FIO Preview: Philadelphia 76ers

2008-2009 Philadelphia 76ers season preview and fantasy impact, courtesy of Fantasy Insider Online. Read the team preview here in the Yard, and then visit the FIO link for the rest. - John Karalis Last Season Recap: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly The season started the way we thought it would, with the Sixers flat-out stinking. But Andre Iquodala took the 2007-2008 season to show the world that he was ready to assume the mantle of the go-to-guy in Philly. And a funny thing happened after they hit the 18-30 mark. They went on a 16-and-4 run to even their record, and let the league know that youth would be served in Philly. In a 10-4 March, they beat Boston, San Antonio, Detroit, and Phoenix. An easy bet for a lottery team when the season started, the Sixers moved into the 7th seed, and gave Detroit a serious scare in the first round of the playoffs. A team full of young players needs a veteran to lead them on the floor if they're going to be successful, and Andre Miller was perfect for them. He checked in with his highest points per game of his career, his shooting percentage went up, and his turnovers dropped for the fourth straight year. Meanwhile, Andre Iquodala took another step towards stardom by averaging almost 20vppg and creating a buzz any time he got into the lane. But most importantly, Sam Dalembert discovered who he was. He finally averaged more than 10 rebounds a game. He now is a legitimate force down low, forcing anyone in the lane to reconsider challenging him. What went wrong? Hard to say anything went wrong for a team that was supposed to be handing Michael Beasley a jersey at the draft. This team exceeded all expectations. 2008 Draft Impact (Minimal) Marreese Speits is not expected to get a ton of time on a team that already has a deep frontcourt. However, he will learn from some very good players. So, expect his impact to be felt in a year or two. Off-Season Impact Moves The signing of Elton Brand might have the biggest impact of all the offseason moves. We all know what Elton Brand is, and adding him to that young frontcourt will be huge. In this era of needing a "Big Three," Philadelphia checks in with Brand, Iquodala, and Andre Miller. It's not on par with the Celtics three studs, but it can compete with Toronto in the Atlantic. The addition of Kareem Rush and Theo Ratliff could provide some depth, although Ratliff is always a wildcard. And it's always interesting to see what the impact of a big contract will be on a young player like Andre Iquodala. It's not like anyone expects any drop off in production after his six-year, $80 million contract, but it always bears watching. Preview for the 2008-2009 Season Team MVP: Elton Brand, F/C - This is a gimme. Elton Brand is a dominant power forward who has been playing in NBA purgatory his whole career. He's built for the Eastern Conference style of play. And the competition won't be as good. Not to get into a whole "Western Conference is better" thing, but the fact is while the top teams in each conference are even, the bottom half of the East is terrible. Brand will feast on the weaker competition. Breakout Player: Thaddeus Young, F - Under the pressure of facing the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs, Young improved in almost every facet of his game. The addition of a player like Elton Brand means an added focus on him, and away from other guys on the floor. While a guy like Sam Dalembert will almost certainly improve because of that added focus, Young could improve even more. On offense, he'll see more open shots on ball reversals and skip passes as help defenders, focused on stopping Iquodala's drives to the hoop and doubling Brand, take an extra step away. On defense, Young can gamble more now knowing that Brand and Dalembert are both there to stop any opponent who may drive past him. That will result in more steals and fast break opportunities. Bust Player: Andre Miller, PG - Let's be clear on something here: there really doesn't seem to be a bust on this team. And since you have to have high expectations to be a bust, guys like Kareem Rush seem to be disqualified. So that brings us to Miller, who, while expected to play well, is the weakest link in the starting five. While the Sixers match up very well down low against their main competition in the division, they will have to face point guards like Rajon Rondo and Jose Calderon. If the Sixers do fall to Toronto or Boston, that will be the reason why. Miller won't be able to guard Calderon, and Rondo is too fast on both ends of the floor. If Philly is truly going to knock off the reigning champs, they're going to have to figure something out at the point. Miller will play well this season because he has a lot of options on offense. But in the clutch, when facing the best in the division, he will be their Achilles heel. On this up-and-coming team, that's enough to qualify as a bust. Playoff Contender or Pretender? They're not quite ready to supplant the top teams in the East, but they're very close. A solid point guard, a stud on the post and an almost-stud on the wing, surrounded by good role players, is a recipe for a winner. The Sixers match up well with teams like Boston and Toronto. They'll take a few games from the Celtics and the Raptors, which should make this division a much tighter race than last year. Philly is good enough to challenge teams like Toronto and Orlando as a middle-seed in the playoffs. They're good enough to win a playoff series, maybe two. And once they're there, who knows what circumstances other teams might face. An injury to a key player or two could put Philly in a great position to go further than most people think.