No More Answer, But Plenty Of Questions

This time last year Sixers fans, myself included, were trying to convince themselves that the team they saw in the second half of the season and in their two first-round wins, was indeed reality.  The free agent frenzy was well underway and rumors were flying.  For the first time in a long time, there was a buzz around the SIXERS, and honestly, it was fun.  But oh what a difference a year makes.  The 08-09 season was a shot of reality and behind all the hype and hope, the real 76ers were exposed.  Similar to last year, there IS an element of hope but this time not because we’ve been hoodwinked into believing this team can contend now, but because we should have learned that putting a team together is like putting a puzzle together, it takes time, patience and pieces that fit together.  The Sixers have a few of those pieces in place but now it’s time to expand.  There is hope for this 09-10 season, but if that is to translate into success there are plenty of questions that need to be answered.

What direction do you take in the Draft?

In a draft that many experts feel, with the exception of Blake Griffin, lacks depth and franchise changing talent, the Sixers are in a tough position at the number 17 pick.  Ty Lawson has been the name thrown around over the past month and that’s the pick that makes the most sense.  If he is there, they have to grab him.  He is a pure point guard and has all the tools to be a very good NBA player for many years.  Despite his size, he has explosive quickness to get to the basket, strength to take hits and still finish and a much improved jump shot that has made him a threat from the outside.  Even more importantly he’s got the mental toughness and the desire to win, which he showed as he fought threw a nagging ankle injury to help drive his UNC team to a National Championship. 

It is clearly evident that the SIxers need more shooters and the point guard position might not be one of imminent need, but they are hard to come by and if given the opportunity, you have to take it.  Whether Miller comes back or not, Louis Williams in not the long-term answer.  As talented a player as he is, he has already made it public that he is a natural two-guard and doesn’t feel as comfortable playing point.  Good point guards are hard to come by and they’re rarely up for sale.  The bigger question though, will he be there at 17 and if not, then what?

Will the Sixers re-sign Andre Miller?

This issue is like beating a dead horse.  The talk between Miller and the Sixers, if there even is any at this point, has been withheld from the public.  Miller is the rock for this team.  When the team is desperate and times are rough, they look to their general to find an answer.  His value is unmatched and if the Sixers want to improve on last year, they need to get him signed. 

The most frustrating part of this situation is that there was so much talk surrounding the future of Miller as a Sixer before the deadline last season.  If the Sixers felt that there was even a 50-50 shot that they couldn’t get him re-signed, they should have shopped him.  Any team in the league would love to have Miller, especially a contender.  For Stefanski’s sake, they better get him signed.

How good will Kapono be?

Please, no more Korver comparisons.  I know we’ve been desperate for a shooter, but don’t let that cloud your judgement.  Korver was a stand-still three point shooter who lacked consistency and a mid-range game.  He couldn’t create his own shot or get to the rim.  Just look at the numbers.  In 6 NBA seasons, Korver is a career 40 percent three point shooter and has only shot over 40 percent on the season 3 times.  Don’t get me wrong, that’s better than average, but it’s less than impressive if that’s his speciality.  Now look at Kapono’s numbers.  In 7 NBA seasons, he is a career 45.4 percent shooter, which ties him with Steve Kerr for the best career shooting percentage from behind the arc in history.  He has only once shot below 40 percent in a season but made up for that by shooting over 50 percent in another season.  This guy brings you a potent outside shot and the ability to create.  He’s not a Savior you might not be able to turn his name into a mathematical equation like K squared=3, but this guy is going to be an intricate part of the Sixers success.

What will they get after of Elton?

He’s too gifted a player to not give him a second chance.  I’m just as excited  to see him play this upcoming season as I was last season.  With Jordan’s Princeton offense moving him around and setting him up at the elbow, you have to hope that it’s going help get him in a rhythm.  There’s no excuse for missing jumpers and easy buckets though and if he stumbles out of the shoot again, he could be in for a long season.  Fair or not, it’s Philly and Elton is on a short leash. 

You could probably turn this article into a thesis with the amount questions surrounding this 2009 76ers team, but only time will tell.  With the draft approaching and free agency around the corner, the Sixers are in for a stressful but still hopeful time.  From the day Ed Stefanski became GM, he told fans that he was going to build a successful team one piece at a time.  He called for patience and preached that success wouldn’t happen overnight.   He got his power forward, he brought in one of hopefully a few more shooters and he’s locked up some key core players.  Fans have kept their end of the bargain by being patient, but in Philly it won’t last much longer.  There’s hope, but it’s running thin.