Rebuilding The Sixers Part 2
Hey Alexboii, great possibilities you came up with. I agree that in the draft, the Sixers should just keep the pick they have than trading up and perhaps losing some key players on their team with trading up. This draft class clearly has a bunch of good point guards such as the players you've mentioned (Teague, Flynn, Holiday, Lawson, etc.) They have a good chance of landing a point guard at their spot but Flynn might be taken early before the Sixers have their choice. The Sixers do need a young point guard and possibly they will use their pick to grab a point guard in the first round. I found your trade "scenarios" interesting. The Sixers had a great chance of signing Josh Smith, who was clearly wanting to play with them, in the off-season. However, things changed and they offered a injury prone Brand instead. Getting Fernandez, Outlaw, Sean Williams will add depth to the team and give the team more offensive options in Fernandez and Outlaw. It is true that Foster is a consistent player, trading along with Tinsely is a good possibility because like you said, the Pacers do want to get rid of him. Your upgraded roster clearly has the makings of an 'uptempo' team that suits the Sixers well. Sean Williams will be a good pick up as he is a good shot blocker and gives the Sixers a much needed defensive presence in the paint and Outlaw is a solid backup for Iguodala and will likely contribute in scoring off the bench. Losing Young to POR will hurt the Sixers, but it is a win-win situation with both teams each getting solid players in return.
Ok, so my original post on this called for a total reconstruction of this team. Maybe it's from frustration of seeing this team being mediocre all the time, but I would not mind seeing this team being totally rebuilt. Nevertheless, here's a simpler set of scenarios that would still satisfy me. What do you think?
Trades: Before I had some crazy trades going on. Here, I would call for only two.
A 4-way trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Bobcats.The Bobcats would get Samuel Dalembert and Mardy Collins. The Clippers would get Jerryd Bayless, Raja Bell, and Nazr Mohammed. The Sixers would get Rudy Fernandez, Chris Kaman, Alexis Ajinca and Travis Outlaw. Portland would get Andre Iguodala. The Clippers would get a developing player in Bayless who could be the future 6-man as a combo guard, while giving more minutes to Griffin and Jordan. Mohammed is a shorter contract, as well as a player who won't be confused as a starter. Raja Bell's contract is expiring, and he could simply be waived. The Sixers get quality starting center Kaman, and very good young talent in Fernandez and Outlaw. There would be high expectations for Fernandez. Ajinca fills out the roster as a spot minute energy guy. Samuel Dalembert is simply an upgrade over Mohammed, and the minutes available now that an aging Bell leaves gives youngsters Henderson and Collins opportunities to prove themselves, albeit makes them weak at the 2-guard. They could re-sign Felton, or maybe even bring in Allen Iverson with minutes now up for grabs.
The other trade is another ground shaker. The move would send Elton Brand to Denver for Kenyon Martin. Brand is an upgrade over Martin who is bigger, thus matching up better against the bigs matchups of the West, such as Los Angeles and New Orleans. Martin would fit better with the Sixers as a more agile player, with a shorter contract.
This roster would not be a championship caliber team right away, but these moves keep Iguodala in the fold with players he would preferably like to have. He expressed his disgust in the team's finish this season, and stated he would talk to Stefanski about moves they should make, so these moves to me appear to be along the lines he'd like. I think this team would be an upgrade over Sixer teams of the recent past. Depending on the team's health, this team will be a contender sooner rather than later.
Starters/Backup:
PG: Lou Willaims / Jrue Holiday
SG: Rudy Fernandez / Jason Kapano
SF: Thaddeus Young / Travis Outlaw
PF: Kenyon Martin / Mareese Speights
C: Chris Kaman / Primo Brezec
Bench/ Inactive: Royal Ivey, Jason Smith, Alexis Ajinca, Willie Green