Philadelphia Sixers Need a Premier Big Man to Contend in Star-Studded East

Currently three games over .500, the Sixers have come a long way since starting the season 3-13. Coach Doug Collins deserves much of the credit for getting all of the Sixers' young talent to develop some sound team chemistry.

But is that enough to compete with any of the big guns in the Eastern Conference playoffs?

The Heat have Miami Thrice, the Celtics have the Boston Three Party, the Knicks have Amar'e, Melo and Chauncey, and the Bulls have Derrick Rose, who basically counts as three people.

The Sixers, on the other hand, have no real superstar to carry the team. They have several talented up-and-coming players (Jrue Holliday, Lou Williams, Thad Young and Jodie Meeks) and Elton Brand. Brand leads the team in points (14.7), rebounds (8.4) and blocks (1.3), but the Sixers sure could use a young, dominating, game-changing big man to help them challenge some of the NBA's stacked teams.

Salary cap aside, who are some big men that would make a huge impact in Philadelphia? If it were possible, here are 10 big men (five from the pros, five from the draft, some more realistic than others) that I would love to see in a Sixers' uniform in 2011-2012.  

No. 10 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

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CHICAGO, IL - MARCH 20: JaJuan Johnson #25 of the Purdue Boilermakers rebounds against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the second half during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the United Center on March 20, 2011 in Chicago

No. 10 JaJuan Johnson, Purdue

6'10" 220 lbs.

The forward/center from Purdue averaged 20.5 points per game this past season with 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

No. 9 John Henson, UNC

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NEWARK, NJ - MARCH 25: John Henson #31 of the North Carolina Tar Heels against Jae Crowder #32 of the Marquette Golden Eagles during the east regional semifinal of the 2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at the Prudential Center on March 25, 2011 in Ne

No. 9 John Henson, UNC

6'10" 210 lbs.

Sophomore John Henson will declare by Saturday if he's entering the draft, and if he does, he's likely to be an early pick. This year he scored 11.7 points per game, collected 10.1 rebounds and blocked 3.2 shots a game. He blocked five or more shots in a game 11 times this year. 

No. 8 and No. 7 Marcus and Markieff Morris, Kansas

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SAN ANTONIO, TX - MARCH 27: Marcus Morris #22 and Markieff Morris #21 of the Kansas Jayhawks react during the southwest regional final of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at the Alamodome on March 27, 2011 in San Antonio, Texas. Virginia Commonw

No. 8 and No. 7 Marcus and Markieff Morris

Marcus: 6'9" 235 lbs.

Markieff: 6'10" 245 lbs.

It would be nice if the Sixers could get a "draft one twin, get the other twin free" deal. Both of these Philadelphia natives would make a good fit playing in front of their home crowd.

Marcus averaged 17.2 points per game and 7.6 rebounds, while Markieff had 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.

No. 6 Kenneth Faried, Morehead St.

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DENVER, CO - MARCH 19: Kenneth Faried #35 of the Morehead State Eagles dunks the ball against the Richmond Spiders during the third round of the 2011 NCAA men's basketball tournament at Pepsi Center on March 19, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justi

No. 6 Kenneth Faried, Morehead St.

6'8" 225 lbs.

Kenneth Faried is a rebounding machine. His 1,673 rebounds earned him the title of the No. 1 rebounder in NCAA Division I, shattering Tim Duncan's previous record of 1,570.

Granted, Faried did play in the Ohio Valley Conference, but showed in the NCAA Tournament this year that he can still dominate the glass against major conference teams; he gathered 17 boards against Louisville and 13 against Richmond.

He averaged 17.3 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a game this season.

No. 5 JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards

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LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 19: JaVale McGee #34 of the Washington Wizards dunks two balls on the same jump in the first round of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, Cali

No. 5 JaVale McGee, Washington Wizards

7'0" 252 lbs.

In his third season with Washington, McGee is averaging 10.1 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 blocks. While not a superstar, McGee's blocking prowess could provide some intimidation down low for Philadelphia.

In a game against Chicago this season, McGee blocked 12 shots. 

No. 4 Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz

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ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 12: Al Jefferson #25 of the Utah Jazz against Al Horford #15 of the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena on November 12, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this P

No. 4 Al Jefferson, Utah Jazz

6'10" 280 lbs.

Jefferson is averaging 18.9 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game for the tanking Utah Jazz this season. He has recorded 34 double-doubles this season.

No. 3 Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

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BOSTON, MA - JANUARY 03: Kevin Love #42 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives around Jermaine O'Neal #7 of the Boston Celtics on January 3, 2011 at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The Celtics defeated the Timberwolves 96-93. NOTE TO USER: User exp

No. 3 Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves

Love is the only ray of hope for the lowly Timberwolves (17-60), but if they have a fire sale soon, the Sixers will gladly take him off their hands. 

Love is an almost guaranteed double-double every night. He's averaged 20.2 points and 15.2 boards a game and has recorded 64 double-doubles this season. 

No. 2 Blake Griffin, LA Clippers

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LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 19: Blake Griffin #32 of the Los Angeles Clippers dunks the ball over a car in the final round of the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest apart of NBA All-Star Saturday Night at Staples Center on February 19, 2011 in Los Angeles, Californ

No. 2 Blake Griffin, LA Clippers

6'10" 251 lbs.

Not only would the Blake Show dramatically improve the Sixers' front court, it would also more than likely pack the stands every night with fans hoping to see his electrifying dunks.

Griffin's averaging 22.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. He's recorded 59 double-doubles this year and has thrown down 193 dunks, 24 shy of the league leader, who would also look great in a Sixers' uniform...

No. 1 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

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PHOENIX, AZ - MARCH 13: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic drives to the basket during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on March 13, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Magic defeated the Suns 111-88. NOTE TO USER: User expressly

No. 1 Dwight Howard, Orlando Magic

6'11" 265 lbs.

Call it a pipe dream, but if the Sixers had this man in the middle, they would be a fearsome force in the East. If Howard wants out of Orlando once his contract is up and the Magic decide to deal him early, I would hope that the Sixers would make an offer for him. His $17 million contract is of course a problem for the Sixers' payroll, but this is totally hypothetical anyway.

Howard is having a career year this year: 23.2 points, 14.1 boards and 2.4 blocks per game.

If he did come to Philadelphia, who would be the more favorite Howard: Dwight or Ryan?