SIXERS NEWS

The Sixers begin their 2007-2008 season tomorrow night, so here is a little preview to get you started. Most critics don't give the rebuilding Sixers much of a chance to do anything this season. Given that they are a part of the loaded Atlantic division, featuring, the suddenly formidable Celtics adding KG and Ray Allen, the still dangerous Nets adding Jamal Magloire, and the potentially dangerous Knicks with problem child Zach Randolph in towe, you can understand their lack of enthusiasm for the Sixers whose key free agent signee was, Reggie Evans, one of the NBA's best rebounders and most inept scorers. Philadelphia didn't exactly help their cause, with a dismal 2-5 preseason. Of course it was only the preseason, but it showed just how uneven and inconsistent this team can be. For most the part though, they appeared to play well when their defense was stout, and not so well, when it wasn't. At the same time the offense was not very good, averaging just 91 points in those 7 games. So the key for the Sixers this season is to play strong defense night in and night out. With only one AI now they just don't have the scoring to simply outscore people every night as they did in the past. As of now it appears the Sixers starting 5 will consist of Willie Green at shooting guard, Andre Miller at point guard, Andre Iguodala at small forward, Evans at power forward, and Samuel Dalembert at center. Key contributors off the bench will then likely be Kyle Korver, Louis Williams, Shavlik Randolph, Calvin Booth(also acquired in the off season), Rodney Carney, and rookies Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith, although the rookies likely won't make any significant impact until later in the season. So what is there to expect from the Sixers this season, well if Iguodala and Green pick up their scoring, if Evans and Dalembert rule the boards like they're capable,and if Andre Miller can spread the wealth and make all of his teammates better, than the Sixers have a chance to be somehwhat decent, perhaps 10th or 11th in the Eastern conference. Too expect anything more than that though would be ludacris, for the Sixers are rebuilding and rebuilding is always a gradual and time-consuming process, that requires patience from fans and management alike in order to succeed. So in short, the Sixers are not looking to win this season, they're looking to set themselves up for success in the future, and until that future arrives, there is no reason to expect anymore from them than what's expected.