This afternoon Ed Stefanski and the Sixers reached out to a group of Sixers bloggers and Henry Abbott from ESPN's
True Hoop blog for a conference call. Ed made a brief statement, just summing up the Sixers offseason to this point and then fielded questions from everyone involved.
It was good to put a voice to a couple of bloggers I've interacted with online and Ed was forthcoming, didn't dodge any questions. I think all the bloggers present did an excellent job of touching on the main issues heading into the season, I'll try to relate some of what Ed had to say after the jump.
When asked about Thad's transition from the 4 to the 3, it became clear that this could be the critical question of the season. Stefanski said Thad has been working hard all Summer on his handle and the plan right now is for him to play the bulk of his minutes at the three. Later he said definitively that as of now, Iguodala is the starting two guard. The only question is how well Thad will transition. More on this later.
The questions circled to the back court, and Andre Miller's contract situation. Here's what Ed had to say, "Andre does things a little differently from the young guys on the team. Andre likes to take the Summers off. And when I say off, I mean off. He's texted me a couple times to say he's happy with certain moves we've made, but I haven't talked to him. He does not have any representation right now, so we really don't know where he's at. Until he has representation we won't know."
He also pointed out that there really isn't a ticking clock on Andre. Even if they don't get an extension done before the end of the season, they still hold his rights (meaning Bird Rights). I got the feeling that he wants to get together with Miller, and does think keeping him here beyond this season is a priority.
The question I had for Ed was about the Sixers style of play. I've been wondering for some time what the addition of Elton Brand would do to the Sixers' pace. Not because I don't think he can run with the rest of the team, but because if you can play in the half court effectively, would you still choose to run? Stefanski had an interesting response:
"We're not planning on slowing it down. Whenever you run, you need a trailer and Elton is a very good shooter from the elbow. He'd be a perfect guy to trail the break and Sammy can really run with anyone. The biggest change will be when the defense gets back and the run is stopped. I think Elton is going to especially help Sammy in the half court with all the attention he draws. He's going to help everyone by drawing doubles."
This is good news. Running defined this team. It created easy offense and put a ton of pressure on the other team. Even with Brand, I think their legs will still be their biggest advantage over the better teams in the league. Think of Elton as the security blanket. When Iguodala has the ball on the break, but doesn't have the numbers, he doesn't have to force the action. He doesn't have to worry about what the offense will do in the half court, he can just pull it out and feed the ball down low. Quite a luxury.
There were several more questions, and unfortunately my notes aren't great, so I'll touch upon them in bullets:
- Josh Smith was apparently plan A until Brand became available. Ed wouldn't call the deal he eventually signed a bargain, but he did say he thinks Atlanta is very happy with the way it played out.
- When asked if this team is a champion contender he hedged, saying, "We look like a pretty good team on paper."
- Theo Ratliff loves the fans in Philly because "If you work hard in Philly, the fans love you."
- He never met with Josh Childress, but did talk to his agents. Brand's signing put everything else on the back burner.
- Very happy with Marreese Speights so far. Said he's "Athletic, skilled. It's up to him. He has the skills to succeed." Also talked about the background work they did before picking him, they just didn't see any indication that he had a poor work ethic.
- Talked a little bit about having "A lot of guys who I'd just term basketball players." Meaning, it doesn't matter if Iguodala is a 2 or a 3, if Lou is a 1 or a 2. They can just flat out play and in today's game, traditional positions aren't as important as they were years ago.
The call ended when Jordan from
SixerSoul beat me to the punch with a question about Willie Green. Ed's response, "Willie will get an opportunity to play basketball. If Iguodala's minutes swings more to the three, that'll probably mean more minutes for Willie at the two. Willie is part of the team. We don't have any plans to move anyone at this point."
That's really the answer to a couple of unasked questions right there. The roster is set, and Willie will be a part of the rotation. How big of a part he plays will depend largely on Thad's development. If he can handle the three, we won't see a whole lot of Willie. If he can't, well that's not a road we want to go down at this point. Moving Iguodala back to the three for most of his minutes would be a huge blow to the step forward this team has taken. There's a very good chance Green could find himself in the starting lineup again. That's not something anyone wants to see happen.
I'll keep my eyes open for the posts from the other bloggers who were on the call and throw the links up in this post. Thanks to Ed Stefanski, the Sixers' PR department and Michael Preston in particular for setting this up.
The Links:
Well done getting this up so quick Brian. I actually have a recording of the call and will post it tonight once I convert to a podcast. For now I am linking to you for the summary.
Looking forward to the podcast, I'll put up a link to it when it's up.
I added you to my blogroll as well, keep up the good work.
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Great stuff as always, Brian, and it was a good move for the Sixers to get in touch with you guys.
Agreed completely on Thad being the key to this season. You pretty much know what you're getting from everybody else, but Thad at the 3 is a wild card. The good thing is that when he's on the floor, he'll probably be the 4th option on offense (ahead of Sammy), so he can concentrate on crashing the glass, playing good D, sticking open jumpers, and otherwise doing the little things that made him successful last year. The offense will come when he's ready.
Yup, the way I see it, he's still going to be beating his man down the floor on the break, getting points that way, but his other points will be different. Instead of put backs, we're going to see more wide-open 15 footers. If he's knocking those down, this offense will be very, very good. If he isn't, it's not the end of the world, they've got three really good other options on the floor and Sammy to clean up the slop down low.
Good job. I read Henry Abbott's blog and apparently Ed and the Sixers' PR are really ahead of the curve when it comes to communication with bloggers. Stefanski seems to be doing a LOT of things right this summer.
The Willie Green question had to be asked haha.
It was definitely nice to interact with the other bloggers, as well as Mike Preston. He seems real down to earth and a good dude.
Hope we can do it again.
Stefanski knows what he's doing.
Stefanski knows what he's doing.
This my friends says it all. I am not stressed about the sixers at all...they will have MANY great years ahead. The NJ nets were the leagues doormat for DECADES before Ed came along and they went to two NBA championships with him running the show. We are in very good hands...
Great stuff all around, I love reading the sixers blogs from all of you guys. Keep up the good work. Great job by Ed for reaching out to us. I really feel like I'm connected to this team more than any other. I'm proud because I can take solace in the fact that they are going for broke and doing it the right way. It's going to be a fun ride no doubt.
Thanks for sharing this, it's very interesting to read how Ed thinks this team will develop.
And thanks to the Sixers for giving you guys this opportunity.
Stefanski's openness and straight-forwardness is a huge positive. Coming from a NY fan with a bit of jealousy, it's refreshing to see such honesty with fans from the front office. No generic safe answers... just real responses to real questions.
As a GM, Stefanski has a good chance here to emerge, sort of like Belicheck from Parcell's shadow, as the "real brains" behind Rod Thorn's successful stint as Nets GM. He's shown a lot of savvy in the decision making process.
Did anyone ask him about the general process of determining the amount of Iggy's extension?
Unfortunately, no one asked about Iguodala's contract. I think we were more focused on the upcoming season and the roster, but we should have.
From what I've heard, they were at an impasse and the Sixers came back to the table with a huge increase to get the deal done.
That question was in the back of my mind, but for some reason I couldn't think of it at the time.
It is cool that Ed talks to the Sixer bloggers. This is the second time for you now Brian right?
Now we just need him to go one step further and talk to commenters on the blogs...
I hope there were quality questions that got towards these...
Do you read blogs?
Will ownership pay the luxury tax?
How much, if at all, does statistical analysis affect personnel decisions?
I am at work so I can't listen to the podcast.
great stuff and thanks for the links Brian
I just came back after vacation and missed the conference call, I got the invitation by Sixers PR dept but couldn't join you guys on time... I was so disappointed, that was a pretty unique chance to interact with Stefanski and you guys
Hope there will be more chances in the future, it's great that Sixers deal with bloggers
That gave me an idea, I'll email you to explain
Thank you again
I guess I am a depressed fan as well! I came across your blog because I was trying to find a way to reach out to Mr. Stefanski. I really wanted to make a plea to him to really give Cheeks a chance. I feel really bad because hes not the problem. Honestly, Iguadala is the major problem because he flat out cant shoot! Why would you give a guy like that 80 million dollars. Im afraid we are stuck with him too!
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