exclusive Ed Stefanski interview

[The Sixer Fixer]

to ALL: I APOLOGIZE FOR MIS-SPELLING THE NAME. I AM ALL FOR CORRECTING IT!!

I hope you realize the name was already corrected by someone else. You just spelled it wrong again.

[The Guilty Party]

Where's dabods' report??

[Depressed Fan]

OR he can wait till the off season when we can sign a $15-/$20 million player:

Not yet we can't.

Hey guys, I was checking on incoming links from the post and found my way here. Thanks for the link and the feedback. Something Stefanski was trying to drive home in the interview that I'm not sure came across was that there's a lot the Sixers can do with the cap space, a lot more than just signing a free agent.

He didn't say this, and there's probably zero chance that it actually happens, but say Kobe goes crazy in the offseason and demands a trade. The Sixers could send Miller and a couple #1s to L.A. for Kobe. They wouldn't have to make the salaries match up because the Sixers would have $10-$12M of cap space. Miller's $9.9M + $12M cap space = Kobe.

They could also trade picks alone for a guy making $10-$12M. Any team looking to unload someone is going to call the Sixers first because they're the only team that doesn't have to send contracts back the other way to make a deal work.

One other point: I specifically asked Stefanski about BK's infamous three-year plan, he said there's no timetable. When I asked him to look 2 years down the road he said he's hoping it doesn't take that long. The rebuild is underway, but I didn't get the impression that he's going to sit around and wait for Thad and Jason Smith to turn into All Stars and hope they're the answer. He's gearing up for this Summer and I'd be shocked if something big doesn't happen.

[The Guilty Party]

Good job with the interview, DepressedFan and welcome to the board.

I've been of the belief for a while now that the Sixers will not be signing a major free agent this summer but instead will be using that space in a deal just as you mentioned.

I know it's a longshot, but I am still holding out hope that Phoenix will once again be looking to dump salary just as they did this past summer (Kurt Thomas+two first round picks for a trade exception) and that we can somehow get out hands on Amare.

Two years ago, I never would have imagined Phoenix moving him but this season has produced a lot of columns about the possibilty of him being moved. I love the following equation.

The Suns' desire to cut payroll+chemistry issues with Amare+the Sixers being the only team with cap space+the Sixers being in the East+the Sixers ability to package young players and picks (our first this year+Utah's pick next year)=Us Having A Chance

[bebopdeluxe]

depressed fan:

Thanks for stopping by. Don't be a stranger.

I really don't think that we have done enough thinking about what the cap room will mean as far as trades go....I think that we spend so much time on the easy stuff (Brand, Arenas, Josh Smith, Okafor, etc...), and not enough time with the other permutations (such as your Kobe example).

At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself two things:

1) Do you like the young base of talent that is already here?

2) Do you think that Stefanski has the juice to fill in the holes?

Like many here, I am liking Thad more and more every game...he could wind up being a better player than Iguodala. Sammy looks like he is worth his contract. Williams could be the perfect 3rd guard off the bench. Even Miller (who has only missed 3 games in his NBA career) could be a productive player for another 3-4 years...which is why Eddie is probably not in a hurry to trade him.

We'll have to wait until next fall to assess the other point.

[Depressed Fan]

depressed fan:


Like many here, I am liking Thad more and more every game...he could wind up being a better player than Iguodala. Sammy looks like he is worth his contract. Williams could be the perfect 3rd guard off the bench. Even Miller (who has only missed 3 games in his NBA career) could be a productive player for another 3-4 years...which is why Eddie is probably not in a hurry to trade him.

We'll have to wait until next fall to assess the other point.

Thad was the catalyst for that win tonight. He came in at the end of the third with the Sixers down 83-67, he never went back to the bench and the Sixers outscored them 44-24 the rest of the way. His pressure D, Sammy's fronting of Yao and Miller/Williams forcing the issue on offense. I love the young core of this team.

The only thing that really worries me about this Summer is the type of guy they bring in. The wrong type of "good/great" player could kill the chemistry these guys are developing. I hope it's not a pure talent move, and they'll take attitude into consideration. We don't need a Vince Carter.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

I think that Ed Stefanski is really a great GM. How open he is to fans about things and further more his calculations. Korver's a bench player, nothing more. A highly conveted one, but a guy you can replace.

From 6 million, to 10 million in cap space via that trade. We need 6 million more. And I'm confident that Orlando will be desperate to acquire Reggie Evans to help them rebound the ball in their 3pt shooting offense.

[bebopdeluxe]

depressed fan:

Agree 100%, bro...the fit is VERY important.

In your interview with Eddie, and in other pieces I have read, he sees the biggest need (assuming we keep Sammy...which, listening to him, is a no-brainer) as getting a PF with a low-post game.

As Sponge-Bob Square-Pants said to Plankton when he was told about Plankton's plan for world domination:

"Well...good luck with that!"

Last I looked, the list of guys like that is pretty short...and I don't see any of them being available this summer (AI-for-Boozer?...Oops - too late...). It would be a LOT easier to get a banger to put next to Sammy, and upgrade our offensive production in other areas (something like, say, signing Arenas and giving somebody like Turiaf the MLE), but that would mean not resigning Iguodala.

I really do think that - as a potential option - we need to at least consider the possibility of a S&T of Iggy...especially if we cannot get that low-post-scoring PF and we need to get another stone-cold scorer on this team. I think that Thad is the SF of the future (and the future could start Friday night, as far as I am concerned), which means if we are going to give Iguodala $50+ million this summer, then he has to be the SG of the future, and - for all he can do on the floor - I'm just not sure that he is the offensive assassin that we need at that slot...unless we can, in fact, find that Boozer/Duncan/KG-like low-post PF that Eddie is talking about.

That sure ain't Josh Smith.

That sure ain't Shawn Marion.

Have fun this summer, Eddie...and good luck.

[STChaser]

bebo,
I kind of agree with you about Smith not fitting that mold of a bruising PF, but at the same time, didn't Stefanski also say that he wanted to put together a team that can run like Phoenix? If that's the case, then J. Smith would be an ideal fit.

STChaser

[ankle420breaker]

Having a PF like Marion or Smith would help in transition, but I think its overrated to a point. Our need for a post threat overshadows the need for an undersized PF who can get out and run. Our running game now is strong and we rarely have a PF finishing the play. Now, I wouldn't complain if we got Josh Smith, but I'd much rather us target someone like Gasol, Okafor, EB, or Amare (with you on this one TGP - stranger things have happened) who can rebound and outlet consistently and fill a long missed void in the post.

[The Sixer Fixer]

bebo,
I kind of agree with you about Smith not fitting that mold of a bruising PF, but at the same time, didn't Stefanski also say that he wanted to put together a team that can run like Phoenix? If that's the case, then J. Smith would be an ideal fit.

STChaser

Even if we get an athletic 4, we will be nothing like Phoenix and the way they "run". Phoenix is a team that has a lot of shooters. That allows them to spread the floor with guys standing beyond the 3pt line. They are great at quickly swinging the ball to the open guy on the perimeter or letting Nash penetrate and kick the ball out to one of those guys. This also allows the middle to be open for Amare so that he can get a lot of easy baskets down low. Of course the Suns do get a lot of points on fast break dunks/layups, but a lot of those fast break points still come via the 3 ball. We would not have the shooters to be effective at running like them.

You need to have a mix of guys who can play in the post and guys who can shoot well from the outside. This is the main reason why I don't really support bringing Josh Smith in as the future PF (not my first choice at least). Right now, he's not a good outside shooter, he has no post game at all and he's not the best slasher (handle isn't good enough). He actually scores most of his pts the same way that Iguodala does (an opportunity scorer rather than a creator).

I think if we are making a major investment to find our future stud PF this offseason, we need to find the right fit . We have to get a low post scorer to fill that spot. Sam can give us some pts from C position, but his best quality on offense has become mid-range shooting and of course dunking. He has no back to the basket skills. It's sad to think that Miller is our best post-up player. Without a player like that to attract the defense down low, you will never open up the outside game for our shooters (once we get them). Look at how we got beat agaisnt the Spurs and nearly got beat by the Rockets last night. In the Spurs game, we had to double Duncan and that left the outside wide open for Ginobili and others. Last night, the Rockets got a late 3 by Alston to cut a 4 pt lead to 1 because they doubled on Yao in the post. We would have lost the game if Head, Alston and others could have hit those other wide open 3's they got. When have we actually seen one of our bigs get doubled in the post to free up someone from the outside?

My argument here is if you can't find the right PF fit this offseason, spend the money on another need (SG) and hope to find the PF next year or through the draft in the next 2 years. Or, if you can't find either thing this year, sit on the cap space this year and combine it with Miller's expiring to make a run at someone in '09. Just don't spend the money because you have it.

[eyeatoma]

-= original quote snipped =-



Even if we get an athletic 4, we will be nothing like Phoenix and the way they "run". Phoenix is a team that has a lot of shooters. That allows them to spread the floor with guys standing beyond the 3pt line. They are great at quickly swinging the ball to the open guy on the perimeter or letting Nash penetrate and kick the ball out to one of those guys. This also allows the middle to be open for Amare so that he can get a lot of easy baskets down low. Of course the Suns do get a lot of points on fast break dunks/layups, but a lot of those fast break points still come via the 3 ball. We would not have the shooters to be effective at running like them.

You need to have a mix of guys who can play in the post and guys who can shoot well from the outside. This is the main reason why I don't really support bringing Josh Smith in as the future PF (not my first choice at least). Right now, he's not a good outside shooter, he has no post game at all and he's not the best slasher (handle isn't good enough). He actually scores most of his pts the same way that Iguodala does (an opportunity scorer rather than a creator).

I think if we are making a major investment to find our future stud PF this offseason, we need to find the right fit . We have to get a low post scorer to fill that spot. Sam can give us some pts from C position, but his best quality on offense has become mid-range shooting and of course dunking. He has no back to the basket skills. It's sad to think that Miller is our best post-up player. Without a player like that to attract the defense down low, you will never open up the outside game for our shooters (once we get them). Look at how we got beat agaisnt the Spurs and nearly got beat by the Rockets last night. In the Spurs game, we had to double Duncan and that left the outside wide open for Ginobili and others. Last night, the Rockets got a late 3 by Alston to cut a 4 pt lead to 1 because they doubled on Yao in the post. We would have lost the game if Head, Alston and others could have hit those other wide open 3's they got. When have we actually seen one of our bigs get doubled in the post to free up someone from the outside?

My argument here is if you can't find the right PF fit this offseason, spend the money on another need (SG) and hope to find the PF next year or through the draft in the next 2 years. Or, if you can't find either thing this year, sit on the cap space this year and combine it with Miller's expiring to make a run at someone in '09. Just don't spend the money because you have it.

well said...

[bebopdeluxe]

Agreed...good post, Sixer FIxer.

[The Guilty Party]

dbodner... where's the report, brother????

[sports savant]

to ALL: -- i apologize for my lack of spelling skillz. as my name states, i am the SPORTS SAVANT, not the SPELLING savant...

depressed fan-- great job on the interview; I hope you didnt mind that I forwarded your site to this forum..... I thought that many of my REALGM fans would enjoy what you had done.

DBODNER, very interested in your interview as well. and I hope that all of you enjoyed the link to depressed fan site.

also--its only the college bball thread, but check out TEXAS A&M tonite on ESPN 2: that PF of the future might be playing (DeAndre Jordan).

He also plays Beasley & Kansas St on Sat night....

sports savant-- out

[dbodner]

dbodner... where's the report, brother????

Working on it. I've been transcribing it during bits and pieces when I have time. I'll let you know when it's up.