Empty the Bench

Heading into the Philadelphia 76ers’ 60th season the franchise has spared no expense in putting a competitor on the floor. They’ve made the always tricky transition from “rebuilding” to “win now.” This summer alone they’ve signed Elton Brand as an unrestricted free agent, re-signed Louis Williams, and signed free agents Theo Ratliff, Kareem Rush, Royal Ivey and Donyell Marshall.

Amid all the spending GM Ed Stefanski made one eyebrow-raising move: inking last season’s face of the franchise, Andre Iguodala, to a massive contract. The tagline for the 2008-09 Sixers is “Come Run With Us,” and there’s little doubt that Iggy’s fast hands on defense and athleticism in the open court will be a big part of that running game.

But is a player who has never proven himself better than a strong second fiddle really worth $80 million?

Although Iggy (I’ve been told to stop calling him that, not going to happen) still flies under the radar of the very casual fan, he’s become something of a polarizing figure among dedicated NBA observers. Some see an elite 24-year-old athlete with limitless potential who can throw down a vicious dunk on one end and make an equally dazzling play on defense moments later. Others see an unrefined kid who leans on his natural talents to the extent that he has not, and probably will not, develop a polished offensive repertoire.

It’s not hard to see the detractor’s angle, especially after his flop in the first round of the playoffs last year. Iguodala lacks a fluid jumper, doesn’t have a strong perimeter game, doesn’t take care of the ball, struggles to create his own shot and generally doesn’t perform well in the half-court set. Matched up against the Pistons and Tayshaun Prince he posted a meager 13.2 points on 33.3% FGs with 4.3 TOs per game for the six-game series. He also attempted 14 three-pointers in the series and hit just 2 of them, good for 14.3% from behind the arc.

The big knock on Andre has been his inability to become a leader on offense, and so he forced the issue. The results were dismal and the Sixers lost despite great performances from role players and an apathy from the Pistons that bordered on insulting. It was proof in many people’s eyes that Iggy lacks it and that he will never be a true superstar and will never earn the fat contract.

The issue isn’t that simple though.

Putting The Andre Iguodala Dilemma into perspective after the jump…

There are a few things to consider here. Iguodala will never be one of the league’s best shooters, but he can contribute in a lot of other ways. He averaged 5.0 assists in the series with 4.8 boards, great numbers from your small forward position. He also contributed on defense and was a part of a number of big stops, swiping a very strong 2.2 steals per game along the way. And he drew one of the toughest perimeter defenders in the NBA, Tayshaun Prince, a guy who is fully capable of making superstars look foolish on any given night.

That’s not to dismiss Iggy’s shortcomings. He’s a flawed basketball player, but he can improve, and flawed basketball players can still be great. They can still be winners. The criticisms of Iguodala are reminiscent of those Kevin Garnett heard in Minnesota: can’t take over games offensively, lacks killer instinct, shies away from offensive responsibility, doesn’t take over in the clutch, doesn’t have that extra gear when it matters. But we saw what happened when The Big Ticket finally got paired with teammates who made up for his deficiencies and was allowed to simply focus on doing what he does best. The criticisms of KG look myopic now. That’s not to say Iguodala is in KG’s league, not by a long shot, just that flawed offensive players can still be great. They can still be winners. They can still be sound investments.

Andre brings a unique package to the game. He’s one of the most versatile players in the league, and the stats back it up. Last season Iggy and Caron Butler were the only players to average at least 19 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. In 2006-07, Iguodala, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tracy McGrady were the only players to average at least 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. You have to admit that’s impressive.

After the signing the Philadelphia press release had some more eye-opening stats:

Last season, the 24-year-old averaged a career-high 19.9 points per game and is one of 10 players under the age of 25 who ranked among the top-30 scorers. Iguodala is also one of a handful of players who have increased their scoring average in each of the past four seasons. Over the past two seasons, the Sixers have compiled a record of 46-30 (.605) in games in which Iguodala has scored 20+ points and 24-58 (.293) in games in which he played and scored below 20 points.

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Since he entered the league in 2004-05, Iguodala has the third most steals of any player, trailing only Shawn Marion and Allen Iverson. Iguodala ranked sixth in the NBA in steals last season and had almost as many steal (160) as turnovers (167) over the final 66 games.

It’s not just stats and dunks though. You watch this guy on a good night and come away feeling like you’ve just seen a young man on the verge of greatness. Few players in the league glide up and down the floor with such ease. Few players get up to finish a fast break or challenge a pass with such explosiveness. Few players show this kind of hustle or these instincts on defense.

Few players show the kind of promise Iguodala does.

As presently constituted the deal is a stretch. Iggy will have to continue to improve, but at just 24 years of age and with seemingly limitless quicks and athleticism–and playing alongside a post player of Elton Brand’s caliber–he’s fully capable of making this contract a shrewd one for Ed Stefanski and Co. It’s understandable that the Sixers were willing to overpay a little to lock this guy up for the prime of his career. And now that Brand is in the fold, Iggy should be able to focus more on his game rather than trying to be the offensive superstar he simply is not.

Like Garnett in Boston, Andre can now concentrate on playing defense, running the floor, capitalizing on open looks, and slashing to the basket without the ball - the things he excels at. The last time he was paired with a player who commands as much attention on defense as Brand Iguodala shot 50% from the field as Allen Iverson’s sidekick.

So is Andre Iguodala an $80 million dollar man? The only answer we have now is: he can be.

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