http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/22854 Recent articles about Thaddeus Young en-us The final piece of the Sixers puzzle has been put in place. The Sixers signed athletic swing man Andre Iguodala to a six-year, $80-million contract, a contract that might have many Sixers fans scratching their heads. A few days ago, I wrote that maybe the Sixers should think about trading Iguodala.... Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:41:49 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305539 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305539 I know there is a lot of hype about all the Sixers have done this offseason, especially in Philly, as well there should be. The signing of Elton Brand instantly made the Sixers contenders in the East, that is undeniable fact. The Sixers had quite a few pieces of the puzzle to figure out after this huge acquisition. #1: Keep restricted free agent Andre Iguodala in a Sixer uniform. They finally sealed this deal to the tune of 6 years around $80 mil. Now that seems like a lot of money for a player that struggled in the playoffs scoring a mere 13.2 ppg. But AI2 is a shutdown defender and at 6-6 207lbs is athletically sized to move from the Small Foward position to the starting Shooting Guard. He continues to increase his production in the regular season each year having a stellar 07-08 season at 19.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, and 4.8 apg. He was also 6th in the league in steals with 2.09 per game. The only knock against Andre is his poor shooting at times especially from down town. We can all picture that shot he takes with a man in his face, the unnatural arms straight up in the air, elbows locked shot that 90% of the time is a brick or an airball. Well now picture this one, Iggy kicks the ball down low to Brand, defenders collapse, Brand kicks it back out to a wide open Iggy for a more natural elbows bent, perfect form shot that hits nothing but net. The addition of EB will give AI an opportunity to have a lot more space which will make him a better shooter. #2: Keep restricted free agent Louis Williams in a Sixer uniform. The 76ers stole this emerging young star off the market for a deal of 5 years $25 mil. Lou showed flashes of brilliance this season and is a perfect player off of the bench for this team. He is a little undersized at 6-2 175 lbs but he makes up for it in heart, quickness, and hustle which reminds me of a small guy we used to have...ok hes not quite that good but does have the potential to be somthing special. #3: Add some bench players that can come in and contribute. Ok so the first addition of Royal Ivey was a backpage headline but hey he does have a really cool name, and is actually a firey young player that could, at times, be a spark off the bench in the backcourt on days Andre Miller needs more time off. Not too many people are excited about the addition of Kareem Rush because he is not the sharpshooter we were looking for. I am here to tell you that he will have a great season off of the bench. He is well sized at 6-6 215 lbs, athletic, and quick. He certainly does not have the shot that Kyle Korver had here but he is much more athletic and not nearly as incompotent on defense. Not to mention he can certainly can shoot the ball as he is coming off a season he shot 38.9% from beyond the arc which is higher than Korver's average last season of 37.5%. Again with EB's presence down low that will only give Kareem more open looks from outside. So yes get excited about Kareem Rush because he will be a solid role player who can shoot the ball effectivly from long range. With those pieces strongly entact there are a few other factors to this upcoming season... #1: Will Thaddeus Young have one of those sophomore slump seasons? The answer is absolutly not. Thad is the future superstar of this team. As his playing time increased through the season so did his production. Here are his ppg splits for each month; November:3.6 ppg, December:4.2 ppg, January:8.2 ppg, February:10.7 ppg, March:11.2 ppg, and April:11.1 ppg. So as you can see his numbers continued to climb throughout the year. With Iguodala moving to shooting guard he gets the opportunity to be the starting small foward and at the extremely young age of 20 the sky is the limit for this kid. #2: Can Andre Miller be as productive as he has been? He is not getting any younger but his team is, which helps him a lot because if he needs a breather coach Maurice Cheeks is now fully confident in LouWill and the addition of Royal Ivey. Not only has he been the most consistent Sixer since he came here in that Iverson deal, he is also a leader and makes all of the players around him on the court and provides knowledge for this young core. So even if his play on the court does slow down a bit his ability to help these young players mold will be essential to team development. #3: Can Marreese Speights develop and possibly contribute this season? The addition of Elton Brand just made this draft pick that much better. Under Brand's guidence he could develope into the exact type of low post presence Brand is. He comes from the prestigious program of the U. of Florida and is well sized at 6-10 245lbs. With the help of Cheeks and Brand and the fact that GM Ed Stefanski encourages Cheeks to play the young guys he could be a big contributor off the bench this season. #4: Can Samuel Delembert continue to be a defensive force down low? The answer to this question is he will be that and then some. I believe he could be the defensive player of the year. Hear me out before you say my claim is absurd. He was top 10 in rebounding at 10.4 per game and top 5 in blocked shots at 2.3 per game last year which is already great defensive numbers. He also averaged 10.5 ppg as the #1 option in the low post last season but with the acquisition of Elton Brand his services will no longer really be needed on offense. This allows him to solely focus on keeping the other team out of the paint on the defensive end and the offense he provide will be an added incentive. So look for SammyD to have a defensive player of the year type season this year. Here is the projected starting lineup for the 08-09 Philadelphia 76ers: PG: Andre Miller: Production will probably decrease a bit but he will still make everyone around him better. SG: Andre Iguodala: The addition of Brand should give him more open looks and his shooting percentage should go up significantly. SF: Thaddeus Young: If he continues to develope and has a breakout year the new big 3 could be here in Philly. PF: Elton Brand: One if not the best low post player in the game, if he stays healthy watch out. C: Samuel Dalembert: Could be a defensive force with the offensive post being taken care of by EB. Off the bench: Louis Williams: Provides spark off the bench with his Iverson like heart and quickness. Willie Green: I believe this guy thinks he is better then he really is. He shoots (and misses) too many 3 pt shots with a terrible 28.5% from out there. But he did score 12.4 ppg last season and if he limits those long range shots and sticks to that mid range jumper he can be a contributor. Kareem Rush: You read how I feel about this guy but it remains to be seen if I am right... Royal Ivey: If Miller slows down this season he could be a key factor in what could become a 3 headed point guard role. Reggie Evans: Not a very good player but has huge energy off the bench and somehow always gets the crowd roaring. Marreese Speights: With the injury of Jason Smith Speights may need to step up this season. Jason Smith: Tough injury because he could have been a main contributor off the bench with his size. Hopefully he can recovery and return to the team at some point this season. It is undeniable that this team has a bright future with all of the young players they have and the vets that can help mold the team into a championship caliber team. It took the Celtics with their big 3superstars of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett one season to become the best. It is now the 76ers turn, with their big 3 of Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, and Thaddeus Young, to become the best and remain there for years to come. They had a Boston Three party in Celtic Land last year, can there be Brother Three Love in Philly this year? Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:33:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305315 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/305315 The Sixers have been one of the NBA's best off season stories. On July 9th, 2008 the Sixers signed former Los Angeles Clipper Elton Brand to a five-year, $79-million contract. In inking Brand, they got a guy who has averaged 20.3 points, 10.4 rebounds (4.0 being offensive rebounds) and 2.00 blocks in his career. In Brand, the Sixers finally may have found the power forward they have been looking for since Charles Barkley took his 14,184 points, 7,079 rebounds and .576 field-goal percentage to Phoenix back in 1992. Since then guys like... Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:11:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302969 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/302969 The Philadelphia 76ers have signed restricted-free agent guard Lou Williams to a five-year contract. Williams, 21, was the Sixers six-man last season and contributed in a big way off the bench posting career highs in points (11.5), assists (3.2), rebounds (2.1), and steals (1.0). He was also a main contributor in the playoffs, averaging 12 points in 22 minutes. "We are very excited that we have reached an agreement with Lou Williams," said Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski. "He is not only a very talented player who exemplifies our up-tempo style of play, but he is also a young man who exhibits great character and qualities off the court as well. We look forward to having him in a Sixers uniform for many years to come." Williams joined the Sixers fresh out of high school when they nabbed him with their second round pick (45th overall), in 2005. With "Sweet Lou" under contract, the only remaining Sixer not signed is guard Andre Iguodala. Iguodala, who started at both shooting guard and small forward for the Sixers last season, is the biggest free agent on the market. Indications are that a deal will get done, but with Williams now signed, the Sixers have 11 players under contract, five of them being guards. You could speculate that Stefanski might move on, but Iguodala on the court with Samuel Dalembert, Elton Brand, Andre Miller, and Thaddeus Young, would give the Sixers one of the best starting five in the Eastern Conference. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 19:57:58 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300925 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/300925 The 0-2 record doesn't mean much....but Wizards fans can't exactly be pleased with the "veteran" qualities that Nick Young has brought to the table in Vegas this year. We all expect him to show more experience in the summer league. Dominic McGuire had a much better game two, I continue to be impressed by Andray Blatche, and JaVale McGee has some TUP. But one cannot help but be a tad concerned about the Wizards guard situation with the aforementioned Young expected to play a bigger role as a result of the departure of Roger Mason, and Dee Brown not yet showing himself worthy of the 3rd PG spot. Fri, 18 Jul 2008 13:12:32 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292244 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292244 With 5 games in play, Jason Thompson highlighted the whole day when the Kings won with his game-winning 3 point play in OT to edge the Blazers by one point. Along with two 30 point games by Marco Belinelli and D.J. Augustin, the summer league's top stars continue to shine. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:43:52 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291359 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/291359 Spencer Hawes, O.J. Mayo, D.J. Augustin and Dhantay Jones all starred leading their teams to wins. Augustin, Joe Alexander and the little known lottery pick Jason Thompson made their summer league debut. After 2 days of action, here's the early player and rookie rankings of summer league. Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:21:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289827 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289827 After first hearing about the Elton Brand signing, I was thrilled, but was a also little disappointed that the Sixers didn't opt for Josh Smith instead. I thought Smith's youth and speed would be a better fit for Philadelphia's style of basketball. However, the acquisition of Brand was definitely the better move. Here's why... Sun, 13 Jul 2008 11:42:06 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289783 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289783 Rookies tend to get most of the hoopla during Summer League action, but the reality is that very few of them will make an immediate fantasy impact. So here are a few non-rookies to look out for. Not all of them are worth drafting, but all have the potential to put up nice numbers if they continue to improve and the opportunity presents itself. Some non-rookies who looked great in Summer League 2007 and carried that momentum into the regular season include: Louis Williams, Francisco Garcia, Kelenna Azubuike, and Jason Maxiell (all had solid fantasy value at some point last season). Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:18:24 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289669 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289669 Rookies tend to get most of the hoopla during Summer League action, but the reality is that very few of them will make an immediate fantasy impact. So here are a few non-rookies to look out for. Not all of them are worth drafting, but all have the potential to put up nice numbers if they continue to improve and the opportunity presents itself. Some non-rookies who looked great in Summer League 2007 and carried that momentum into the regular season include: Louis Williams, Francisco Garcia, Kelenna Azubuike, and Jason Maxiell (all had solid fantasy value at some point last season). Sat, 12 Jul 2008 22:18:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289668 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289668 Following the 10 days of NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas and the best performances of the day, starting with Day 1 with 4 games on the schedule. The debuts include Anthony Randolph, O.J. Mayo, Marreese Speights, Eric Gordon and Darrell Arthur. More after the jump. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:17:57 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289493 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289493 LAS VEGAS, July 11 – Anthony Randolph erupted for 30 points Friday as the Golden State Warriors opened the 2008 NBA Summer League Presented by EA SPORTS with a 96-89 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at COX Pavilion on the campus of UNLV. The game saw 11 lead changes and 11 ties. Randolph, the 14th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, outdueled Sixers second-year forward Thaddeus Young, who scored 27 points. "I had a lot of fun," Randolph said of his first game in a Warriors uniform. "My coaches told me to come out and be aggressive and let the game come to me and that's what I did. This is a dream come true for me. I am having fun and I am enjoying myself." The Warriors held a 24-18 lead after one quarter and were up at by two at the half. The Sixers came out strong in the second half, opening a seven-point lead. Golden State reclaimed its two-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Sixers kept the game close until midway through the fourth quarter, when the Warriors opened an 11-point lead and never looked back. "I thought it was a typical summer league game," said John Loyer, head coach of the Sixers. "I thought both teams competed for 40 minutes. We like some of the things our young guys did; we're just looking to get better." The game marked the first of a nine-day, 53-game schedule for the summer league. The 76ers will take on the Denver Nuggets on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the Warriors will take Saturday off and meet the Mavericks on Sunday. Sat, 12 Jul 2008 09:24:04 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289463 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289463 Warriors' rookie Anthony Randolph went off for 30 points and 8 rebounds in his summer league debut against the Sixers, winning 96-89. Sixers' sophomore forward Thaddeus Young had 27 points and 6 rebounds while rookie teammate Marreese Speights finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds (7 offensive). Great kick-off to start the summer league. Fri, 11 Jul 2008 18:53:56 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289305 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289305 Clipper fans will tell you that Elton Brand left the Clippers for the Sixers because of money, Falk, etc. While these reasons may be true, there are legitimate on the court reasons for Brand wanting to play with the up and coming Sixers. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:49:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288201 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288201 The Celtics won the title, the Pistons were arguably the second best team in the league, and now Elton Brand has moved over to the East with Philly. Is there a shift of power? Somewhat, but the West is still the best; the East is now just a little more top heavy. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:11:55 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287879 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/287879