The quick fix is no longer an option for this team. The only way, and I mean the only way this team will ever be able to compete at a high level in the NBA is if they have a fire sale.
That means trading away Andre Iguodala. He was given a ridiculous contract worth around 80 Million Dollars with years still remaining. And there is a market for Iguodala our there, for the right price. You certainly won’t be getting back the same type of caliber player and that’s not what you’re looking for. You’re looking for cap space and only cap space in return. This experiment, if you want to call it that, is over, it’s done. This team, the way it’s built can only be average, and under Eddie Jordan they’ve been well below that.
Trading away Iguodala would allow you to package Brand or Dalembert along with him. And it would clear an awful lot of cap space. Along with, barring a dramatic and unlikely turnaround, a very high draft pick. All of this happening would put this team in the position to start rebuilding around players like Jrue Holiday, Thaddeus Young and Maressee Speights.
The next step would be to fire Eddie Jordan. The Sixers can no longer try to tailor players to a system, they must bring in a head coach whose going to tailor a system to the type of players and athletes already here.
Keeping Elton Brand or Samuel Dalembert is not the end of the world. Both have played well at times and it’s much easier to have only one of them on the floor as opposed to both. Brand has been good at both ends of the floor practically all season long whether anyone wants to admit that or not. Dalembert’s game has picked up since the return of A.I, and aside from his niche for goaltending, Dalembert is an average defensive player at Center.
As far as Iverson goes, he’ll be here the remainder of the year and that can’t hurt. In fact, he’s only helped this team on and off the court. He’s been a professional player and teammate, I’m willing to eat crow on this move. I never dreamed that Iverson would be the perfect teammate. And throughout the rest of the season he can only help guys like Louis Williams and Jrue Holiday further their games.
To make this fire sale work you may have to part with someone like Young or Speights if you wish to keep Iguodala. Though the return, cap space wise, will be better if you trade Iguodala. Iguodala is a fine player and could help a team whose on the cusp of a championship , a team who needs a side kick for whomever their superstar is. Houston and Dallas have been mentioned recently, though if Iguodala is said to be on the market, you’ll have a few other teams who have legitimate interest.
It’s tough to swallow pride and admit that this just isn’t working and there is no fixing it with the pieces you have now. The only hope is that Ed Stefanski is able to realize this is the only way to fix things.
-Mike Santa Barbara
*** Follow me on Twitter @Mike__SB ***
