Philadelphia 76ers: Will They Pass the New York Knicks in NBA Standings?
The 2009 standings finished as follows in the Eastern Conference Atlantic Division:
Boston: 50 wins
Toronto: 40
New York: 29
Philadelphia: 27
New Jersey: Pathetic
The Knicks added Amare Stoudemire, Landry Fields and Raymond Felton to their starting lineup. Philadelphia signed Doug Collins to be their coach. Surprisingly, it's the 76ers who may be passing the Knicks sooner than any of us would have expected.
Successful Season Already
1 of 10
The 76ers only need one more win to tie last season's mark of 27. If they continue their pace of winning, about 48 percent of their games, they will end the year with 39-40 wins.
A seven-seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs will be a great step for this young team.
Might As Well Keep Elton Brand
2 of 10
Elton Brand is under contract for two more seasons after this one. Instead of looking to trade him, why not keep his 15.3 PPG and 8.7 RPG locked into that power forward position.
Brand is still playing at a reasonably high level and is allowing the younger guys to mature under his wing.
Collins Coaching with Andre Iguodala
3 of 10
It would be easy for Andre Iguodala to get caught up in all the trade rumors and speculation that he is not included in the 76ers long-term plans. Doug Collins has done an excellent job at getting Iguodola to still put in high-level effort and even mentor the younger guys.
A disgruntled Iguodala would have been a cancer to this team, but a 14.4 PPG, 6.1 APG, 5.6 RPG Iguodala is keeping this team afloat in the playoff race.
Jrue Holiday Runs the Offense Efficiently and Steps Up in Big Games
4 of 10
Holiday is averaging 13.7 PPG on the season.
He had 27 against the San Antonio Spurs last week.
Holiday is neither a scoring guard like Derrick Rose or an assist juggernaut like Rajon Rondo. He simply runs the offense smoothly for the 76ers in his 34 minutes a night.
Names You Might Not Have Heard Of
5 of 10
Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams, Jodie Meeks. They combine for 39 points per game. They also combine for only $9.1 million in contracts this season.
The 76ers are like a Diet Coke version of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Instead of Westbrook, Durant, Green, they have these three young guys who they are allowing to grow and improve together.
With all the talks of trades and free agency, people forget that the same principles that make a senior-heavy college team so good still apply in the pros. Players that play together for multiple years learn where their teammates want the ball, when to shoot and when to help out on defense.
These three won't always combine for $9.1 million in salary, but why not develop them now and worry about their bigger contracts later.
Evan Turner Used Carefully
6 of 10
Collins is a fan of Evan Turner, but understands that Turner needs to earn more minutes and prove that he belongs on the court instead of Meeks, Williams or Iguodala.
There's nothing wrong with using Turner off the bench this season and even next season, too. The answer isn't to trade away Iguodala and force Turner to become a star, let him develop slowly and if he passes up Andre then insert him in the starting lineup.
Knicks Have the Better Starting Lineup
7 of 10
The Raptors and Nets are not going to catch up to the 76ers.
The 76ers will never catch up to the Celtics this season.
Talent-wise, the Knicks still have the lead.
Point Guard: Felton vs. Holiday. Verdict? Felton
Shooting Guard: Fields vs. Meeks. Verdict? Fields
Small Forward: Gallinari vs. Iguodala. Verdict? Gallinari
Power Foward: Amare vs. Brand. Verdict? Amare
Center: Mozgov vs. Hawes. Verdict? Hawes
The Knicks have the better starting lineup and the benches remain fairly close.
Both Have Beaten the Spurs
8 of 10
The 76ers holding the Spurs to 71 points last week was impressive.
But so was the Knicks pounding of San Antonio a month back.
They both can beat top teams, but can also get pounded by the top tier (see the 76ers 45-point loss to Chicago).
Coaching
9 of 10
D'Antoni's teams' records has been sporadic just like his offensive style can be.
Both of these coaches are good and have career success, but Collins has a way of motivating his young players to play hard in every game.
The 76ers are less likely to lose the easy games than the Knicks. Those easy games are what separates teams in the seeding.
This is why, unless the Knicks land Carmelo, I believe the 76ers will finish as the six-seed out East.
Once in the Playoffs
10 of 10
Celtics: They'll be swept.
Heat: Sweep
Bulls/Magic: Might win one game.
A sweep in the first round to the three-seed who might go on and win the NBA title would be a huge step for this young 76ers team.
Behind all the big-name signings of this offseason, quietly one of the most effective ones has been hiring Doug Collins as head coach.
