How to make the Sixers the new Celtics...

[51X3RF4N]

There is, in my mind, 2 ways to build a champion.

1. Conventionally through the draft, developing players, and veteran presence.

2. The Boston way. Trade almost all young/valuable assets for 2-3 All-Star players, while maintaining the right kind of role players.

I don't feel that the Sixers are close enough with the current team, and IMO at least, one free agent signing and a mid-first-round pick is NOT going to put us over the hump.

We are further away than I think some people want to believe.

Not only do we need a post-player at PF who can score 20+/game, but we also need a SG who can create his own shot like Pierce/Kobe/etc. do. And can score 20+ ppg. Bottom line is: Iggy and Green are NOT these SG's. And nobody in the draft(that we can actually get) will be THIS year.

IMO, if we added these 2 players to Miller, Young, and Dalembert, we would be set for a TRUE run at a title. And if we can keep Carney, Green, and Evans in the process, we could make some noise with a decent amount of depth.

Of course, to acquire such players, L-Will, Iggy, Smith, and our pick would likely need to be traded. Now, if Young or Dalembert are required in order to land these top 2 players, then Jason Smith would need to be kept to play C and another SF would need to be found.

But I highly doubt it would take Iggy, L-Will, Daly, a pick, AND Young to get 2 players.

I for one would LOVE to see the Sixers make an attempt at T-Mac. I think it is a possibility if enough is offered. They just can't seem to win out west, and maybe are looking for a shakeup.

The other player I think fits would be Jermaine O'Neal. He is getting up there and is injured, yes, but may be looking to get out of Indy and it might benefit him. He could be like our Garnett, and T-Mac like our Ray Allen in terms of trade comparisons. Since we have Miller already, who is playing at a high level, I think that these 3 together would be pretty damned good.

So, our big 3 would be this vs. the Celts...

Miller Vs. Allen
T-Mac Vs. Pierce
O'Neal Vs. Garnett

We don't look TOO bad in this situation. As opposed to this...

Miller Vs. Allen
Iggy Vs. Pierce
Young/Brand(Unlikely)/Smith(Unlikely)/Randolph?? Vs. Garnett

I honestly have no idea what the trades would look like, but I say git er done.

Having Miller control the games like he does now, except being able to give it up to T-Mac and rest a little while T-Mac scores 40+ would be very beneficial. And being able to post up O'Neal, who could then kick it out to T-Mac or Miller, or just score on his own, would really make us a tough team to stop.

Thoughts?

[roseorbust]

boooooooooooooooooooo

[UptownPhilly]

That Boston team>>>>way better than a Sixers core comprised of T-Mac, O'neal and Miller.

When it comes down to it, Miller is not a factor against the top PG's in the league(Billups, Parker, Paul, Williams, etc)

T-Mac will never win.

Jermaine Oneal is finished, and highly overpaid.

When the Celtics got KG, he was/and still is a top player in the league.

Jermaine Oneal hasn't been a top PF in quite some time.

T-Mac is on a good squad, but his injuries and Yao's injuries will hold him back. He's not worth his contract anymore either.

We'd go into rebuilding mode very fast with this squad.

If we really wanted to take the route the Celtics did. We'd tank

They landed Allen with a young player, a top 5 draft pick, and a large expiring.

They gave up half of their squad, including their brightest young big to acquire KG.

We don't have a bright young big, or a top 5 pick.

We do have cap space and young players that "could" turn out to be good.

I'd rather emulate the Lakers than the Celtics. Keep Louis Williams, Iguodala, Young, and Dalembert. Trade an expiring(Miller, sorry you gotta go) several draft picks and a young talent(Smith) for a star/franchise player.

Our best bet is to grab a young player that can help us in free agency. The big question is, who's available. Biedrins?

If we get him do we ship Dalembert to a team that needs a center? Dalembert for Boozer? Calderon? etc...

[51X3RF4N]

Actually, if it wasn't for Yao's injury, one could argue that T-Mac would still be in it. They played incredible basketball, but in the playoffs, they really needed Yao back.

And Miller is obviously a factor against Billups, did you watch the Pistons series? Miller was the only one keeping us in it besides Evans.

And Jermaine O'Neal might not have been a factor this year because of injuries, but last year he was still a 20 and 10 guy with nearly 3 blocks per game. We don't need that?

That is exactly the PF we need. And if you ask me, in a playoff series against KG, I'm pretty sure O'Neal would step up to the task.

The Celtics OVERPAID for Allen with a TOP 5 pick, a young player, and an expiring. Obviously Allen is not what he used to be.

KG and Pierce are the two main factors leading them to wins, but Allen did help throughout the season getting them to the #1 seed. He just isn't showing up right now.

But tell me, why would the Sixers tank and be so horrible if they get a guy in T-Mac who is arguably one of the 3 best players in the NBA at getting to the basket and getting his own shot, O'Neal who, if not injured, will give you 20 and 10 and 3 blocks per game, while retaining Miller, who many were ready to annoint the best PG in the Eastern Conference last season?

I realize it's nearly impossible to make trades for both of them salary wise, but we do have a decent chunk of money being freed up this offseason. And if Iggy is S&Traded in a package for one of them, then the salary cap space plus a young guy or pick can be used to get the other.

I don't know because I'm not much of a trade guru, but I'm sure somebody can come up with a solution.

And tell me, how is it going to improve us if we keep everyone we had who got blown out by the Pistons, and then just trade the best guy on our team for the past 100 games or so with a bunch of our draft pick for whoever is the best franchise type player we can get in a normal market?

And since we are keeping the "I'm not so much a PG, but not really a SG either" L-Will, and the "I can't really play SG, so I'll take Thad's natural spot at the 3" Iggy, and the "I'm definitely not a PF, but they keep playing me here" Thad, and the "I have an basketball IQ of 2" Sammy "SLAMMIN" D, who in this NBA would be able to turn these 4 into a competitive starting 5?

Would it be a SG? Would it be a PF who lets Thad slide but forces Iggy to play out of position? All the while L-Will is struggling because he isn't the PG?

Like I said, this team with it's current lineup is NOT capable of winning in the playoffs. Miller is the ONLY one worth keeping in terms of winning now, besides maybe Evans.


I guess the real question is, do you want to win the NBA championship in 2009? Or do you want to wait to see if the current team has it in em to do it in 2011? 2012? Who knows?

At least making the moves I am suggesting puts us in a position to make some noise, and likely puts us at 2nd in the Eastern Conference. Gives us a better shot against Boston and a more realistic chance at winning the big one, which is really all I care about.

Why care about the future when there could be lockouts, players getting in trouble, contract issues, death, other teams willing to pull a Celtics the year we are FINALLY supposed to win, etc. etc. etc.?

All that should be the focus is NEXT year. If we can win NEXT year, then we should try to do so. If we can't, which I strongly believe with this current team, even with adding a PF in FA, and a draft pick, we can not win it all, then moves need to be made.

LA went their route because they HAD Kobe, Odom, BYNUM, Walton, Vujacic, Farmar and they landed a great C. The Sixers have nobody even coming close to equalling Kobe, Odom, Bynum, or Walton(in terms of role players).

So you want to emulate a team with a superstar already on the roster, a future superstar C, 3 strong bench players who could push to start on most teams, and a guy like Odom, who I think is sometimes underrated by many.

Tell me, who on the Sixers fits that description? We are not even CLOSE to having what they have.

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