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Andre Iguodala: Is He For Better or For Worse?

Michael FoglianoNov 18, 2010

Andre Iguodala has been the best player for the Sixers for a few years now. He has been appreciated, but now the Philadelphia fanย criticism is starting to erupt.

Questions are stirring and insults are flying through the air.

Isย he worth his contract?ย When are we gonnaย get rid ofย this guy?!

Well, here's my take on the 6'6 small forward.ย The first thing I will say isย I think he is a very good player.ย 

For those of you who sit there and say he is a bad player, he's not. He is probably oneย of the most athleticย players in the NBA andย is a very good defender.

I also think he can be the best complementary player in the league. You saw the way he played with Team USA. When he is playing alongside a superstar, the two are unstoppable, which brings me on to myย main point:

Do we trade Iguodala?

From day one, the Sixers needed to sign Carmelo Anthony. I know he doesn't want to come here, but did the front office even try orย attempt to persuade him to come here? Just think how good we would be.

Now assuming we traded away Evan Turner, since Iguodala would be the better complement, our starting lineup would be Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala, Carmelo Anthony, Elton Brand (back to his old form), and obviously ourย center wouldn't be strong but we'd still be a veryย good team.ย 

I don't know about you, but I would love to see Iggy play next to Anthony. He would be the perfect complement.

Basically, the only way weย keep Iguodala is if we bring a superstar in town.

Unfortunately, we lack of a good front officeย (when it will get better, God only knows)ย that have proven they won't bring in a superstar.

Because of this, we have to use the best of what we have, which I think potentially is Turner.ย 

Iguodala is the more experienced player, but we have already tried to form a team around him and it hasn't worked. Turner has been a superstar on team in the past with Ohio State and he was great.

Turner knowsย the responsibilities and whatย it takes to be a leader and the best player on a team.

If Iggy is gone, Turner can shine to be the best he can be, which we've seen when Iggy is not on the floor, especially if we surround him with shooters.

In this case,ย weย would trade Iguodala for young players, expiring contracts, and/orย draft picks.ย We'd almost pull offย an Oklahoma City Thunder way of rebuilding.

We already have Holiday, Turner, Thaddeus Young, Brand is playing well, and then we'd have the good, young talent and draft picks we wouldย get for Iggy.

Theoretically, there are twoย paths the Sixers couldย takeย in the predicament they are in with Iguodala:

1. Get a superstar and complement him with Iguodalaโ€”form one ofย the best duos in the NBA (less likely).

2. Trade Iguodala and build our franchise around Turner (most likely).

The best player to have complement someone is Iguodala, and the best one to build a team around is Turner.

Most likely, the second path is the way we are heading. I'd hate to seeย Iguodala go, but it's the direction our front office has put us in.

Ifย the likeliness of both happening were equal, I would take the first option.

Obviously, it's less likely, but we can dream can't we?

We've been through his ups and down, we'veย seenย his high-flying dunks, but will this be the last time?

Is this the end of the Iguodala era?

This article is also featured on www.76ersgab.com and www.hardcourtmayhem.com/76ers