08/09 Big Man Depth

[ankle420breaker]

We've lost a little and added a lot to our front court this year. How do you see the depth chart playing itself out heading into the season? Will Speights outplay Ratliff? Will Ratliff outplay Marshall? Will Marshall play? Excluding Jason Smith, our big men this season are:

Dalembert
Brand
Speights
Ratliff
Evans
Marshall

It wouldn't surprise me to see Speights come off the bench ahead of both Ratliff and Marshall... in fact, I'll be disappointed if that's not how it is. I'm fairly confident that the depth chart will look like this, and I'm pretty sure most will agree:

C - Dalembert/Speights/Ratliff
PF - Brand/Evans/Marshall

an improvement over last year's...

C - Dalembert/Booth/Amundson
PF - Evans/Smith/Randolph

Really not a bad thing to have Ratliff and Marshall at the bottom end of each position. Both are somewhat serviceable for the limited action they'll be blessed with. I'm hoping that around all star break Speights can challenge Evans to be the 1st big off the bench. All in all, I'm stoked for our newfound presence inside.

[sixerswillrule]

I assume it's now guaranteed that Young will get no time at PF. It will be a big transition for him considering he played there for most of last season, but it seems like a must with the depth we now have at PF/C. Things can change over the course of the season. A lot of it depends on how much time Speights gets, which may not be much at the beginning. Ratliff and Marshall should only be used sparingly. Foul trouble and certain situations where they are needed. And injuries, of course, but hopefully we won't see any. Evans will probably be our main guy off the bench, at least to start with, because of how much he played last season.

[Philly KDub]

our big men depth sounds just about right. i believe that speights will be the first big off the bench after the all star break. i expect cheeks to bring him up slowly. speights should make consistent contributions off the bench when the playoffs is near just like thad last year

[geiger]

I would be very surpised if Speights plays much, if at all and would not be at all surprised if he plays some in the d-league. If the Sixers are healthy, he will have a hard time getting playing time ahead of Dalembert and Ratliff at C and Brand, Evans and Marshall at PF. Cheeks likes his veterans and he won't be getting any more mandates from Stefanski this season about playing young guys. Speights offense is ahead of his defense at this point - something that is common for young bigs. This will be a team where defense comes first. It's clear that Brand and Dalembert are ahead of him on the depth chart. As for the other 3, each one is a veteran player who knows how to play the game and brings a different dimension - Ratliff with his amazing per minute blocked shot numbers and solid post defense, Evans with his energy, hustle and rebounding rate, and Marshall with his offensive flexibility and 3 point shooting. Plus it's not completely out of the question that we occassionlly go small - when we play running teams, depending on match-ups, Young could still get some minutes at PF with Brand at C. And you know what, as much as I loved the Speights pick, it's not necessarily a bad thing. He is young, he is raw, he needs to learn the game a bit, he needs to put on some muscle and get in better shape - he will get a chance to do all those things and get on the floor when he's ready. It's a good problem to have. Certainly much better than deciding whether Amundson, Booth or Randolph will be going in.

[IversonsMother]

I would be very surpised if Speights plays much, if at all and would not be at all surprised if he plays some in the d-league. If the Sixers are healthy, he will have a hard time getting playing time ahead of Dalembert and Ratliff at C and Brand, Evans and Marshall at PF. Cheeks likes his veterans and he won't be getting any more mandates from Stefanski this season about playing young guys. Speights offense is ahead of his defense at this point - something that is common for young bigs. This will be a team where defense comes first. It's clear that Brand and Dalembert are ahead of him on the depth chart. As for the other 3, each one is a veteran player who knows how to play the game and brings a different dimension - Ratliff with his amazing per minute blocked shot numbers and solid post defense, Evans with his energy, hustle and rebounding rate, and Marshall with his offensive flexibility and 3 point shooting. Plus it's not completely out of the question that we occassionlly go small - when we play running teams, depending on match-ups, Young could still get some minutes at PF with Brand at C. And you know what, as much as I loved the Speights pick, it's not necessarily a bad thing. He is young, he is raw, he needs to learn the game a bit, he needs to put on some muscle and get in better shape - he will get a chance to do all those things and get on the floor when he's ready. It's a good problem to have. Certainly much better than deciding whether Amundson, Booth or Randolph will be going in.

I have to disagree here. Speights was regarded much higher that Smith coming out of college. Did you watch Ratliff play last season? He had very little impact. My friend is a die hard Pistons fan and we watched quite a few games where Ratliff had 0 impact. I mlike Ratliff as a last resort big man, but that's it. Speights is faster, stronger, more athletic and much better on offense.

[is1531]

I would be very surpised if Speights plays much, if at all and would not be at all surprised if he plays some in the d-league. If the Sixers are healthy, he will have a hard time getting playing time ahead of Dalembert and Ratliff at C and Brand, Evans and Marshall at PF. Cheeks likes his veterans and he won't be getting any more mandates from Stefanski this season about playing young guys. Speights offense is ahead of his defense at this point - something that is common for young bigs. This will be a team where defense comes first. It's clear that Brand and Dalembert are ahead of him on the depth chart. As for the other 3, each one is a veteran player who knows how to play the game and brings a different dimension - Ratliff with his amazing per minute blocked shot numbers and solid post defense, Evans with his energy, hustle and rebounding rate, and Marshall with his offensive flexibility and 3 point shooting. Plus it's not completely out of the question that we occassionlly go small - when we play running teams, depending on match-ups, Young could still get some minutes at PF with Brand at C. And you know what, as much as I loved the Speights pick, it's not necessarily a bad thing. He is young, he is raw, he needs to learn the game a bit, he needs to put on some muscle and get in better shape - he will get a chance to do all those things and get on the floor when he's ready. It's a good problem to have. Certainly much better than deciding whether Amundson, Booth or Randolph will be going in.

I have to disagree here. Speights was regarded much higher that Smith coming out of college. Did you watch Ratliff play last season? He had very little impact. My friend is a die hard Pistons fan and we watched quite a few games where Ratliff had 0 impact. I mlike Ratliff as a last resort big man, but that's it. Speights is faster, stronger, more athletic and much better on offense.

Speights has a load of talent and should get 12 minutes a game out of the gate. He has a big time offensive game and should find the pro game more conducive to his playing style. Far too many times the college game gets too guard oriented. The best example is head coach Billy Donovan, who won 2 titles. Speights should have been featured more, but their small players tried to play like big players. I saw Walter Hodge far too may times trying to be Michael Jordan on the court. Speights came to a team that has the perfect fit for him. Welcome to Philadelphia, Marreese Speights.

[freshie2]

Hopefull Speights gets more minutes at the 4 than the 5, but if he gets 12 minutes a game, that will be a nice start for the kid. The big man rotation is so much better than last season...even without Smith. Donyell is obviously well beyond his prime, but he is a much better piece off the bench than LA or any of the other Sixers from last season. Great job by Ed.

[is1531]

Hopefull Speights gets more minutes at the 4 than the 5, but if he gets 12 minutes a game, that will be a nice start for the kid. The big man rotation is so much better than last season...even without Smith. Donyell is obviously well beyond his prime, but he is a much better piece off the bench than LA or any of the other Sixers from last season. Great job by Ed.

I love the bench the 76ers have right now. They should have a big impact in the 76ers winning at least 52 games. Now, If only I could replace Dee Lynam with Julie Banderas, that would be even better.

[9th Wonder]

One of the great things about the big man depth this season is that it's a nice mix of young and old. I'm assuming that Marshall and Ratliff likely will not be retained after this season, at which point I'm hoping Smith is fully healed and ready to continue his development alongside Speights. This will (hopefully) leave us with five solid NBA-level big men, all 30 or under.

Hell, if all goes to plan Reggie could be our 3rd big off the bench in a year's time. That is what you call depth!

[geiger]

I can't imagine Speights getting a lot of minutes at the 4 with Brand and Evans in front of him and Marshall signed for shooting. Sixers, like most teams, play a center for about 40 minutes a game, and go small for some of the time. Presuming Dalembert gets 32 to 35 minutes a game, I just don't see enough time for Speights and I assume that if healthy, Ratliff will get some minutes. Going back to my original point that I do not believe with all these veterans on the roster, a kid coming out as a sophmore, and who is a poor defender at this stage of his career (at least he was in Florida and the Summer League) will be the third big man on a veteran team that is supposed to not only make the playoffs, but do some damage. Of course, injuries happen and if they do - especially to Dalembert or Brand, Speights will get minutes. But if everyone is healthy, I don't see Cheeks giving him too many minutes.

[Skates]

I think that if Speights is going to get minutes early on it will more likely be at the 5 than the 4. Sammy is usually not good for more than 30 mpg, often due to foul issues. I don't really expect Ratliff to be all that healthy. My best guess would be that Speights does not play much the first month or two if everyone other than Smith is healthy as he tries to improve his defense. Around December Ratliff should start having some physical issues that will get Speights more time. By the end of the year I would like to see Speights and Reggie as the primary bigs off the bench with Marshall and Ratliff playing only sparingly. Early on though I expect to see a lot more of the two older vets than I do of Speights.

[PrimeTime21]

I might be missing something but I really don't see Speights as a 5. He just doesn't seem long or big enough to me, I think he will see most of his minutes and the 4 spot when Brand is playing the 5 or when Brand is sitting. So basically not much.

[geiger]

I think Speights may one day be a 5. What is long enough? He's a legit 6-10 with a 7-3 wing span and a standing reach of a 7-4 guy. Big enough? He's about 250 at 21. Does he need to be in better shape, get stronger, build up arm strength, upper body strength, and leg strength? No doubt. But he's 21 and guys tend to mature and put on the weight and muscle a bit later. I think he can one day be a center. Not sure if he can do it this season, but perhaps one day he can.

On a more upbeat note:

"David Thorpe's Analysis
July 22, 2008

I worked out Speights one time two years ago and thought he was the closest thing to Amare Stoudemire that I'd ever seen. I still think that. He is incredibly agile and explosive for such a big man, and his skill game is superb. He throws the ball in, period. Sitting behind so many players in Philly will not help spur development, but I suspect his coaches understand that and will work to keep him engaged.

July 07, 2008

Super-talented scorer, but he's stuck behind other high-level talents on a team on the rise. The D-League is likely his next stop."

[dbodner]

Will Speights outplay Ratliff? Will Ratliff outplay Marshall? Will Marshall play? Excluding Jason Smith, our big men this season are:

I think Speights will start out the season behind Ratliff, but I don't expect Ratliff to go through the season injury free, and after that I think Speights might pass him on the depth chart.

[sixerswillrule]

I worked out Speights one time two years ago and thought he was the closest thing to Amare Stoudemire that I'd ever seen.

That would be fantastic if Speights can become even close to the offensive talent that Amare is. Let's just hope he'll grow to be a better defender then him...

[geiger]

Funny. If he gives us 26 and 10 with over 30 and 12 in the playoffs, I'll give him a pass on the lackluster defense.

I do think it's a stretch to compare the two, but just to hear that a legit NBA analyst believes he has that kind of potential after working him out is sweet, sweet music to the ears of the Sixer faithful.