After watching Speights over the summer and in preseason

acasualobserver · Post #1 » by **acasualobserver** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:04 am

does anyone else get the impression that he might in fact be the long term solution at center? Obviously, he's not there defensively...yet. But, he does seem to possesses the offensive prowess (e.g. hands, footwork, post and face up game) that Dalembert simply doesn't. I just can't imagine Speights being a back up for much more than a year or two. Especially, when you consider how much GM's want to put their stamp on teams. Speights and Brand are essentially the only "key" pieces Stefanski would have added to the roster. I am fairly certain he would prefer them playing side by side for that reason. With Speights continuing to improve and with Dalembert earning over !0 million the next 3 yrs, IMHO unloading him and his contract would make a great deal of sense for the organization.

Just a thought

kukashatz · Post #2 » by **kukashatz** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:02 am

an interesting thought, but one that we should probably just keep in the back of our minds for now and focus on this year first. Speights has shown some very nice skills and if he progresses well he could be a great draft pick for us and a very nice player. And yes if he continues to improve while dalembert stays the same, I could see him being better than Sammy in 2-3 yrs. But as of right now we have to stick to our plan and see how our roster does. This year will truly show us what our team is made of. If sammy dissapoints us all then yea ofcourse we should consider moving his contract...but last year even with all his knucklehead behavior, he showed signs of really putting in a good effort and had a real solid year.

Basically, what I see is two things:
1. we have a really nice squad heading into the season and lets hope they do well.
2. depending on how things play out, speights development, dalembert performance, brand, and the list goes on...depending on how things go, im sure stefanski will make a move if he sees fit, and as of right now, i trust his judgement.

but yea, i agree, speights has really impressed, and i was glad that we drafted him...

Post #3 » by **The Guilty Party** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:02 am

I appreciate the excitement over the kid and while I think he has a really bright future for the Sixers and should be a part of the core rotation, I think we should wait until the kid has played a couple regular season games before deciding that we should unload Dalembert. Given Brand's age and Dalembert's strong season last year... I don't know that the 20 year old kid will made Sam expendable anytime this year. Now if Speights has an unbelievable rookie season and Dalembert doesn't improve, well... we might have something to talk about next summer. Then again, who's going to take on his contract if Daly doesn't have a good year??

bedjaw · Post #4 » by **bedjaw** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 12:45 pm

The timing could be jsut perfect for Speights and the Sixers. Sammy, Green and Evans' contracts all expire in 3 yrs. They will be attractive trade bait in two years. If Speights and Jason Smith continue to show they are quality big men than Sammy and Evans could become expendable. But you need atleast three quality bigs to contend so even if Speights develops into an all-star than Sammy is still a valuable piece to the Sixers. There are 96 minutes at the PF/C positon in a game so 3 guys can play 32 each. SO no Speights won't make Sammy expendable but JSmith and Speights...maybe.

ankle420breaker · Post #5 » by **ankle420breaker** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:09 pm

I like Speights as much as the next guy, but it's waaaayyyyy too early to talk about trading starters to free up time in the rotation for him.

geiger · Post #6 » by **geiger** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 6:15 pm

A lot of things can happen. Right now, he's an inconsistent 21 year old kid who has a lot of talent, but needs a lot of work and it's not even clear whether he's suited to be a full time 5 or is more of a 4. Time will tell. We're in a nice position with our bigs. A lot of depth and talent that compliments each other well.

STChaser · Post #7 » by **STChaser** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:33 pm

Speights is going to be a fine player but not at the 5. In my opinion, he's destined to be our long term solution at the 4. Eventually, we're going to have to draft a Bynum type with more size and girth to play the 5.

STChaser

freshie2 · Post #8 » by **freshie2** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 12:43 am

STChaser wrote:Speights is going to be a fine player but not at the 5. In my opinion, he's destined to be our long term solution at the 4. Eventually, we're going to have to draft a Bynum type with more size and girth to play the 5.

STChaser

Agree...see him more at the 4 than the 5 long term.

acasualobserver · Post #9 » by **acasualobserver** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 1:35 am

the post wasn't so much about Speights replacing Dalembert now, I mentioned in a year or two. The post was more about what the GM could be considering, and if playing him at center might be evidence of that or mere coincidence. Just thinking out loud, not trying to disrespect Dalembert's good season last year.

bebopdeluxe · Post #10 » by **bebopdeluxe** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 2:58 am

I dunno...a front-court of Thad, EB and Speights would be pretty tight, I think. Brand is a great rebounder and a plus-shot-blocker at the 4...in order for it to work, Speights would have to muscle up a-la Dale Davis...it might take away some of his athleticism, but he's got great hands and footwork for a young big. I think he could make it work.

One thing for sure - the Sixers offense would be WAY better over time, IMO, with that front-court.

Skates · Post #11 » by **Skates** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 3:59 am

IMO having Speights develop into the primary 4-5 reserve for the next three years would be huge. Add in Smith or Evans as a forth big man and you have 48 minutes of a long, talented frontline that could rival any other in the NBA. With good size at the 2 and 3 in Iggy and Thad, this team could be a real monster on the boards and on defense. The only team with that kind of size right now across the team, including their depth, is the Lakers (although the Blazers are on their way to being scary big and good if they stay healthy). Sam will be gone after his contract is up in 3 years, but it's way too early to worry about whether Speights will be his replacement. Let's enjoy having an abundance of quality bigs for once.

bebopdeluxe · Post #12 » by **bebopdeluxe** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:26 am

Skates:

I think there is a fair chance that by next season, Speights will be playing as many minutes as Sammy (especailly if they can move Evans' salary). He could be demanding time like Thad will be this season - if he's ready. And while Sammy can undeniabily provide a low-post shot-blocking presence, I have concerns about how he and Brand will coexist on the offensive end. I think they will be OK, but I think Speights brings the promise of more. He simply seems more skilled.

(And if you haven't seen the clip of Speights' block on David Lee earlier this week, catch it...its pretty good)

bebopdeluxe · Post #13 » by **bebopdeluxe** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 3:50 pm

Reading Phil Jasner's article in the Daily News, it might not take until next season for Speights to be in the starting lineup....

Damn.

76ciology · Post #14 » by **76ciology** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 4:31 pm

All I can say is It's hard to give a fair critique/judgement on a guy that I've never seen played a bad game as a sixer. And it's harder to judge a player based on preseason games. We've still yet to see the Sixers face big time frontcourt players like Yao Ming, Dwight Howard or Tim Duncans of the league. Thus, it's hard to see how Speights will playout against these guys.

As good as Speight is it's still early for him to put into the starting position. There's a lot of things that talent can bring to the table that Daly can, like experience and Daly's length. But yeah, in the long run, It's almost pretty sure that we'll have a PF-C tandem of Brand and Speights.

What is pretty clear for me is that he deserves to be the next big off the bench.

acasualobserver · Post #15 » by **acasualobserver** » Sat Oct 25, 2008 7:48 pm

WOW! Maybe I should go play the lottery

STChaser · Post #16 » by **STChaser** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 1:48 am

The real problem I see now is that we have Speights and Brand and both play the same position. Speights really should be playing at the 4 for the reasons I mentioned in my earlier post. Personally, I would have held off signing Brand but it is what it is at this point. I'm not saying that Speights is better than Brand - though so far, I've yet to see the old Elton Brand that I remember from years back. But our bigger need was size at the 5 and we failed to address that issue. This problem, is going to haunt us down the road - especially with Smith out for the season. Speights has solid fundamentals but he's going to be overpowered against the bigger 5's out there.

The Sixers really need to find a big with more weight than Sam. Sam is fine against certain 5's in this league, but against the heavier, taller 5's like Bynum and Howard, he's clearly outclassed and more importantly, out-muscled. I'm not sure who's out there but if I were Stefanski, I'd really consider letting Miller go once his contract expires and using the available cash to sign a serviceable big. In a year's time, I would hope that Lou could finally serve as our starting PG but that's yet to be seen. The question remains, what bigs will be available and for what price? He'll I'd even consider bringing in Shaq if he were willing to come in as a situational player off the bench to go up against Howard and Bynum. In all seriousness, this problem needs to be addressed.

STChaser

sixerswillrule · Post #17 » by **sixerswillrule** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:02 am

I've said this a few times before, but I really think Brand can handle Howard. He has the strength and the length to deal with him. 6'6" Jason Maxiell was able to shut down Howard during their playoff matchup. Brand is essentially the same build but even bigger. I am confident in his defensive ability. With Speights and Ratliff off the bench as well, I think we will be absolutely fine in terms of size up front.

Skates · Post #18 » by **Skates** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 2:13 am

A couple of things..

The title to the Jasner article was pretty misleading. The article mainly talked about Speights starting the season, possibly, in the regular rotation, i.e. being a regular off of the bench. While this is still a big deal, nothing in the article himted that he would be in the starting line-up abesnt injuries to Brand or Sammy.

Size wise I see no reason why Speights should not be able to play the 5. According to Stefanski he is at least 6'10" in bare feet, that is as good as a lot of supposed seven footers in the NBA. He is solidly built for his age and has a frame that can easily take some more weight. I think he is the kind of guy that can easily bounce between the 4 and 5, especially in the curent NBA.

Finally, I agree that guys like Brand and Evans that are strong, but shorter will play guys like Dwight Howard better than tall, skinny guys like Sammy. Shaq had more trouble with Ben Wallace (6'8" at best, but strong) than he did with most taller guys.

Post #19 » by **dbodner** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 4:41 am

Speights is 6'10"+. He's probably closer to 6'11", with long arms, and a solid frame to add weight on. I see no reason he can't play the 4/5 interchangably. The thought of passing on Brand because you have a 20 year old who might be able to play but has never proven it is absurd IMO.

IversonsMother · Post #20 » by **IversonsMother** » Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:13 pm

STChaser wrote:The real problem I see now is that we have Speights and Brand and both play the same position. Speights really should be playing at the 4 for the reasons I mentioned in my earlier post. Personally, I would have held off signing Brand but it is what it is at this point. I'm not saying that Speights is better than Brand - though so far, I've yet to see the old Elton Brand that I remember from years back. But our bigger need was size at the 5 and we failed to address that issue. This problem, is going to haunt us down the road - especially with Smith out for the season. Speights has solid fundamentals but he's going to be overpowered against the bigger 5's out there.

The Sixers really need to find a big with more weight than Sam. Sam is fine against certain 5's in this league, but against the heavier, taller 5's like Bynum and Howard, he's clearly outclassed and more importantly, out-muscled. I'm not sure who's out there but if I were Stefanski, I'd really consider letting Miller go once his contract expires and using the available cash to sign a serviceable big. In a year's time, I would hope that Lou could finally serve as our starting PG but that's yet to be seen. The question remains, what bigs will be available and for what price? He'll I'd even consider bringing in Shaq if he were willing to come in as a situational player off the bench to go up against Howard and Bynum. In all seriousness, this problem needs to be addressed.

STChaser

The problem with Sam isn't his size. I question his heart.. He has the athletic ability to be a top notch defender and rebounder, but IMO lacks the heart for it.. It's not like Mutumbo was a huge load down low when he was dominating defense and rebounds. I know Deke was taller, but he was not a big load by any means. he simply wanted it more.