 Random Tuesday Thoughts I figured I'd give you a couple of stream-of-consciousness thoughts to kick off this beautiful Tuesday morning. After the jump, I'll lay out the blueprint for an ideal player for the Sixers to land, then hopefully find a guy who could fit the bill on the cheap, then we'll talk about some very, very bad rumors floating around. We have to face facts. We've gone over the ideal situations, from trading up to sign-and-trade scenarios, to unloading Dalembert in a deal to land a shooting guard. The fact of the matter is, the Sixers have their offensive core. They have the three guys who will take the bulk of their shots and dominate the ball on offense. That's the role Brand, Iguodala and Thad will play on this team, no matter what positions they wind up playing. While it would be great to add Ben Gordon as a shooting guard, it's not vital to the success of the team. In fact, it may even be superfluous. What the Sixers really need is a guy who can hit the three and defend. That's it. They don't need a dynamic scorer. They don't need a point who can break down the defense at will. They need a guy who can stretch the floor and help space the floor so the big three can go to work. Preferably, they'll be able to find two of these guys. In a nutshell, they need Raja Bell, circa 2006. Bell did little more than lock down the opposing team's best guard and shoot 40% plus from beyond the arc. The question becomes, how do you find a guy like Bell? He started out with the Sixers, if you can believe it, and when Larry Brown grew tired of him, he made stops in Dallas and Utah before finding himself in Phoenix. Ironically, Brown was able to make a controversial trade with the Suns this past season to obtain the services of Bell once again. I'm not proposing the Sixers trade for Bell, although that's not a horrible idea, instead, I'd like to see them try to develop a Raja of their own. Instead of using the minimum to bring a guy like Rush, I'd like to see them take a shot on a young, hungry guy who has the ability to defend, and the disposition to thrive in a situation where he's going to be little more than a decoy for the most part on offense, until the defense forgets about him, then he's a dagger thrower from deep. Looking at comps on Basketball-Reference.com I came up with a couple names, one we're very familiar with in Rodney Carney. When given the chance to play last season, Carney performed pretty well for Minnesota. Couple that with his strong finish here in Philly in '07-08 and well, I think he's worth a shot for the minimum. A potential trade target could be Arron Afflalo. Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown are two guys on the Lakers who could fit the bill. Golden State has a number of players: Marco Belinelli, Kelenna Azubuike, C.J. Watson and Anthony Morrow. Kyle Weaver is a possibility as well. If you dig through the rosters around the league, it shouldn't be hard to find young guys with the potential to excel in this role. I'm still firmly planted in the trade-up-for-Stephen-Curry camp, but I'm less enthused about the possibility that the team may use the full MLE to get another shooter. I say you dig through the bargain bin and find an able-bodied defender who has shown he can at least shoot in the mid-thirties from three, get him minutes, and high-quality looks from deep and maybe you catch lightning in a bottle. Worst-case, you've added a perimeter defender to the roster at a bargain price. Even if the Sixers strike gold in the draft, they're going to need depth at the guard positions. Let me know if you guys can think of any other candidates to play the Raja role for the Sixers this season. My IQ drops with every word I read: I'd like you guys to check out this "rumor" from Slam Online, and then the comment string which follows. Apparently this guy's "sources" have told him the Cavs are preparing a two-year offer to Rasheed Wallace for about $10M per year. If that falls through, then they may sign-and-trade for Zach Randolph. Only a few problems with this guy's sources: (1) Cleveland is over the cap, with no hopes of getting $10M under the cap to make such an offer to Rasheed. (2) Zach Randolph has three years remaining on his deal, so I'm not sure how you could sign-and-trade for him. If you want to give the writer the benefit of the doubt, possibly he's saying the Cavs will sign Wally and Varejao and then package them for Randolph...Oh forget it. This writer is a moron, but he's a perfect fit for his audience if you read the comments. 
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Brian, there are 4 guys,one late 1st and three second rounders, that I would reach out for in this draft because they can be lock down defenders and hit the three.Two are s.f.!s and only work if Iggy becomes the starting s.g..Sam Young is the late 1st rounder and as a backup to Thad could be a good addition if we acquire a late 1st rounder.The other s.f. is D.Brown, I love this kid.More of a p.f. at Xaxier he is similar to Thad in a lot of ways, needs time t6o develop his perimeter game but could step right in a be asked to shoot the 3 and lockdown a P.Pierce.The 2 s.g.!s are D.Green and J.McNeal, more of a combo guy. With Jordan talking about versatility McNeal would be a good fit here because he can play next to L.Will. and defend a bigger guard. When you say hungry I tend to think younger guys that have something to prove, that is why getting 2nd rounders is a cheap AND good way to go.
I love Jerel McNeal. I think he's gonna be a stud in this league somewhere. He's succeeded at every level and hasn't gotten nearly the recognition he deserved. If Dominic James stayed healthy this year and McNeal didn't have to take so much responsibility at Marquette, I think he's a 1st team All American. I hope we find a way to get him, he'd fit in the Princeton offense.
Here's the blurb on him from ESPN:
In a league that loves athletic shooters who can play lockdown defense, McNeal should get a close look.
God bless ESPN. On the surface, his percentages were poor this year but he and Wesley Matthews had to shoulder so much of the scoring and ballhandling, he had to create his own shot while being double teamed. I love him as a 6th man and in the right place (HERE) I think he can open some eyes. Dwyane Wade but an inch smaller. That's a hyperbole, but I'm so excited to see him succeed.
While I like Carney's athleticism, I don't know enough to know if the guy is a plus-defender...guys like Bell and Bruce Bowen (a guy with a similar profile) were guys who bounced around for a while before they got a steady NBA paycheck...they had to work their asses off to latch onto a roster, and made in-your-jock defense their calling card. While he has the tools to do it, I don't know if Carney has the hunger to become THAT kind of player...but if he was willing to make that transition, then I would definitely be interested in having him on the roster.
Well, Bop,
I have to disagree. Carney is a plus-defender; in the playoffs against Det, he was the only guy capable of actually guarding Rip on those staggered screens. When focused, he locks on his man, and also contest shots very well. He has also shown the ability from time to time to block shots as a help defender. If they bring him back and give him a consistent 20+ minutes off the bench while EJ lives up to his player development rep, we could really have something.
He was one of my definite targets and I know for a fact that Ed S. has his eye on him.
Sean:
I didn't say that Carney was NOT a plus-defender...I said that I don't know if he IS a plus-defender. Big difference.
I like Carney...and would take him in a swap for Rush in the rotation in a heartbeat.
Actually, I would have Carney play 20 minutes off the bench, spelling either Thad or Dala.
Interesting Carney splits last season in Minny:
26 times he played more than 20 minutes, in those games he shot 41.1% from three (60 for 146).
41 times he played less than 20 minutes, in those games he shot 23.8% from three (19 for 80).
This could be more result than cause, though. If he was hitting his three, he got more burn.
Yeah, but then it was McHale coaching, who had a random habit of yanking people in and out(unless they were a big). I remember how Carney credited Evans with tipping him off to Ray Allen's shooting work ethic and that was how he improved toward the end of his last season here.
I definitely like the Carney idea. Why do you say you know for a fact he's on E.S.'s radar?
Well, I had an opportunity to go to the final home game as a season-ticket holder for next year, but I had a class that night and sent my nephew instead. So, he was in the box, met Stefanski and asked Ed a series of questions. One of which included the possibility of Carney's return, and Ed said, with that unspoken wink, that he was very aware of Carney's status and would be keeping an eye out.
So, I know Carney is very much on their radar
Well that's definitive information
Cool stuff, Sean.
I'm happy that Ed is taking a serious look at Carney. (How do you know that? I know you won't tell me, but do you really know?) I like Carney a lot. I think he's a late bloomer; he has been since high school. He's ultra-fast and is a good shooter from deep. I worry about his desire, though. He seems so passive sometimes.
Another name I would toss on the fire is Morris Almond. He is more a sharpshooter who is evolving as a defensive player in the D-League, but he is one of those guys where the only reason he is not on a NBA roster is because his team(Jazz) is filled at that spot with guaranteed deals. If available, I would grab him and Carney. He is more of a 2-guard than Carney is
Almond's kind of a gunner, right?
http://www.nba.com/playerfile/morris_almond/career_stats.html
This guy is a 'sharp shooter'?
That's only 21 attempts, he shot the three pretty well in the D-League.
So did ahearn :)
I think so, but he could be that instant offense from deep off the bench, perhaps like Pietrus. I think I'd prefer Carney over him, but I would not mind grabbing both, possibly
Bring back Bobby Jones.. either one.
As for Carey, I don't know if he has much of a BB IQ. If he settles into the mentality of a defensive role player he could excel, but I'm not sure he wants to be that guy.
Ugh, Bobby Jones may have the worst jumper I've ever seen. At least, the one who's still in the league (sort of) :)
He did improve to 34% from deep this season, though.
Aren't you really just describing Royal Ivy? He is a very good defender and showed this year that he can hit the 3-ball every once in a while. If he works on his shooting he might thrive in the princeton offense because he will definitely be getting open looks. Ivy is definitely someone that needs a little development, but as you said thats what you are looking for. Personally, I think that Royal Ivy fills the Raja Bell role for the Sixers. I'm never opposed to having more defenders, though. Especially if Eddie Jordan is going to be so concerned with the offense.
I think the Sixers needs to focus on a legit shooting guard, though. I don't think we have the means to obtain one this year, but I would not be opposed to trying to put ourselves in a position to be able to get one next summer.
I think it's important we plan ahead and make moves that put us in the best position possible for when Dalembert, Evans, and Green come off the books. Do you have any ideas about what we could do to prepare ourselves in that regard?
Exactly. What we need is a more consistent version of Royal Ivey. Check out these splits:
Ivey played in 34 Sixers wins this season, in those games he shot 42.6% from three. (23 for 54)
Ivey played in 37 Sixers losses this season, in those games he shot 26.7% from three. (16 for 60)
The best long-term plan regarding Dalembert, Green and Evans is to wait out their contracts and either move them at the trade deadline next season, or let them expire and use the cap space.
Would you rather use the cap space (next summer or during the season via a trade) on a shooting guard or a center to replace Dalembert?
If we got a more consistent version of Royal Ivy what would we do with Ivy? Wouldn't the more consistent player take his minutes? Would it be easier to just develop Ivy and focus our attention on getting a new player that fits a different role?
Ideally, we'd get a better version of Ivey to replace Willie. You can't have too many guys who can defend and knock down threes on the roster. Ivey needs to improve his shot to really fill that role for 20 minutes/game.
I'm still of the belief that they should go after Gortat this Summer with the MLE. I'd feel much more comfortable giving him a long deal than I would over-reaching for one of the free agent SGs at the MLE. I think he could supplant Sammy right now, and shore up the 5 spot on the cheap.
Yeah, I think my ideal "realistic" off-season(ruling out trading up to lottery level) would be Lawson & Gortat & Carney.
Though, if Lawson or Maynor is not available, I'd take a guy like Ellington and target Jack in the off-season, especially if Indy drafts a point
Brian:
I am completely down with Gortat for the MLE...but with the Kapono trade, I am getting REALLY concerned about our perimeter defense...I just hope that whoever replaces Miller at PG (if you sign Gortat) can play some D.
It's a valid concern. Would you be down with this starting lineup?
Iguodala, Kapono, Thad, Brand, Gortat?
I hope the sixers did not obtain Kapono with the plan of starting him - that would make me retch.
Would it shock you?
Yes it would - because suddenly the sixers have gone from wondering about Iguodala as a 2 and starting him 'ostensibly' as the point guard.
Don't see it happening
I never saw Kyle Korver as a starter, a solid bench player, and that's Kaponos ideal usage as well - if he was obtained with an eye towards filling that 'hole' at the guard position I have to downgrade the trade a bit - even though I'm thrilled to get rid of evans - because of the thought process behind it.
I kind of doubt they have him slotted in as a starter, if they do though, then I have my fingers crossed that Holiday is the guy they wind up with in the draft.
I don't think it's something we really need to worry about, though. Not yet.
Absolutely.
In this offense, Iggy could probably get away with being a Ron Harper-like PG.
By the way, those are great stats on Ivy. Much appreciated.
I completely agree with a more consistent version of Ivey. If I didn't dislike him so much, I'd say JJ Redick is a guy that would thrive in this offense as a guard off the bench. Defensively, he's still a liability in my eyes, but he'd have help in good defenders like AI and Thad (developing) around him. He's signed on for one more year with a qualifying offer the year after, but I'm not sure if Orlando's ready to give up on him with a surplus of wing players around. I'm still in favor of picking up a 2nd rounder and taking either McNeal, Marcus Thornton, Jermaine Taylor, or Dionte Christmas because any of those would fill a big need of a shooting 2 guard off the bench.
I ran a bunch of numbers on basketball-reference.com before writing this post, trying to find players w/ similar numbers to Raja Bell's through their first couple of seasons. Redick was the only guy who popped up in every comparison, actually. He played good D on Ray Allen down the stretch in that Boston series, and if you buy into David Thorpe's evaluations, he's been very impressed with Redick on the defensive end, basically says he's one of the guys who thinks ahead on defense, which can make up for physical limitations. (As opposed to thinking behind, like a few Sixers do).
Just a thought
are you even ALLOWED to negotiate with agents before the start of Free agency?
Nope. Can't even talk to them right now, not until July 1st.
Yeah that's kind of what I thought.
Then again in a world where Skip vs Iguodala is advantage Skip _ i'm not sure what to say
I like Quinton Ross an unhealthy amount in case anyone else agree with that. Just throwing that out there.
Yeah? He shot the three pretty well the past two seasons, not a ton of attempts, though.
I wouldn't mind Q. We could have him for really cheap, and we're so thin on athleticism on the bench. He'd be a solid backup wing.
Early Christmas shopping.
Cool link.
http://iguodala9.com/wp/?p=383
On his video blog, Iguodala was signing a bunch of those and talking about how cool the whole idea was. He had a Kobe and Penny doll coming up, so it felt like a full circle.
What was interesting was on that same vlog, Dala was talking about being excited about EJ's hiring while watching game film from the Portland game to improve defensively. It was the night before the press conference.
Evans for Kapono? http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/kapono-going-to-sixers/article1175070/
Definitely a good move.
That would be an awesome start to the off season as far as i'm concerned
but isn't there some kind of moratorioum on stuff like this during the playoffs and is there any other source that isn't a canadian paper?
User comment
Great pickup. Evans busts his hump night-in night-out. Kapono was way too streaky for my liking.
Good start to the retooling.
Is this a dream about Reggie going to Canada?? I feel like I died and went to sixers heaven! We even get a worthile person in return! Am I missing something??? Kate confirms it is true!!! Wow!!!!