Heard in the Cheap Seats

If my informal Twitter poll is any indication, many Sixers fans want the team to make a deal as the deadline nears but few have confidence that one will get done.  What can you expect?  We are impatient Philly fans that constantly crave a championship but never believe one will come.  Even though the Phillies broke that mold, the general sentiment still lingers.

After last night’s 101-89 loss at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, it is likely that cries for a trade will escalate to deafening levels.  If there is one thing Philadelphia fans have down pat it is the “sky is falling syndrome.”  Two straight ugly losses are enough to kick that into high gear.

But not everyone is calling for a trade.  John Smallwood over at the Daily News thinks the team should stand pat.  His primary argument is that no move at the deadline could possibly pull this team to elite status and therefore it is not worth the risk.  He is right that a deadline deal is not suddenly going to make this team a contender.  But as I have said time and time again, this team is not a contender next year either with its current group of players plus Elton Brand.  In fact, if the Sixers were to essentially trot out the same group of players next season they would have a ceiling of a #4 seed in the Eastern Conference.  So if making a move now doesn’t get the team to title contender status but sitting tight doesn’t either, should fans be content to wallow in mediocrity?

I don’t want to continue to beat a dead horse but it is my opinion that the Sixers need to seriously test the market for Andre Miller.  It’s not that I dislike Miller or think he should be traded just for the sake of moving him.  If they can’t get something close to equal value I will take my chances in free agency.  However, Miller is a valuable commodity on the trade market.  Several teams would love to have a veteran point guard for a playoff push.

Yes, in the short term, the Sixers will suffer.  And yes, there is a strong case to be made that moving Miller takes away the one veteran presence that can help this young team mature.  Shipping Miller could leave a bad taste in the collective mouths of these young players.  That is a valid point but a risk I would be willing to take if I were sitting in the GM’s office today.

Look no further than the last two games for the reason the Sixers CANNOT win with this personnel.  63-177 from the field for 35% and 6-28 from three-point range for 21%.  Those are not the numbers of a winning team and certainly not the numbers of a contender.  The clear and obvious need is a shooter.  Problem is: the Sixers have little money to spend this offseason and there are few options available on the trade market.  It’s not an easy predicament that Ed Stefanski faces today but he needs to try and find a new home for Andre Miller.

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.