For Sixers fans that want their team to one day compete for a championship, you should start getting nervous because the Sixers are starting to play winning basketball.
Since their 12 game losing streak earlier this season, the Sixers are playing above .500 ball. They have climbed their way from the second worst record in the league all the way to 5 games out of the playoffs.
They are one of only a handful of teams that are playing .500 ball or better in the last ten games.
Even Elton Brand has gotten in on the act, as his playing time and play have increased as the season goes on. He is now averaging 14 and 8, and those numbers should continue to grow.
Samuel Dalembert, amidst all the tragedy in his personal life, has been playing like one of the top centers in the east (though that isn’t saying much) since Iverson got here.
Andre Iguodala is averaging solid all around numbers- 18 pts, 6 assists, 7 rebounds. Lou Williams is averaging 15 and 5 off of the bench.
This should make Sixers fans nervous because the team cannot be fooled into thinking this is true progress.
They can’t start to re-talk themselves into Brand. This can only be a good thing in one way- Stefanski needs to break up this team, and now.
The timing could not be better. The Sixers are bad, but not bad enough that the teams around the league would not think they were having a fire sale.
Even if everyone plays at the top of their game, the Sixers are no better then 5th in the East and a first round exit. That’s as a collective unit. But individually, the Sixers are stock full of great role players that could help a team win a championship.
Wouldn’t Andre Iguodala look good along with Lebron James in Cleveland- the Pippen to his Jordan? What about Iguodala and Dalembert for Shaquille O Neal and his 21 million dollar expiring contract.
As crazy as that sounds, Dalembert is averaging more rebounds and only 3 less points. The move would give the Sixers cap space this summer, and more lottery balls as well. The Cavs would be a much better team as well.
The Sixers could either buy out Shaq, or let him play. It wouldn’t matter. They could make Young the 3 of the future. They could settle on a backcourt of Holiday and Williams- for now. They could then use the money to sign a true 2 in the off season- maybe Joe Johnson.
A fire sale could also help the jobs of Stefanski and Eddie Jordan. Their jobs are on the line right now.
But if Stefanski could make some moves and convince Snider that their team will be better in the future for it, and to give him more time, their jobs could be safe.
As of right now, stuck in the middle like this, their jobs are on the line.
The play of the Sixers young nucleus- Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday and Marresse Speights- is promising.
But you win in the NBA with stars. And the Sixers have no stars. They need cap space and luck in the lottery.
And the winning streaks and playoff push they are doing now is not going to help either of those.
