Official: 2012-13 Sixers resources, rankings, ratings, and other punditry

[BChydro86]

You are using facts to draw a conclusion about a related topic.... Thats called a hypothesis.

And it may be right, but there are variables and im not prepared to agree with u.

[wannabGM]

Here are a couple more facts. They played playoff caliber defense for maybe the 3rd time this year against the Bulls and again lost. Loul Deng had 25 points on 10-15 shooting.

Hypothesis: Deng doesn't score 25 with Iguodala on the floor, and we win last night's game.

Hypothesis #2: With Jrue entering into a contract extension discussion, and his 4th year in the league after Doug calling him a top 5 point, Collins would have put the ball in his hands and called him a captain whether Iggy was there or not.

[Swashcuff]

Here are a couple more facts. They played playoff caliber defense for maybe the 3rd time this year against the Bulls and again lost. Loul Deng had 25 points on 10-15 shooting.

Hypothesis: Deng doesn't score 25 with Iguodala on the floor, and we win last night's game.

Hypothesis #2: With Jrue entering into a contract extension discussion, and his 4th year in the league after Doug calling him a top 5 point, Collins would have put the ball in his hands and called him a captain whether Iggy was there or not.

Completely agreed.

[BChydro86]

The "if we had iggy" train of thought is dumb.

The real thoughtline should be if bynum was healthy.

Deng may have scored, but the reason the bulls beat us is because we were overmatched physically inside. Bynum changes that in a much bigger way than iguodala would.

[MylesKong]

If we have nick young we win.

Always though deng was better than iggy.

[BChydro86]

Nock young isnt a difference maker

[thevcballer]

Nock young isnt a difference maker

nick young may not be a differnce maker but a argee with myles Depth IS a differnce maker and we would have had more of it with him in the lineup.

[BChydro86]

We lost cause of a size/toughness issue. Young wouldnt have helped in that regard

[Swashcuff]

Without Iggy this season we still have the #1 ranked SG defense this season in terms of opponents PPG. Great isn't it? Well it doesn't look so great when you look at our SF defense where we're currently ranked 28th in the league. We are also #1 in terms of OPP PER at the SG position. According to Hoopsstats.com NBA Efficiency we're ranked #3.

This doesn't mean that we have the best SG Defenders in the league since we are still yet to play against teams like the Lakers, Rockets, Heat etc and its still such a small sample size but its something I thought I should still share.

Here are the links

82games
Hoopsstats

[wannabGM]

Without Iggy this season we still have the #1 ranked SG defense this season in terms of opponents PPG. Great isn't it? Well it doesn't look so great when you look at our SF defense where we're currently ranked 28th in the league. We are also #1 in terms of OPP PER at the SG position. According to Hoopsstats.com NBA Efficiency we're ranked #3.

This doesn't mean that we have the best SG Defenders in the league since we are still yet to play against teams like the Lakers, Rockets, Heat etc and its still such a small sample size but its something I thought I should still share.

Here are the links

82games
Hoopsstats

This was so very predictable. We currently start two players who are not a very good defensive pair. In most matchups, they are both better defensively against the opponent's guard...not the SF. This will cost us post season victories. It might even cost us a chance at the post season at all.

I realize JRich has been a valuable on the court off the ball scoring vet. His defensive effort is often laudable as well. But he wasn't a terribly good 1 on 1 defender even 10 years ago. It's worse, now. He should not be in the starting lineup or playing 30+ minutes unless the goal is to showcase him in order to dump the contract at the deadline.

JRich is an important source of 1st quarter scoring. But scoring out of the gate in the 1st quarter is about the easiest thing to do in the NBA. It's when team defenses are at their absolute laziest. JRich should be our 1st guard off the bench instead. Their are other ways to manufacture early 1st quarter scoring.

[BChydro86]

Id say we should trade for a 3....

Any 3s on 12mil expiring deals we could trade jrich and hawes for?

[sixer04fan]

Id say we should trade for a 3....

Any 3s on 12mil expiring deals we could trade jrich and hawes for?

The pickings are very slim. I just ran through Sportrac quickly to look at the expiring contracts on every team. Here are all the small forwards that are looking at possible free agency after this year, along with their salaries for this season. I also threw in some combo shooting guards to help the cause:

Kyle Korver (5M), Josh Childress (1.1M), Gerald Henderson (3.1M, QO), Corey Brewer (3.2M), Corey Maggette (10.9M), Richard Jefferson (11M, PO), Sam Young (880K), Matt Barnes (1.2M), Metta World Peace (7.2M, ETO), Mike Dunleavy (3.8M), Andrei Kirilenko (10.2M, PO), Josh Howard (1.2M), Louis Amundson (1.1M), Al-Farouq Aminu (2.9M), Ronnie Brewer (1.1M), Kevin Martin (12.4M), Hedo Turkoglu (12M, PO), JJ Redick (6.2M), Wesley Johnson (4.3M), Tyreke Evans (5.2M, QO), Francisco Garcia (6.1M, TO), James Johnson (2.8M, TO), Stephen Jackson (10.1M), Linas Kleiza (4.6M, PO), Marvin Williams (8.3M, PO), Raja Bell (3.5M), DeMarre Carroll (880K), Trevor Ariza (7.3M, PO), Martell Webster, (1.6M)

J-Rich and Hawes = 12.7M

PO = Player Option, TO = Team Option, ETO = Early Termination Option (basically a player option)
QO = Qualifying Offer

The first guys that are close to the $12.7M salary match are: Jefferson, Kirilenko, Turkoglu, Maggette, Stephen Jackson, and Kevin Martin... Jefferson, Kirilenko, and Turkoglu are all severely overpaid right now and have player options. In other words, they won't be free agents next year, unless they want to opt out of $12 million to go ring chasing, riding the pine for a contender for the minimum salary.

Kevin Martin is not a realistic trade option for obvious reasons -- being a valuable contributor on a true contender. Stephen Jackson would also be tough since the Spurs are a true contender as well and I don't see them wanting to mess with the roster. I could see him being more attainable than Martin though, as J-Rich could take on Jackson's role in SA, and you were just mentioning that Hawes would look good playing with Duncan.

Maggette is slightly intriguing, as an expiring contract with little value anymore. But do you really see Detroit willing to take on J-Rich and Hawes? They have no chance of competing in the next few years, and would much prefer the cap space I'm sure.

Besides that, none of the other salaries are really close to matching the $12.7M. In order to acquire any of these players, we'd have to take more salary back, which would unlikely another expiring contract, and at that point we're just taking a step backwards, or sideways at best.

--

So to give you a recommendation based on your idea -- I'd say the only option is to give the Spurs a call and pray that they're looking to move Stephen Jackson for big man that can help add depth to Duncan/Splitter/Blair and another spot shooter to replace Jackson. Hey, it's possible. If they think Hawes and J-Rich increase their chances at winning a ring this year, and if they think that's worth giving up an expiring contract for, you never know... The only problem I see is that Manu is a FA after this season as well. I can't see the Spurs ever letting him go, so they might already be planning to use the money freed up from Jackson's expiring to resign him.

[2-ONE-5]

Maggette would be a good fit here, he is good at getting to the line. Gerald Henderson intrigues me as well, not sure if the Bobcats are interested in keeping him to play the or not.

[BChydro86]

Magette is basically the same player as jrich with even less efford on D, but better handle and gets to the rim better.

Id trade hawes and jrich for richard jefferson tho..... That may be a tough sell, im not sure.

[sixer04fan]

Again, Jefferson has a player option for another $12-13M or so. I doubt he will become a FA after this season.