Thad at the 4...and Monta Ellis at the 2?

[UptownPhilly]

I would love for L.Will to be the main 2 guard off the bench.

We just need to acquire a big PG(Crittenton) to play next to him.

Iguodala and Young will most likely become our 2-3 punch. Biedrins is a realistic possibility. I wouldn't mind us taking a chance on him in free agency.

[CPops57]

Thaddeus Young has been suppar as a SF. He's been doing most of his dominance at the forward spot. -_-

True.

But I think one summer of drills will improve his confidence handling the ball dramatically and really shouldn't be a large issue going forward.

[dbodner]

The reason thad plays much better at the 4 so far is because he hangs around the rim. We don't run plays for him regardless, so when he's around the rim, he's more likely to get offensive rebounds or find the seems and get open. I think he can succeed at SF if given the offseason to work on it.

Then again, I think he could succeed if given the offseason to bulk up and play the 4. So I could go either way on thad's position. He has to become a MUCH better defensive rebounder to be a 4 full time though, along with the obvious muscle development.

[PhillyRocks1]

comparing someone shooting 40% to someone shooting 53% is insane. Lou Williams isn't even close to Ellis.

[dbodner]

If we were going to go with a short SG I'd rather go with Gordon. His demand will likely be less, and IMO we need someone of his shooting ability more than we need someone of Ellis's skillsets. Gordon opens things up for Lou, Iguodala and Thad much more than Ellis would, and with a PG like Miller that becomes ever more important. I'd probably pass on both though.

[SendEm]

YES! I like this thread. About time you people started posting about NBA players with REAL game and REAL talent and not these rookie type players that can't even play 10 good minutes per game. Monta and Thad would be absolute MURDER moving forward. You would have a guard and a forward both on the same team that shoot over .500%. Andre Miller also shoots around the .500% range. Our team would be absolutely dangerous on offense. We would look like an NBA team from the mid 80's where shot making is NOT a problem at all. I LOVE this idea.

[tk76]

I like the idea of keeping Thad around the basket on offense, but having him cover the wing on defense. I wouldn't juggle the entire roster to accomplish this, but if we got a tweener scorer at SF/PF like Jamison or Josh Smith we could really mix and match with Iguodala, Young and the FA across 2,3,4.

I particularly like the thought of Smith, who is a good slasher and underrated passer, playing the wing on offense, and having either Dala or Smith drive and dish to Sam and Thad in the half court.

We would have a good starting line-up that can switch aggressively on defense, and it would give the team all sorts of flexibility with various big and small lineups throughout the game.

[SendEm]

BTW if we get Monta we need to just let Lou Williams walk and get him out of the way. Lou Williams is like the wannabe version of the poorman's version of Monta Ellis. Monta is a faaaaaaaaaar superior finisher. Monta is a contortionist around the basket with a million different release points and he is a fearless dunker. His pull up jumpshot from 18 feet is now automatic. Monta shoots over .500% and averages over 18 points, nuff said...

[SendEm]

Monta Ellis will be able to produce on his worst days those hand full of great games that Lou Williams is able to put together that pushes our team over most opponents. Monta will be that scoring penetrating finisher that we need and Andre Miller can focus more on being the set up man instead of a scorer. Having Monta will also allow Iggy to be the outside shooter that he wants to be without having to be exposed for the driver that he isn't.

[Dedicated_76ers_fan]

So that means that you'd also be more comfortable with Iguodala right?
Don't blame Louis Williams for Maurice Cheeks's pitiful coaching. I've said time and time again that if L-Will was allowed to develop HIS game on the NBA level. He'd be up there with Ellis. He's proven it when he's gotten the green light. WHEN he's gotten the green light.

[SendEm]

Yeah Iguodala would be a better player in my eyes alongside Monta Ellis. They would then have the correct half court floor balance. Iggy could be the playmaking shooter that he naturally is, he can focus strictly on developing those skills and he might end up being a better version of Stephen Jackson one day. Monta can be the scoring penetrator. Miller can be the set up guy hitting both Iggy and Monta cutting towards the basket and leaking out on the break. Monta will also complement Miller defensively moving forward extending Miller's career. Miller will be able to do what he does best and that is defend shooting guards leaving Monta to guard the PG's of the league.

[The Sixer Fixer]

Wow!!

For once I actually completely agree with SendEm's player analysis. I'm a big Ellis fan and comparing him to Lou is absurd. Sure Lou can blow up from time to time and carry us, but let's get real, he's not even close to being in Ellis's league right now. Ellis brings consistent production night in and night out. That "consistency" is what seperates players in the NBA. Everyone in the NBA has talent (well most), but the real good players are the ones who can produce every night.

I rememeber there being a thread about "who would you rather have Lou or Ellis?" early this season on the board. I was shocked to see how many people argued that Lou was the more talented player. I chalked it up to another homer response since people don't see non-Sixers enough. Ellis is a FAR superior player on the defensive end of the court. Ellis has an excellent mid range game to go along with great penetrating/finishing ability. Ellis is a guy, who unlike Lou, doesn't have to force things on offense to be effective. Since both are combo guards, you also have to give Ellis the edge based on height. Not a huge difference, but when often guarding the opposing 2, it's a factor.

The only concern I would have in paring Ellis and Iguodala together (along with A. Miller) is none of them are particually good from 3 pt range. In order to go deep in the playoffs, you need to have someone who can scare the D from there.

If we went after someone like Ellis (which I seriously doubt we would), I would have to explore S/T deals with Iguodala. I know my idea of acquiring Mike Miller has not been supported by people here, but I still think he would be a great fit here. Miller is SG/SF who can score, is deadly from 3 pt land, can penetrate, has plus rebounding ability for his posiiton and is an underrated passer. Imagine how effective the trio of A. Miller, Ellis and M. Miller, all guys who could shoot 50% or better, would be. Could we get M. Miller and Crittenton for Iguodala? I think that would work well for both teams. Andre is a great fit for the Grizz up-tempo game and would pair well with Gay.

Maybe we could "persuade" Golden State to not match Monta by doing a S/T with Lou and sending him there? Could be a decent replacement for them. Maybe throw in a future draft pick or something...just a thought.

[blazehound]

no

[SendEm]

On paper Mike Miller is a great fit, but he gets outplayed on the defensive end. I don't want to go to war with Mike Miller in a playoff series involving Kobe, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, D. Wade, or any of the other SG's of quality. Sure Miller will most likely get his 18-23 points in like 35 minutes but he is the type of player that will give up a 30 point game to a lessor talent or a 50 point game to a really good player. I couldn't take having SG's and SF's routinely shoot over .500% on us night after night.

[The Sixer Fixer]

On paper Mike Miller is a great fit, but he gets outplayed on the defensive end. I don't want to go to war with Mike Miller in a playoff series involving Kobe, Rip Hamilton, Ray Allen, D. Wade, or any of the other SG's of quality. Sure Miller will most likely get his 18-23 points in like 35 minutes but he is the type of player that will give up a 30 point game to a lessor talent or a 50 point game to a really good player. I couldn't take having SG's and SF's routinely shoot over .500% on us night after night.

Miller is a way better defender than people give him credit for.

[SendEm]

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Miller is a way better defender than people give him credit for.

Mike Miller played 41 minutes in that game where Kobe scored 53 points in the first half.

[The Sixer Fixer]

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Mike Miller played 41 minutes in that game where Kobe scored 53 points in the first half.

Well god, that settles that I guess. Pick one game by the best player in the NBA as a reference point. Classic SendEm analysis.

[SendEm]

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Well god, that settles that I guess. Pick one game by the best player in the NBA as a reference point. Classic SendEm analysis.

Vince Carter 37
D. Wade 41

[tk76]

I have to agree with Sendem here. Miller needs to be your 4th or 5th best player if you are expecting to be a winner. He's not a bad NBA player, but his [+] offense would be more of an asset if he was a better defender.

I'd take Battier over Miller, and sacrifice offensive firepower for a decent jumper and top defense.

[The Sixer Fixer]

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Vince Carter 37
D. Wade 41

Wade - wow he scored 41 against a starting lineup of Chuky Atkins, Dahntay Jones, Alexander Johnson, Miller and Gasol (who played only 16 min). There is no way in hell that Miller defended Wade in that game. Based on size matchups, I guarantee it was Jones guarding Wade.

As for Carter, again I'd put money on the fact that it was Jones on him. Plus Miller only player 26 min to Carter's 40 min so I seriously doubt many, if any, of those pts we against Miller.