Heard in the Cheap Seats

As my brother has kindly reminded us on numerous occasions, this homestand was an opportunity for the Sixers to put some padding between themselves and that pesky .500 mark.  Anything short of 5-2 would not suffice. 

Despite a brutal loss to the Nets and a heartbreaker to the Celtics, the Sixers managed to come out of this homestand with a 5-2 record in tow and three games above .500 heading into the all-star break.  Perhaps more importantly, the Sixers win last night paired with the Pistons loss puts the team in the 5^th spot in the Eastern conference—also known as the seed that does not have to play the Celtics, Cavs or Magic in the first round.  In some ways, this break could not come at a more inopportune time.  The team has seemed to find its rhythm and is playing all-around good basketball.  Offensively, when I watch this team the biggest difference is the flow and spacing on offense.  In the early part of the year, the Sixers were prone to periods of stagnation with the primary culprit being an offense that was content to watch one player attempt to score.  That has disipated with time and the team is showing good court awareness and much better flow.  So what does this all mean? 

Not to sound like an alarmist, but this renewed sense of optimism has only served to temporarily mask the state of this team.  Currently, the Sixers look capable of making it into the playoffs and potentially even winning a series.  “And that is without our prime offseason acquisition,” is the common refrain from the fan base.  “Imagine where we will be next year once Elton is back and healthy,” they say.  But even a healthy Elton Brand added to this team does not get it past the plateau of a second-round playoff exit.  In fact, a healthy Elton Brand does not get the Sixers even in the same hemisphere as the Cavs and Celtics.  So while this 5-2 homestand is important in so much that it shows the growing maturity of a young team and the ability to gel as a team—don’t let it fool you entirely. 

I know what you are thinking.  Why is this jerk trying to point out every negative of this basketball team when they are coming off a very good stretch of basketball?  That is a fair point, but my intent is not to pile on a Sixer team that is playing a solid brand of basketball.  My intent is to question the long-term prognosis for this team.  They have a very solid and young core in place—the type of core that you can build around.  But to think that as presently constructed this team can make noise in the playoffs is foolish.  As I have said on many occasions, this team is severly deficient in a few phases of the game.  Unfortunately, those phases of the game are the exact areas that became more crucial come playoff time.  Halfcourt offense, three point shooting, limiting turnovers—these are all things that are magnified when the game slows down.  The Sixers still struggle in these areas and will need to address them either at this deadline or in the offseason to have a shot at making a run in the playoffs next year.

I know this is not a popular opinion, but I still maintain the Sixers should move Andre Miller.  Don’t get me wrong, he is a very good player that helps this team win.  However, he is the best trade chip they have and if the organization has even an inkling that he won’t be back next year once he hits free agency they need to move now.  While the team is playing well, the front office should be building for next season.

Again, don’t misread this.  I am thrilled with the way the Sixers have been playing recently and have even allowed myself to contemplate the potential of this current roster.  But our goal never was and never should be a second round exit from the playoffs.  If it is, then Ed Stefanski may as well just put $80 million in a fire and through gasoline on it because it would amount to about the same thing in the end.