Categories
Philadelphia 76ers

Dual Albatrosses doom Sixers future

It was right there for the taking. Or the shaking, if you will. The Sixers, the fans, the organization — so close to shedding the dead weight of Samuel Dalembert and Andre Iguodala’s contracts — and Ed Stefanski let it get away.

There is no guarantee the deal was in place and that Houston would have pulled the trigger, but there certainly was every indication that the Rockets were seriously considering taking Iguodala and Dalembert in exchange for McGrady and trade filler. No matter what it took, this deal should have been made. But Stefanski in his stubbornness (or is it lame-duckness) refused to trade for anything other than players to improve the team this year.

In the end, this last obstinate stroke will be the final nail in the Stefanski era in Philadelphia, one mired in mediocrity and miscalculation.  Unlike most,  I don’t fault Stefanski for the Elton Brand deal. But his refusal to own up to his mistakes and wipe the slate clean for the organization, whether for himself or the next GM, will be what ultimately makes his tenure one that is, and this is hard to fathom, worse than the one helmed by Billy King.

Categories
Philadelphia 76ers

Sixers Show True Colors

Forget the two wins the Sixers managed in this first round series against the Orlando magic.  They stole one while the Magic were napping.  Then they held serve in their first home game for the second win.  But when it came down to gut check time, this Sixers team showed exactly why they dropped six out of seven heading into the playoffs, with the sole win coming against a Cleveland team resting their starters.   No direction.  No leadership.  No defensive clue.

The good news Sixers fans is that there’s some silver lining to this embarrassing 25 point loss at home to the Magic without two of their starters.  (By the way, this was the easiest game to call, you only had to look back at what the Sixers did against OKC without Kevin Durant and Jeff Green for the blueprint of what this team was all about.)  The silver lining is that Ed Stefanski will have to shake up this roster in the offseason if he expects to make any gains into ticket sales for a team that ranks 23rd in the league, sharing the bottom third in attendance with moribund franchises like the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.