Empty the Bench

- Mike Bibby has made a lot of his Atlanta Hawks’ teammates better since arriving last month, but perhaps none moreso than All-Star Joe Johnson. In the first 16 games of Bibby’s stint with Hotlanta, Johnson has just torched the competition, averaging 23.6 points, 5 boards, 6.1 assists, and 3 three-pointers/per—all improvements on his overall season avearages. Veteran Anthony Johnson, who was traded to Sacto as part of the deal, was a decent fill-in for awhile, but the Hawks have lacked a real threat at point guard for some time now. That forced Johnson to surrender some of what he does best—scoring—in the name of moving over to the point and becoming a distributor. It’s not that he isn’t a good passer, it’s just that he’s much better suited to the off-guard position, where he doesn’t have to worry about setting up the offense, getting teammates involved, etc. Josh Smith has nutty skills and Al Horford is one of the finest gems from the 2007 class, but Johnson is clearly this franchise’s cornerstone.

Of course, Atlanta already had two golden opportunities to solve their PG problem for the next 10+ years. As revisionists such as myself point out from time to time, the Hawks passed up both Chris Paul and Deron Williams in the 2006 draft, instead opting for Marvin Williams, who is getting better and turning into a fine player but was somewhat redundant to talent already on the roster. Given a mulligan one year later with the fifth-overall pick, the Hawks pulled quite a head-scratcher by taking BS (Big Stiff) Shelden Williams… one pick ahead of Brandon Roy, who you may have heard of and is pretty good. Big Shelden averaged 4.2 points and 4.2 boards over his two seasons in Atlanta; he’s now Sacramento’s problem.

- Watch any Boston Celtics broadcast—which shouldn’t be hard if you’re an NBA League Pass subscriber since Boston’s crew is chosen 8 times out of 10 over the opponent’s—and you’ll understand why color commentator Tommy Heinsohn might be the biggest homer in the league today (play-by-play announcer Mike Gorman comes in a close second). When the Celtics are whistled for a foul, it’s a bad call. When James Posey knocks down a three, he’s one heckuva player. And when things start going south for Gang Green and a loss seems eminent, Tommy doesn’t need to say anything—you know he’s f’ing pissed off and wishes he could choke the officiating crew.

Case in point: Friday night’s game against the Utah Jazz, which Boston eventually dropped 110-92. The Celts were called for seven more fouls overall than the visitors, a fact that was clearly wearing thin on Mr. Heinsohn as the game spiraled towards its conclusion. He was already fed up and had made numerous disgusted comments about the officiating… then ref Violet Palmer blew the whistle on a phantom offensive charge (I think on Rajon Rondo, but not positive). Andrew and I waited… and waited… and waited for Tommy’s remark. Silence. More silence. Then, after a full minute or so… “I gotta say this…” Silence—Tommy is rethinking what he was initially going to say. Finally, the Heinsohn Payoff: “Violet is no flower tonight.” Ha! Classic Tommy.

Now, don’t mistake my assessment of Tommy’s rampant homerism as a criticism, because it’s not. The man has been associated with the Boston Celtics franchise for over 50 years as a player, coach, play-by-play announcer, and now color guy. He’s an institution not just in Boston but in the NBA. Sure, his whining can be grating at times (especially when you’re rooting for the other team), but his opinionated personality and knowledge of the game generally lends itself towards an entertaining broadcast. One question though: does this recognition of his perepheral contributions to the game earn me a Tommy Point?

Thoughts on Glen Davis’ actual weight, Seattle’s shameful on-court product, and why the Dallas Mavericks are (eventually) screwed after the break…

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- The Sports Hernia - The Utah Jazz realize how useful a tree shedder can be
- All on the Field - Chuck Hayes’ free-throw shooting is something to be cherished
- Forum Blue & Gold - Flashbacks can be painful; just ask Principal Seymour Skinner.
- The Score - The Raptors kind of suck without Chris Bosh; they’re just okay with him.
- Hardwood Paroxysm - Lance Allred is not your typical NBA player.
- Blog Maverick - Mark Cuban weighs in on blogging (again).
- Moderately Cerebral Bias - Mixed results for teams involved in trade-deadline deals
- Queen City Hoops - Nazr Mohammed’s NBA career in a nutshell
- Stop Mike Lupica - Remembering the 2000 Philly 76ers through a media guide
- Roto Rob - Juan Carlos Navarro’s rookie season compares to… Matt Maloney’s?

- 3 Shades of Blue - A look at the upcoming free agent market with a Memphis spin.
- The Plain Dealer - LeBron James isn’t sweating the DeShawn Stevenson hate.
- Washington Post - Gilbert’s future in the District is hazy at best.
- New Jersey Star-Ledger - Richard Jefferson wants to stay in Jersey. Great.
- Boston Globe - Someone please sign Gerald Green already. Gerald, please mature already.
- Jones on the NBA - One more thing, Gerald: you might consider calling Joe Dumars.
- Philadelphia Inquirer - The Birdman: “There wasn’t no answers at the bottom of no cans.”
- Express-News - Bruce Bowen: “I’m a Christian. Sometimes we feel wrongfully accused.”
- Cavs News - A history of and fond recollections for Clarence “Foots” Walker.
- HoopsVibe - GM John Paxson has traded his crown for a dunce cap in Chicago.
- Brew Hoop - Disgusted fans wearing paper bags on their heads never gets old. Never.
- You Been Blinded - Smush Parker likes his women wholesome, classy, and modest.
- YouTube - The best, most unintentional David Brent impersonation you’ll see all week.

“You got to build and you got to start from nothing. But I feel in a couple of years, we’re going to be there. We’re going to be one of the top teams in the West, too. We coming — most definitely.” - Al Jefferson

“You got to build and you got to start from nothing. But I feel in a couple of years, we’re going to be there. We’re going to be one of the top teams in the West, too. We coming — most definitely.” - Al Jefferson

The Minnesota Timberwolves currently have the second-worst record in the NBA at 15-50. They’re on pace for 18 wins this season, the lowest total since the emergence of Kevin Garnett as franchise savior. Without a recognizable superstar like Miami’s Dwyane Wade or Seattle’s Kevin Durant and with a clown like Kevin McHale running the show it would be easy to think that Minnesota is the worst franchise in the NBA. They’re not. Far from it. The Wolves are a team in flux to be sure, one that won’t be competing for an NBA title for several years, but they have an impressive core of young players and are poised to break out as a legit playoff team in the next three seasons.

The franchise is currently defined by the epic move that sent Kevin Garnett, the best player in team history, to Boston for a gaggle of youngters. Garnett was shipped to Bean Town for the services of the relatively unknown Ryan Gomes, Gerald Green, Al Jefferson, Theo Ratliff, Sebastian Telfair as well as a 2009 first round draft pick and the return of Minnesota’s first round draft pick from the Ricky Davis-Wally Szczerbiak trade. Gerald Green and Theo Ratliff are already gone. Still, it was a solid move for Minnesota. It had become increasingly clear that the Wolves would not be title contenders with Garnett and his massive contract that was inked before the current collective bargaining agreement. They needed to start over with a fresh crop of youngsters, and this was as big of a return as could be expected under the circumstances.

Instead of a moribund franchise that was doing little more than treading water and weighing down class act Kevin Garnett’s career, Minnesota has been reborn as a talented young group of athletes that actually has a future.

Make no mistake, Minnesota is clearly a rebuilding team. But that’s not the worst place to be in the West. It’s better to be a rebuilding team if you can’t vie for a title right now. Competing with the Lakers, Suns, Mavs and Spurs is a fools errand for a young team, but as their veteran leaders age all of them figure to fall off after about two years, which is when a squad like Minnesota can expect to get into the mix again. Strategically, truly rebuilding is a better position to be in than the middle of the pack.

Coming into the season this team was built around the inside-outside duo of 23-year-old power forward Al Jefferson and last year’s first-round pick, 24-year-old guard Randy Foye. Unfortunately, Foye went down with a stress reaction in his knee late in the preseason. We didn’t really have a handle on where this group of kids could be as a result, and it wasn’t fair to judge the team until Randy Foye returned to action. Now that he’s been back for over 20 games, ETB checks in on the status of this work in progress.
Backcourt:

Keepers: Randy Foye, Rashad McCants, Sebastian Telfair
Expendable: Greg Buckner, Marko Jaric, Kirk Snyder

Minnesota drafted Brandon Roy with the 6th pick in the 2006 draft, then flipped him to Portland him for Randy Foye, a player they fully expect to be the leader of their backcourt during this rebuilding process. The big question with Foye is figuring out if he’s more comfortable playing a point-guard or a combo-guard role in the NBA. He has fostered ball movement, but he’s also shown a propensity for scoring that lends itself to more of a two-guard role. I see him as a combo guard who would benefit from a pairing with a true point.

Either way, Foye is a potential beast in the backcourt who has a knack for clutch play. And the Roy trade looks bad on the surface, but if you look at their per minute averages from last season, Foye posted nearly identical stats to ROY Brandon Roy (per 48 minutes: 21.3 points, 1.7 threes, 5.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 1.4 steals for Foye; 22.7 points, 1.3 threes, 5.5 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.6 steals for Roy). Foye is a strong defender, a passionate player, a strong rebounder and a decent outside shooter who can also take the ball to the basket. He just needs to figure out if he’s a point guard or a shooting guard. I still fully expect him to be an impact player though.

The rest of Minnesota’s backcourt, Al Jefferson, and a Timberwolves checklist after the jump…

Sebastian Telfair has been playing the point in the Twin Cities for a bulk of the season. His decision making still makes you want to tear your hair out at times, but Bassy has proved capable of being a serviceable backup point in this league when he focuses on distributing as his 5.9 assists to just 1.9 TOs per game show. He has a strong handle and a flare for the dramatic pass, which is sometimes needed in the morgue-like Target Center. Telfair needs to learn that he’s not a scorer at this level though, and that he probably never will be. That means better shot selection from a guy who shoots a paltry 40.1% FGs, 74.3% FTs and 28.1% on three-pointers.

Rashad McCants has been known to be a head case from his days at North Carolina and during his breif stint in the NBA, but this season has been a dramatic step forward for the 6-4 shooting guard and 2005 14th pick. He’s embraced his role coming off the bench and has played the part of the pure scorer the Wolves drafted him to be. Despite his strong play McCants is still better coming off the bench and providing a scoring punch for the second unit, and considering his liabilities outside of offense it’s probably better for Minnesota if he continues to grow into that reserve role. That doesn’t mean he can’t be useful though. He’s the team’s best outside shooter, hitting an impressive 41.1% of his 4.5 three-point attempts per game. He’s also scoring a strong 14.6 points on 45.4% FGs and 77.4% FTs in 27 minutes of action.

The defensive-minded Kirk Snyder was acquired for Gerald Green before the trade deadline. He’s a player who could occupy the end of the bench on most teams because of the natural skills and work ethic and could stay as he’s just 24-years-old, but isn’t a building block by any means. Marko Jaric is still under contract for the next three years at over $22 million, but at 29 years of age his mediocre all-around game doesn’t figure into this team’s future plans. He’s a prime candidate to be bought out in the near future.
Frontcourt:

Keepers: Al Jefferson, Craig Smith, Ryan Gomes
Expendable: Antoine Walker, Mark Madsen

Al Jefferson

Any discussion of the state of the franchise begins and ends with Al Jefferson. He is perhaps the best power forward in the NBA on the offensive end of the floor — and still a significant liability on the defensive end. Jefferson was the centerpiece of the Kevin Garnett trade this summer, and he officially became the face of the franchise when he inked a five-year, $65 million extension that keeps him in town through 2013. It was a refreshing contract negotiation as Jefferson accepted less than market value just to get the deal done so he could focus on basketball, saying it was, “something I don’t really worry about” and that he “didn’t deserve” a max-level extension. That kind of workmanlike attitude has been the norm with Al Jeff since. Jefferson is now the only Timberwolf other than Jaric under team contract past the 2009-10 season.

Big Al was perhaps the most promising power forward in basketball after the All-Star break last season. During the stretch run he put up an exceptional line: 19.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 1.1 steals, 55.4% FGs and (most importantly for the foul-prone youngster) just 3.0 fouls per game. He finally came into his own in his third year after being the 15th overall pick out of Prentiss High School in Mississippi. Coming out of high school, he was a 2004 McDonald’s All American and averaged an incredible 42 points, 16 rebounds and 9 blocks during his senior season. Make no mistake about it, Jefferson will be an All-Star in this league more than once in the next decade.

Al Jefferson Photo Credit: Icon SMI

Fulfilling that promise from a year ago, Big Al has been nothing short of amazing on the offensive end of the floor this season. He displays a polished set of post moves that are only rivaled by perhaps Tim Duncan and Garnett. There is no finer power forward in the NBA in terms of low-post footwork and splitting a double team. And Jefferson is second in the league with 4.0 offensive rebounds per game, which is only a part of his stellar line of 21.3 points, 11.6 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.0 steals on 49.9% FGs. Despite that production he needs to become at least a passable passer. Jefferson gets double-teamed nearly every posession and yet averages a meager 1.5 assists.

He also needs to improve his defense, where Big Al has been below average this season. He has the athelticism, foot speed and hands to be a decent defender, but his instincts and timing are poor right now. Jefferson’s development on the defensive end is going to be pivotal for Minnesota. Having a franchise cornerstone who can play both offense and defense down low is crucial to playoff success. There’s a reason that Shaq, Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace have won all of the last nine NBA titles between them.

Ryan Gomes was an unheralded member of the KG trade this summer, but he’s quietly been one of Minnesota’s best players. Despite this being just his third season in the league, Gomes plays the role of veteran hustle player for this young squad. He’s disciplined and consistent on both ends of the floor. He’s active on both ends as well, playing solid man defense and keeping the ball moving on offense. If Gomes were on a playoff contender, he would surely be noticed as one of the stronger glue players in the NBA. His line this season is a modest 11.9 points, 5.6 boards and 1.5 assists on 44.8% FGs and a team-best 82.6% FTs, but that doesn’t begin to tell how important he has been. Minnsota would be wise to lock him up to a reasonable long-term deal.

Corey Brewer was the best defender in last season’s draft, but it’s been a learning process for Brewer this season. We knew it was going to take him a year or two to adjust to the physicality of the NBA game. He still needs to bulk up, but has the physical tools and defensive instincts and tenacity to be an impact two-way player. Minnesota fans have seen flashes from Brewer on both ends of the floor, but the rookie season has largely been a wash. Remember, though that Detroit’s Tayshaun Prince, whose career path Brewer would do well to take notice of, rode the pine and struggled his rookie year, too.

After Jefferson, Craig Smith is the other true power forward on the roster, and he’s an absolute bull. While “The Rhino” projects as a career reserve, he could be one of the best backup power forwards in the league. Smith could start for a lot of teams, but unfortunately his size (6-7 and 275 lbs) makes it impossible to play him alongside Jefferson without pushing Big Al to the five, and that’s not ideal. Smith manages to make good things happen on both ends of the floor when he’s on the court though. He’s an extremely efficient offensive player without the ball (57.7% FGs), and he’s always the strongest guy on the blocks.

Another interesting prospect up front for Minnesota is 2007 second-round pick Chris Richard. At 6-9 and 255 lbs. Richard plays tough defense in the post and hustles on the glass, but he is one of the most limited offensive players in the league (surpassed in offensive ineptitude on the roster only by professional spaz Mark “Mad Dog” Madsen). One of the things that makes Richard’s purely defensive game palatable is that he pairs favorably with the offensive-minded Al Jefferson. He’s not a factor just yet, but you see just enough from him on D to think he could be an asset.
What needs to be done:

“And nobody’s gonna give you nothing. If you wanna eat, you got to work for it.”
- Al Jefferson

Minnesota has played better than their poor record all season. That record is largely a product of the fact that they’ve been completely incapable of closing out games. And that’s been partially a result of lacking a veteran presence, partially from the absence of Randy Foye, and largely the result of Randy Wittman’s completely inept coaching in endgame situations (see the January 25th loss in Boston, when Minnesota was unable to execute a simple inbound play after three timeouts and lost 87-86 as a result). Minnesota has played like a 25- or 30-win team, and still boasts a resume with impressive wins over Utah, Golden State, New Orleans and Phoenix twice. There’s still a ton of work to be done though…

* Determine if Randy Foye is a point guard, and if he isn’t acquire a difference maker like Derrick Rose to run the offense

* Decide if Sebastian Telfair is worth keeping as a backup point and Rashad McCants is worth keeping as a backup G/F

* Find a real center who can guard opposing big men, clean the defensive glass and compensate for future All Star Al Jefferson’s deficiencies in those areas

* Evaluate the wispy Corey Brewer and determine if he projects as the starting small forward, and how long it will take him to assume that role

* Ensure that they make good use of their draft pick this year to acquire a player who can fill one of these needs

*Al Jefferson’s game needs to evolve in key areas (defense, defensive rebounding, passing) before he can rise to elite status

* Continue to free up cap space to make a run at free agents next summer

* Fire Randy Wittman and hire a real NBA coach who has a real plan

* Reader Recommendations: Fire Kevin McHale (which is without question long overdue) and have Glen Taylor sell the team to an owner who cares and will hold his personnel accountable - both things I couldn’t agree with more and that I should have mentioned

20 Second Timeout - Some well-deserved praise for Golden State Warriors color analyst and ETB favorite Jim Barnett, one of the most interesting, informed and articulate in the NBA.
BallHype - We’re in the midst of The Golden Age of Sports Literature.
Le Basketbawl - Don’t forget to participate in Week 2 of the Oh! Face Challenge.
Craig’s List - Could this be an innovative new way to keep up with Rip Hamilton? Lovely.
Ball Don’t Lie - David Stern will eat your children and steal your thunder.
Third Quarter Collapse - How might the resurgent Orlando Magic fare in the playoffs?
AOL FanHouse - Baron Davis ain’t the only one who can Cool it Now.
Detroit Bad Boys - Do the Detroit Pistons take non-contenders too lightly?
HoopsAddict - Blake Murphy exposes/hacks at Bryan Colangelo’s Achilles Heel.
Newsday - Stephen A. Smith to get canned? So long, and thanks for all the Cheez Doodles.
The Star-Ledger (via BDL) - Devin Harris will be a 20 PPG player.
ESPN - Greg Oden is finally pain-free, practicing, and looking just 45-years-old again.
AOL Video Blog - Some memorable NBA commercials, but where’s Eastern Motors?
Softpedia - Wii to be an Olympic event. Nintendo: get crackin’ on Wii NBA, post haste.
Pick Axe and Roll- Another example of the regularly in-depth Nuggets postgame recaps.

- His minutes have taken a hit since Kyle Korver came to town, but Utah Jazz second-year man Ronnie Brewer has proven to be one sneaky sonofabitch and a frequent beneficiary of Deron Williams’ excellent court vision. Currently leading his team in field-goal shooting at 54% on the season, the lanky 6-7 Brewer assumed his role as starting SG since the Jazz’s first game after averaging just 12 minutes a night during his rookie season. His overall line isn’t eye-popping — 11.9 points, 3.1 boards, 2 assists, 1.8 steals — but he does what’s asked of him very well: chip in modest contributions across the board, stay active on defense, and shoot a high percentage. It seems like every time I tune in a Jazz game, Brewer attempts more point-blank dunks and layups than jumpers, a testament to both Williams’ ability to find open teammates as well as Brewer’s knack for floating to unmanned parts of the court and making himself available. Just for the record, he was my pick for this season’s Breakout SG.

- I’m not sure I’d call the situation “fascinating,” as ESPN’s Doris Burke did during Sunday night’s telecast of the Pistons-Bulls game, but coach Flip Saunders has some decisions to make over these last 20 games as to what his playoff rotation will look like. Before the arrival of veterans Juan Dixon and Theo Ratliff, Detroit’s second unit was largely comprised of young, unproven players like Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson, and Arron Afflalo. Dixon has since gobbled up Afflalo’s minutes, and lately has been the first guard off the bench, ahead of Stuckey. With Rasheed Wallace sidelined with a sprained ankle, Ratliff stepped right into the starting lineup Friday night against the Knicks and has played well in his first two games as a born-again Piston, averaging a solid 7.5 points, 6.5 boards, and 2.5 blocks in 24 minutes against the Knicks and Bulls. Another vet, the ball-hawking Lindsey Hunter, will also be worked back into the rotation shortly.

It’s a long-standing axiom that coaches tend to opt for veterans over young guys come playoff time, but last year Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao proved during the Cleveland-Detroit Conference Finals that youth can be served on the big stage. My best guess is that Detroit’s guard pecking order off the bench this postseason will be split between Dixon, Stuckey, and Hunter, with minutes being allotted based on the situation or need. Afflalo will likely see little to no minutes. In the frontcourt, Ratliff and Maxiell will get most of the burn behind Antonio McDyess and Rasheed Wallace. It just makes more sense to utilize a healthy Ratliff’s size and shot-blocking ability, though I don’t want to see Johnson glued to the bench, either. Stay tuned.

- Speaking of Sunday’s Pistons-Bulls matchup, there was a lot of talk during the game about the Bulls’ lack of any leadership amongst the players negatively impacting their on- and off-court demeanor and contributing to their underwhelming performance. I totally agree. Just a few days after Tyrus Thomas was suspended for skipping practice, Chris Duhon was fined and benched for sleeping through the Bulls’ Sunday morning shootaround after he had a late night chartering a plane roundtrip to catch his alma matter, Duke, take on North Carolina. You’d think he’d be at least somewhat remorseful, but there he was on the bench, laughing it up throughout and joking around with a teammate about something in the waning seconds of yet another loss. And there was Shannon Brown checking in late after Ben Gordon fouled out, casually walking up to Larry Hughes with a huge smile on his face and a joke to tell.

Duhon has fallen out of interim coach Jim Boylan’s rotation and will likely be leaving town this summer, but it seems like he’s ready to book his ticket out over a month early. Thomas… who knows what is going through this talented bonehead’s head. Gordon wants to get paid by somebody, anybody, and seems to have little to no allegiance to Chicago. And after the game, rookie Joakim Noah proved once more that he’ll say something idiotic if you put a mic in his face, telling reporters that “there’s no reason why we shouldn’t have beat that team. I think Detroit’s a great team, but I still feel like we’re better than them, really. I feel like we’re a better team.” Somebody please find a muzzle for Noah and and a player with leadership skills for Chicago. Please.

My prediction for this year’s All-Rookie First Team, thoughts on the recent dominance of Rasheed Wallace, and the Eastern Conference playoff race after the jump…

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Our man Jimmy over at NBA Roto has been doing an ongoing series of excellent fantasy hoops interviews with NBA bloggers. The recent guest list has included Pryceless at OutsideTheNBA.com, Farid with FantasyBasketballPros.com, Nels over at GiveMeTheRock.com, and Ryan Lester of LestersLegends.com among other notables.

This weekend Jimmy asked your humble narrator, Andrew Thell, to weigh in on Philadelphia 76ers Thaddeus Young and Louis Williams, Portland Trailblazers Martell Webster and Travis Outlaw, and New York Knick Nate Robinson. We also discuss the fantasy prospects of Brandon Bass and Craig “Rhino” Smith, while suggesting Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey may deserve the “Idiot of the Week” award for cutting Gerald Green outright. Enjoy.

As the season winds down, ETB is going to take a look at the state of a number of non-contenders. We’ll talk about what’s going right, what’s not, discuss their key personnel, look at team needs and size up their future.

Today: The Philadelphia 76ers

As hard as it may be to believe, the Philadelphia 76ers are one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference. They’ve won 8 of their last 11 and 12 of their last 17 games, including victories over playoff-caliber teams like Dallas, Orlando and Phoenix. And while they sit several games under .500, Philly currently occupies the 7th seed in the East and also has impressive wins against Portland, Houston (twice), Cleveland and Toronto on their resume. Saturday night’s massive win over the Phoenix (setting) Suns on the road (their first victory in Arizona in seven years) brought the Philadelphia 76ers some much-deserved national attention. They’ve been a depressing franchise since their NBA Finals campaign of 2000-01 that featured an MVP season from longtime face of the franchise Allen Iverson. The Sixers finally decided to give up on the Iverson era early last season and shipped him to Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith and a couple of first-round picks. It was then that they officially undertook a three-year rebuilding process, but over the last month we’re starting to see that this team may be ahead of schedule.

That NBA Finals team was built by then-GM Billy King, but from that year on King’s tenure was riddled with bad decisions, bad contracts and bad roster moves (Aaron McKie, Kenny Thomas and Chris Webber come to mind). King was jettisoned last January after a disappointing start and was replaced by former University of Pennsylvania baller Ed Stefanski. Moving forward the new GM should have plenty of flexibility, with multiple first-round picks and the only players necessarily under contract past next season being Samuel Dalembert, Reggie Evans and Willie Green. Even that trio will only clock in at just over $20 million in 2010-11 when they come off the books. Additionally, Philly does have very reasonable team options they will pick up on for first-round picks Thaddeus Young, Rodney Carney and Jason Smith for a couple more seasons. Stefanski will also be looking to lock up Andre Iguodala, the Sixers’ best player, to a long-term extension this summer.

Unlike most rebuilding teams, Philly appears to have a solid plan in place and they’re actually entertaining to watch. They feature Andre Iguodala, one of the most electrifying dunkers in the NBA who should have a Slam Dunk Title under his belt. They also run all game long, after makes and misses, and they have the young speedsters to hustle people out of the gym. They score 14% of their field goals on dunks, which is the highest percentage in the league. A big part of that is the picturesque passing of Andre Miller, but it’s also because they have fast hands in the passing lanes and average 8.5 steals a game, the fifth-most in the NBA. In that sense they take after their coach, hometown hero Maurice Cheeks, who led the 76ers to three NBA Finals appearances in the early 80s and brought Philly an NBA title in 1983. As a player Cheeks was a tenacious defender with a nose for the ball who made four consecutive NBA all-defensive squads and has the third-most steals in NBA history. His hard-nosed, ball hawking style is rubbing off on the youngsters.

Philadelphia was widely predicted to finish last in their conference this season, but they’ll certainly end up much higher than that. Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by the young Sixers so far though: they finished the season 30-29 after the Iverson deal last season. In any event, while the Philadelphia 76ers are still a couple years away from Eastern Conference relevancy, they’re a young team to watch.

A detailed roster analysis and a look at the future of the franchise after the jump…

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- Just a day after saying a buyout from the Clips was unlikely, Sam Cassell is packing his well-traveled bags once again. Marc Spears at the Globe has the goods on Sam Cassell’s imminent buyout and move to Boston. It will be the eighth stop of Sam’s NBA career. Cassell will back up ETB favorite Rajon Rondo and provide a scoring punch off the bench. He should also eat into some of Rondo’s minutes as the season wears on, but most importantly he provides a veteran presence at the point and a backup option in case Rondo get injured or into foul trouble in the playoffs. When Rondo missed some time earlier this year we saw just how thin the Celts are at the point, as the offense completely stagnated and they weren’t able to generate any penetration from up top.

Sam Cassell Photo Credit: Icon SMI

The two have nearly opposite skill sets, with Sam I Am a purely offensive player and spot-up shooter with some of the biggest balls in the league. This move isn’t as major as you might think, but I fully expect Cassell to knock down some big, clutch shots in the playoffs. Over the last dozen plus years he’s been one of the best clutch shooters in the league and he’s money from the line (86.1% FTs for his career). In late-game situations the Celtics just got even more scary. When the game comes down to the wire, how do you cover these guys? They have multiple options capable of knocking down big shots and you simply can’t double-team KG, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce anymore. It’s not a done deal yet though, as the Globe’s David Lefort points out, “Cassell has to clear waivers by midnight Eastern on Friday to be eligible to play for another team in the postseason.”

- When I suggested that two-time MVP Steve Nash might be overrated, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A torrid 48 hours of angry and ecstatic comments ensued in what has to go down as the most fevered and divisive debate in ETB comments history. Over 200 people weighed in with some very well-reasoned arguments on both sides of the issue, along with the usual gaggle of morons. The crux of my argument was that he’s a very poor player on defense, and that’s at least half of the game of basketball. Elite players can’t just be great half the time. I also mentioned that Chris Paul was a better player right now because his game is so well-rounded.

Fast-forward to Wednesday night, when Nash’s Suns visited Paul in The Big Easy. Paul dominated Nash on both ends of the floor, breaking his ankles early and often, dropping dimes on his head and completely shutting Nash down on defense. Real MVP candidate Chris Paul finished with 25 points, 15 assists, 6 boards, 3 steals and just 1 TO while holding Nash to 8 points on 1-of-6 shooting with 13 assists, 0 rebounds and 4 TOs. New Orleans cruised to an easy 120-103 win. That is all.

- In other PG news, Bibby did Sacramento last night. After he was shipped to the ATL I fully expected Mike Bibby to become the playmaker at the point the Hawks have been lacking for years, but it didn’t happen right away. Bibby finally blew up as the distributor we thought he could be though, with 24 points and 12 assists with just 1 TO, albeit against a soft Sac Town defense. Bibby got everybody involved as he, J-Smoove, Josh Childress, Al Horford and Joe Johnson all finished in double figures and Atlanta shot .48.2% FGs as a team. Bibby is now averaging 6.5 assists as a Hawk, and if he can start to gel with these young cats in Atlanta, look for the Hawks to make some noise from here on out and earn themselves a chance to be embarrassed in the first round by Detroit or Boston.

- A heads up to all you bloggers out there, our boys over at Hardwood Paroxysm are planning a very special tribute to one of their least favorite players: Kobe Bean Bryant. I’m planning on hosting a hilarious Friars’ Club Roast. Audience participation is encouraged.

The Lakers have the best bench in the NBA, injury news around the league, the debut of Devin Harris and a tribute to one *very special* young man after the jump…

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It was an ugly performance from the new-look Phoenix Suns on Sunday, a nationally televised 30-point loss and embarrassment that has generated plenty of chatter. The home crowd was booing loudly for much of the second half, something I haven’t seen in US Airways Center for a long while. Mike D’Antoni’s squad was roundly outplayed by Detroit in all facets of the game, but most noticeable was their complete inability to stop the Pistons from scoring at will right from the tip as all five Detroit starters coasted to double-digit points. The acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal sent shockwaves through the basketball community, with most people questioning how adding an overweight, plodding, lazy, past-his-prime center would affect the Suns dynamic offense. Those concerns were all well founded, and in fact floor general Steve Nash has only tallied 8, 5 and 6 assists in the three games since Shaq came over. I still think that’s going to continue to be a problem, but it’s never been their offense I worry about too much. It’s their atrocious defense, which starts at the top.

Opposing teams are averaging 104.2 points per game against the Suns, fifth most in the NBA — only defensive stalwarts Golden State, Indiana, Memphis and Denver allow more points. This season’s numbers are actually an improvement over last season and the year before, when the Suns allowed 110.2 and 108.4 points per, the most in the league both seasons. So why is Steve Nash never called out for being one of the worst defensive point guards in the NBA?

There’s the obvious caveat here: Steve Nash is a great player. He’s unquestionably the catalyst which has transformed Phoenix’s offense into the best and most exciting in the NBA over the last four seasons. In terms of smooth passing skills, court vision, ball-handling and pure shooting Nash is the best player in the league. I’m not taking any of that away from him. The fact remains, however: on the defensive end of the end of the floor Steve Nash is one of the worst liabilities in the league. Nash simply cannot contain penetration; he is routinely beat off the dribble and he struggles to get back on open shooters.

Sunday’s game was a prime example, with Chauncey Billups able to get anywhere on the floor he wanted to at any time. Mr. Big Shot put up a nice line of 14 points, 11 assists and only 2 TOs… in 20:19 minutes! And it’s not like Billups is one of the quicker points in the NBA, he’s a cagey vet with below-average speed and athleticism. The young guns in the West regularly make Nash look even worse. So why does nobody talk about it?

More Steve Nash bashing that’s sure to angry up the blood after the jump…

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- Tracy McGrady’s postseason resume aside — he’s yet to win a series over the first 10 years of his NBA career — I’m not sure any Western team relishes the idea of facing the Houston Rockets come playoff time. After sputtering out of the gate and resembling a team destined to take a step back, they’ve suddenly gone from pretender to contender in winning 12 games straight, the league’s longest current winning streak. This run includes a 100-80 thumping on the New Orleans Hornets’ home court last Friday, as well as two convincing wins over LeBron’s Cavaliers.

At 36-20, they’re still only seeded 7th in the No-Mercy Western Conference, but of course are only three games back of the top seed. Looking ahead, they could very well extend their impressive run to at least 16, with home contests against the Wizards, Grizzlies, Nuggets, and Pacers before heading to Dallas to face the Mavs on the second of a back-to-back set next Thursday.

Coach Rick Adelman is getting contributions from just about everyone in the rotation, and GM Daryl Morey was wise not to worry about making a major splash or completely retooling his roster at last week’s trade deadline, and instead to simply supplant what he already had. The acquisition of backup PG Bobby Jackson was a great one (he scored 14 in his debut last night), and though he won’t get much playing time this season, Gerald Green was had for next to nothing from the T’Wolves (Kirk Synder and a second-round pick). Houston will now get an extended workout with the free-agent-to-be, and if they like what they see, perhaps they’ll have a leg up on signing him this summer. Shedding the contract of Mike “Malcontent” James was key as well, and time had clearly expired on the Bonzi Wells Experiment.

Houston’s stars have been playing like stars: Yao is averaging 10.2 rebounds/per thus far, the second time in his career he’s hit double-digits in that category, but you assume that Yao will dominate on the blocks and that McGrady will score 20 - 40 points. You don’t necessarily expect two rookie power forwards, however, to consistently play and contribute at a high level, but that’s just what Luis Scola and Carl Landry are doing. In February, the 6-9 Scola is averaging 11.2 points, 6.4 boards, and 59% FG/per in about 25 minutes a night. And after racking up 33 “DNPs” to kick off his NBA career, Landry — the first pick of the second round in the 2007 draft — has played in every game since January 11. He went nuts against the Pacers on February 1, going for 22 points and 7 boards in just 20 minutes. Both are heady players that know they’re out there to rebound, defend, and shoot a high percentage, and both are coming through on all counts.

**UPDATE** I didn’t jinx them. I swear.

News and views of the Dallas Mavericks, Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Antonio McDyess, and more after the break…

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Minnesota pulled off a big win against the red-hot 76ers this evening (five consecutive wins heading into the game), and in that broadcast you might have noticed Randy Foye got his first start of the season. Foye went into the break strong with 18 points, 3 boards, 3 assists, 4 threes and 1 steal in 28 minutes in his last game. In his first start tonight Randy managed 13 points and 5 assists in a season-high 33 minutes. He started with Sebastian Telfair and proved that the two can certainly co-exist in that backcourt. As much as it pains me to admit it, Bassy Telfair is playing pretty good basketball. He’s become a penetrator and facilitator (6.0 assists and just 1.8 TOs on the season), and he’ll be even more effective when he stops forcing his own offense (just 39.3% FGs on 9.6 attempts, while hitting only 25.5% three-pointers). I think it’s clear at this point that Rashad McCants is going to be best used as a 6th man who comes in as instant offense off the bench. McCants still managed nearly 30 minutes tonight and put up a strong 20 points, 5 assists and 3 threes.

This has nothing to do with basketball, but Antoine Walker just embodies the term “Turtle Head.” First, when he retires I expect him to don his turtle shell again and live out his days in a pond. So he looks like a turtle in that way. Second, his head looks like what I’m articulating when I use the euphamism, “I have a turtle head poking out.”

The Trade Mill Grinds On:

The Ron Artest-to-Denver rumors persist, and we at ETB are really hoping there’s some substance to them. According to Johnny Ludden and Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo!, after the Kidd deal:

Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest becomes the NBA’s next big target of interest. Two league sources said Sunday that the Denver Nuggets were in “full pursuit” of Artest and discussing a package involving Linas Kleiza, Eduardo Najera and a first-round pick.

“Denver is the team that needs to do something,” said one West executive. “With everyone loading up, they’re going to have a tough time getting out of the first round.”

Allen Iverson is a great player, but he can’t guard the great SGs and swingmen in the West. While he’s still a pirate in the passing lanes, Iverson is no longer the man defender he once was. Given his stature, AI is also more comfortable guarding points than two guards. Ron Artest is a big, physical defender who can man up against anybody from twos to fours in the West. He can rattle cages, get into stars’ heads and even throw players like Kobe off their games. He would bring a toughness and intensity to the Nuggs that has been lacking. Ron Ron is a talented offensive player as well, especially when he forgoes the three-point shooting and grinds in the post. Artest has indicated that he intends to opt out this summer, so despite what he might say about wanting to stay, Sacramento needs to move him now while they can get value in return.

The holdup here is 2005 first-round pick Linas Kleiza, who has come on strong and proved to be a capable defender and strong scorer in transition. He fits in with Denver, but he isn’t an impact player just yet and Artest is. If The Nuggets are serious about this season, or winning with Iverson at all, they need to make a move and Ron Ron makes a ton of sense.

More rampant trade speculation after the jump…

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