State of the Cap: Philadelphia 76ers
by: Josh Redetzke
Philadelphia 76ers
Grade: C
2009/10 Payroll: $58.4 million
Andre Iguodala
Highlights: The 76ers spent a ton of money last summer and $80 million of that went to Andre Iguodala’s six-year contract extension. He repaid them with a season very consistent with his previous efforts. Iguodala filled up the box score once again with 18.8 points, 5.7 boards, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals on 47% shooting. Those are really nice numbers, but is he really worth $80 million? Can he be one of the top two players on a championship caliber team? He isn’t there yet, but he took a step in that direction when he hit the game winner at the buzzer to beat Orlando in Game 1 of their playoff series. Iguodala played pretty well in that series and he will need to help lead the 76ers deep into the playoffs if he is going to earn some of the bigger paychecks coming to him later in his contract. For now, that big money deal looks to be okay.
Forward Thaddeus Young had a good rookie year and then really shined in his second season as a pro. He nearly doubled his scoring from 8.2 to 15.3 and he chipped in 5 rebounds a game. He also shot an efficent 49.5% from the field. Young has become a key piece of Philly’s future and they still have him for two more years under his rookie contract, making him an excellent bargain.
Philadelphia selected Marreese Speights 16th overall in last year’s draft and while he didn’t play many minutes, he made the most of them. Speights averaged 7.7 points and 3.7 boards in just 16 minutes a game and provided a spark off the bench, helping to fill part of the gap left behind by the injured Elton Brand. If Speights can continue to improve and grow as a player, he could turn into a valuable sub.
Lowlights: The team also spent $80 million dollars last summer stealing free-agent forward Elton Brand from the Clippers, this time over a five-year deal. Their return on that investment hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations so far. Philly gave him a large amount of money even though he was an injury risk after playing in just 8 games the previous season after rupturing his left Achilles’ tendon. This season, it was his shoulder that kept him out of action. Brand only managed to appear in 29 games for his new team after shoulder surgury put him on the shelf. When he did play, Brand was not his old, dominating self. He scored just 13.8 points per game and shot 44.7% from the field, both career lows. Interestingly, the 76ers were 13-16 with Brand in the line-up and 28-25 without him. He needs a major turnaround, and quickly, otherwise the team will be deeply regretting their decision to sign him.
Just when Samuel Dalembert looked like he might start to earn his overpriced deal he regressed and is now back in the land of terrible contracts. At $11.3 and $12.2 million the next two years, Dalembert is paid to be a star and he is anything but. He is a decent rebounder (8.6) and shot blocker (1.8), but those are hardly numbers worth throwing eight-figure salaries at, especially when he only scores 6.4 points per game. Philadelphia needs to unload Dalembert as soon as they can, but those chances will be slim with such an awful contract.
Elton Brand
I’m not sure what Louis Williams did to receive a five-year, $27 million contract. He averaged 11.5 points and 3.2 assists two years ago, which is alright, but he wasn’t that great of a shooter. What did he do in his first year under the new contract? He scored 12.8 points with 3 assists per game, but now on 39.8% shooting and a dismal 28.6% from beyond the arc. His deal isn’t all that expensive, however, he needs to be a more efficient producer if he is going to be such a well-paid sub.
The Future: It was a big surprise when Elton Brand spurned the Clippers to join the up-and-coming 76ers and many penciled them in as contenders in the Eastern Conference. After a rocky start, a season-ending injury to Brand, a fired coach, and a .500 record, the expectations are understandably lower for this team. They played well without Brand so a return to health for the all-star caliber forward should improve them quite a bit. Their main concern this off-season is finding a point guard.
Andre Miller is old and a free agent this summer. However, he played pretty well the past two seasons, putting up about 16.5 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 48% from the field, so there will be interest out there for him and he won’t come cheap. With their cap already maxed out, do they flirt with luxury tax territory to keep the solid but aging point guard? Or do they gamble on finding their floor leader of the future in the draft or with a trade? With so much money already invested in this team, it would be a waste to take a step back and try to develop a young point guard. They need to contend now, so if they can’t resign Miller for a price they like, the 76ers will have to make a trade to find their man.
With new coach Eddie Jordan taking over the team, Philadelphia has hit the reset button and will try again to be the contender people thought they would be after signing Brand. In the end, its all up to him to prove he can carry the team to new heights and show he is worth the incredible amount of money the team is paying him.
