Would you trade Elton Brand and Lou Williams for Nick Young, Dorrell Wright, Kwame Brown, and Darryl Watkins?

• The Philadelphia 76ers amnestied Elton Brand and did not sign Lou Williams.
• With the salary cap space created by amnestying Elton Brand and the money saved by not signing Lou Williams, the Philadelphia 76ers have brought in Nick Young, Dorrell Wright, Kwame Brown, and Darryl Watkins through free agency and trades.
• The Philadelphia 76ers also re-signed Spencer Hawes.
• The Philadelphia 76ers brought in players who have one or two-year contracts and do not make a lot of money by NBA standards.
• While I like the general strategy of not making big commitments to non-franchise players, especially for a franchise that does not have a franchise player; do these moves make the Philadelphia 76ers any better?
• I believe that the general plan for the Philadelphia 76ers is to have Jrue Holiday at the point, Evan Turner at the two, and Andre Iguodala at the three.  According to what I have read, the Philadelphia 76ers are going to start Spencer Hawes at Center and Kwame Brown at power forward.
• Off the bench, the Philadelphia 76ers have Nick Young to replace Lou Williams as their instant offense.  Nick Young brings greater size and shooting than Lou Williams, however, he is not the penetrator and play maker that Lou Williams is.
• Dorrell Wright is going to be the back-up small forward.  Dorrell Wright brings size and shooting.
• Thad Young appears to be the back-up four who will bring instant energy for the 76ers.
• Lavoy Allen is going to be the back-up center for the Philadelphia 76ers.
• I am on board with the Philadelphia 76ers’ general strategy of bringing in young players who do not have long-term contracts.
• Even though the Philadelphia 76ers made it to the 7th game of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs last year, I am glad to see that the 76ers management knew that was fool’s gold.  The 76ers only made it that far due to injuries to the Chicago Bulls and Boston Celtics.
• I like the fact that it appears the Philadelphia 76ers are finally going to let Evan Turner start.  However, by obtaining Nick Young and Dorrell Wright, two guys who have mostly been starters in the NBA, I am concerned that Doug Collins will have a short leash for Evan Turner.
• Still, I think that the Philadelphia 76ers could have executed this strategy much better.
• Instead of amnestying Elton Brand, why not just keep Elton for the final year of his contract and play him at center.  This way, the 76ers would not have had to sign Spencer Hawes to a two-year contract.  Although Spencer Hawes is young and occasionally shows flashes of being a good player, he is clearly not the answer at the center position.
• Then, the Philadelphia 76ers should have traded Andre Iguodala for a top ten draft pick.  I believe both the Sacramento Kings and the Toronto Raptors were both under the salary cap so they could have made trades without the 76ers having to take on salary.  Both the Kings and Raptors could have used a small forward.  By making the Kyle Lowry trade for a future potential lottery pick, the Toronto Raptors demonstrated that they were willing to make such a trade.  The Golden State Warriors have also been rumored for a while to be interested in Andre Iguodala.
• With a top ten pick, the Philadelphia 76ers could have drafted Andre Drummond.  Andre Drummond is a high potential player at the hardest position to fill in the NBA, center.  Many people have questions about Andre Drummond, however, based on the little I have seen, Andre Drummond is likely to be as good as Tyson Chandler.  Tyson Chandler anchored a team that won an NBA championship.  Elton Brand could mentor Andre Drummond on the last year of his contract and teach Andre Drummond to be a professional.
• Then, the Philadelphia 76ers could start Thad Young at small forward.  Thad Young has a small forward body.  Thad Young cannot guard the bigger power forwards in the NBA.  Why not take they year and see what Thad Young can do as a small forward?  Philadelphia is not going to win the NBA title this year anyway.  They could always move him back to an off the bench power forward next year.
• Thad Young does not need the ball like Andre Iguodala does.  Without Andre Iguodala, the Philadelphia 76ers would be in the best position to evaluate what they have in Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner.
• With these moves, the Philadelphia 76ers would have a roster of Jrue Holiday at the point, Evan Turner at the two, Thad Young at the three, Lavoy Allen at the four, and Elton Brand at the five.  Young players Maurice Harkless, Andre Drummond, and Nic Vucevic would also get back-up minutes.
• With these moves, the Philadelphia 76ers would not have had to trade a future first round draft pick for Arnett Moultrie.
• With these moves, the Philadelphia 76ers would have gotten cap relief sooner as Elton Brand was in the last year of his contract and they would not have given two-year contracts to Spencer Hawes and Kwame Brown.
• With these moves, the Philadelphia 76ers would be in the best position to evaluate Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, and Lavoy Allen.
• With these moves, the Philadelphia 76ers would have at least taken a shot at drafting a franchise player in Andre Drummond.
• And if the Philadelphia 76ers really bomb next year with these moves, then the 76ers would have had a high lottery pick and therefore another chance to draft a franchise player.
• While I cannot kill the Philadelphia 76ers for the moves that they made since they did not really take on bad contracts, I just think that their own plan could have been executed a lot better.  By keeping Andre Iguodala, the 76ers are still stuck in NBA purgatory.  The Philadelphia 76ers are either going to have a low seed in the playoffs or a low lottery pick.  Either way, that is not ideal for building an NBA Championship.

Why doesn’t the USA Basketball Men’s National Team have a back-up center for the 2012 Olympics?

• I am sure that Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum were the first two choices for the 2012 Olympic Basketball team to play center.
• However, Dwight Howard is hurt and Andrew Bynum does not want to play on the Olympic team.
• Tyson Chandler is a solid choice to be the 2012 Olympic Basketball team’s starting center.  Tyson Chandler is the defensive player of the year.
• And while Tyson Chandler is not the best overall center, with so many other scoring options, Team USA does not need Tyson Chandler to be a main scoring option for the 2012 Olympics.
• Still, why doesn’t Team USA have a back-up center?  What happens if Tyson Chandler gets hurt?  Who is going to protect the basket when Tyson Chandler is out of the game?
• There were several good options for the Men’s USA Basketball teams to play back-up center for the 2012 Olympics.
• Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan are still excellent players.  Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan can still defend, rebound, and score.  All you had to do is watch the NBA playoffs and you can see that Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan are still playing at a high level.
• I do not know if Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan were asked to play for the 2012 Olympics, however, if they were not, they should have been.  I do not know if asked, if Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan would have agreed to play.
• Other options to play back-up center are Kendrick Perkins, Emeka Okafor, Andre Davis, JaVale McGee, and DeAndre Jordan.  I am not saying that these players are great players, however, all of these players could provide the Team USA Men’s Basketball Team shot blocking and rebounding.
• Just like Andre Iguodala was chosen to be a perimeter defensive stopper, why didn’t Team USA Men’s Basketball choose to add some defensive interior depth in case Tyson Chandler got hurt.
• While James Harden is a better basketball player than many of the back-up center options, James Harden is not really needed for the 2012 Olympics.  There are plenty of perimeter scorers for Team USA Men’s Basketball.
• The USA Basketball Men’s National Team has so much talent that I am sure that Team USA will win the Olympic Gold Medal even without a solid back-up center.
• Still, if the goal is to build the best basketball team and not leave anything to chance, then the USA Basketball Men’s National Team should have chosen to take a center such as Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, or another center just to make sure that the Men’s Basketball Team wins the 2012 Gold Medal.

What is the plan for the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2012-2013 season?

• The Philadelphia 76ers had a nice run in the 2012 playoffs by advancing to the second round and taking the Boston Celtics to 7 games before losing.
• Still, the Philadelphia 76ers 2012 playoff run is also fool’s gold.
• If the Chicago Bulls had not lost Derek Rose and Joakim Noah to injury, the Philadelphia 76ers would not have made it out of the first round.
• The Boston Celtics lost their starting shooting guard in Avery Bradley to injury and Ray Allen was a shell of his former self due to injury and still the 76ers lost to the Celtics.
• The Miami Heat, Orlando Magic, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Brooklyn Nets are all more talented than the 76ers.
• So what is the Philadelphia 76ers plan in the off-season?
• There are two things that the Philadelphia 76ers can do to improve in the off-season: trade Andre Iguodala and amnesty Elton Brand.
• The number one issue that the Philadelphia 76ers have is that they cannot consistently score in the half-court.
• The 76ers do not have a go to scorer, they do not have an inside scoring presence, and they do not have good perimeter shooting.  So how can they address these needs?
• First, unfortunately for the 76ers, I do not think they are going to able to get the premiere go to scorer that they need.   I do not see one available to the Sixers in a trade and I do not see one coming to the Sixers in free agency.
• The first thing that the Philadelphia 76ers will do in the off-season is their due diligence.  They will check with the Orlando Magic on a Dwight Howard trade and they will check with Deron Williams on him coming to Sixers.  Still, I do not see either one of these things happening.
• There are also some attractive restricted free agents that such as Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson, however, since they are restricted free agents, they will most likely be hard to get.
• The first realistic thing I see the 76ers doing is proposing to trade Andre Iguodala to the Los Angeles Lakers for Pau Gasol.  Pau Gasol is on the trading block.  Pau Gasol’s value has diminished some by a poor playoff performance.  The Lakers could use Andre Iguodala’s athleticism and defense and he is younger than Gasol.  I think a Pau Gasol-Andre Iguodala trade is not out of the question.  Still, there will be a lot of teams vying for Pau Gasol and the Sixers may not be able to get him.  The Lakers might want more than just Iguodala, such as Jrue Holiday or Evan Turner, and I am not sure that the Sixers will be willing to trade one of their younger players for a 30 year old Gasol who might be past his prime.
• Another potential trade is an Andre Iguodala-Al Jefferson trade.  The Utah Jazz have Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors, and Enes Kanter in addition to Al Jefferson in their front court.  The Utah Jazz could use Andre Igoudala’s skills at small forward.  Still, while an Al Jefferson for Andre Iguodala trade makes sense, I am guessing that the Utah Jazz are not going to trade their leading scorer.
• Ersan Ilyasova is an unrestricted free agent from the Milwaukee Bucks.  Ilyasova is power forward who shot 49 percent from the field and 45 percent from the three point line.  Ilaysova is 24 years old.  Assuming that the 76ers do not have the cap space to sign him outright, I could see the 76ers trading Andre Igoudala to the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign and trade for Ilyasova.  While I doubt Milwaukee wants to lose Ilyasova, the Bucks could use Andre Igoudala’s skill set and if Ilayasova wants to leave, Andre Igoudala would be a good consolation prize.
• The 76ers were at their best this year when Spencer Hawes played well at center.  Unfortunately for the 76ers, Spencer Hawes did not play well often enough.  Chris Kaman is an unrestricted free-agent.  Chris Kaman can do everything that Spencer Hawes can do and he can do it much more consistently.   Chris Kaman is 30 years old so he should still have some years left.  I could see the 76ers using the amnesty clause on Elton Brand and bringing in Chris Kaman.
• Therefore, I could see the following starting line-up for the 76ers in the 2012-2013 season:  Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Thad Young, Ersan Ilyasova, and Chris Kaman.  The team would still be relatively young.  Ilyasova would improve their outside shooting.  They could run the offense through Chris Kaman through the high post like they now do with Spencer Hawes.  And the 76ers can hope that True Holiday and Evan Turner can keep developing.  The Sixers could bring back Lou Williams for instant offense off the bench.  LaVoy Allen looks like he can be a contributing back-up power forward.  They would also have last year’s first round pick Nic Vucevic, this year’s draft picks, and other low-cost free agents for depth.

A look at a Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday trade

• With the Los Angeles Lakers being eliminated early in the playoffs for the second year in a row, the Lakers are going to need to make personnel changes.
• The Los Angeles Lakers are not going to trade Kobe Bryant.
• While the Los Angeles Lakers might trade Andrew Bynum, I think that they are reluctant to trade a young center with franchise player talent.
• Therefore, the player with value who is most likely to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers is Pau Gasol.
• The Los Angeles Lakers need a point guard, more athleticism, depth, and shooting.
• One proposed trade would be the Los Angeles Lakers trading Pau Gasol to the Philadelphia 76ers for Andre Iguodala and True Holiday.
• Andre Iguodala would greatly increase the Los Angeles Lakers’ athleticism.
• Andre Iguodala is one of the best wing defenders in the NBA.
• If Andre Iguodala can guard the Lakers best perimeter player, then Kobe Bryant can rest a little bit on defense.
• Also, Andre Iguodala is an excellent passer and he does not need to take a lot of shots.
• Andre Iguodala is an excellent finisher on the fast break so he can help the Lakers get some easy buckets.
• Andre Iguodala has developed into a decent standstill shooter.
• Andre Iguodala can play shooting guard or small forward, so he can provide depth for the aging Kobe Bryant and Meta World Peace.
• Jrue Holiday is a decent young point guard.
• Jrue Holiday is a decent scorer, shooter, ball handler, and  passer.
• Jrue Holiday is a pretty good athlete who is certainly a defensive upgrade compared to Steve Blake.
• Jrue Holiday can also play shooting guard so he is another player who could provide Kobe Bryant with rest.
• From the Philadelphia 76ers perspective, the Sixers are kind of stuck in the middle of the pack.  The Sixers need to make some personnel changes if they hope to move to the upper echelon in the Eastern Conference.
• The Philadelphia 76ers played very well early in the season when Spencer Hawes was playing well.
• Pau Gasol can do everything that Spencer Hawes can do and can do it better.
• Pau Gasol is the most skilled post player in the NBA.
• Pau Gasol can also shoot jump shots, rebound, defend, and block spots.
• The Philadelphia 76ers can run their offense through Pau Gasol through the high post.
• The Philadelphia 76ers have Evan Turner to play point guard and Thaddeus Young to play small forward.
• The Philadelphia 76ers can also re-sign Lou Williams or bring in someone else to make up for the loss of Jrue Holiday.
• The Philadelphia 76ers can also fill in some holes if they amnesty Elton Brand.
• The bottom line is that a Pau Gasol for Andre Iguodala and True Holiday trade will make both the Los Angeles Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers better.