. 

It's just a shame that the chase for the playoffs has become a distraction from the long-term vision of the team.   

This is still a team divided between veterans with bloated contracts (Iguodala, Brand) and a youth movement (Holiday, Turner, Young, Hawes) that's seen fluctuating playing time this season.

It's a team that's now nearly two full years into the Evan Turner experiment, and short of a five-game stretch in early March, hasn't seen him perform to his full potential. 

It's a team that's witnessed the regression of Jrue Holiday instead of the third-year breakout many expected from him in the preseason. 

It's a team that needs to make a choice. Can their everybody-force-mid-range-jumpers defense lead the way to the promised land, despite any offensive shortcomings? Do they need a player who can be "the man" during crunch time, to help improve their awful close-game performance? 

Is this team trying to win now, like the Philadelphia Eagles? 

Or is it time to finally make some big moves, like amnestying Brand or trading Iguodala, and saying loyalty be damned? 

If I were in charge, the Sixers would be exploring all options with the two vets after the season, but at this point, it's not a matter of Sixers fans getting their way. 

It's a matter of Sixers fans believing their team has a true direction for the first time since the Allen Iverson days.