Sixers Still Lack Superstar Talent Needed for Title

As another off-season begins to take shape in Philly once again, the 76ers are out looking for promising draft prospects and making trades to get solid role players. That's well and good if you have a team that is on the verge of an NBA Championship, needing a certain shooter or bench support to push your team over the edge. The Sixers are not such a team. They are a team that crawls to the playoffs every year, and then are mercifully defeated. The Sixers need a superstar.

Yes, Philadelphia 76ers' fans will argue that Andre Iguodala is the Sixers' superstar, and Elton Brand is a superstar too. Sadly, they are not. The Sixers are TRYING to make Iguodala their superstar. Iguodala is a great talent and perennial NBA All-Star, but he's more of a Scottie Pippen than a Michael Jordan. Same thing with Elton Brand: he's Pau Gasol-esque, not your team's Kobe Bryant. If the Sixers hope to make a run to the NBA Finals, they need an NBA superstar. Look at the top teams in the NBA. Lakers: they have Kobe. Orlando: 3 headed attack in Howard, Turkoglu, and Lewis. Cavaliers: Lebron James. Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand just do not fall in the same category. Here's to hoping the Sixers actually think outside the box this year, and draft/bring in another talent like Allen Iverson (without the drama).

Sixers Swap Evans for Kapono

The 76ers finally made one of hopefully many offseason roster moves today, trading Reggie Evans to the Toronto Raptors for Jason Kapono. Kapono, a career 45.4% three-point shooter, helps address the Sixers' urgent need for outside shooting. Hopefully Jason Kapono delivers more than Donyell Marshall, Royal Ivey, and Kareem Rush delivered this past season.

Although Reggie Evans has been a fan favorite in Philly for the past couple seasons, it was the right move to let him go. Yes, he hustled and represented a blue-collar Philadelphia mentality, but how much did he truly bring to the table? Evans averaged 3.3 points and 4.6 rebounds last season. The Sixers need more production than that if they hope to make a run deep into the playoffs. ALso, with the return of Jason Smith and Elton Brand this season, the Sixers have a full rotation of big men. If the Sixers decide to stay with Samuel Dalembert at center (God help us...) and Elton Brand returns to his All-Star form, there is limited minutes left for a backup big man, and the Sixers seem to be going with Jason Smith.

Lawson and Meeks Headline 76ers' Draft Workout Set For Friday

On Friday, the Sixers are set to hold draft workouts for five possible selections: Ty Lawson from UNC, Jodie Meeks from Kentucky, Stefon Jackson from Texas El-Paso, Toney Douglas from FSU, and Terrence Williams from Louisville. With guard Andre Miller's future in Philadelphia up in the air, the Sixers are hoping to draft a guard in this year's upcoming 2009 NBA Draft. Of these five players set for workouts, the best probable fits for the 76ers are Ty Lawson and Jodie Meeks. Both players can add immediate help to the Sixers lineup and hopefully bring them ever closer to winning an NBA Championship.

Ty Lawson: Lightning-quick, Lawson is the optimal selection for the Sixers. Although plagued by foot injuries for part of last season, Lawson managed to heal and guide UNC to a national championship. Even if Andre Miller returns next year, Lawson could immediately provide key minutes for the Sixers and be molded towards being their point guard of the future.

Jodie Meeks: Meeks proved this year that he is deadly from beyond the arc, and three-point shooting is in dire need in Philadelphia. Since the departure of Kyle Korver, the Sixers have yet to find a true shooter to stretch opponents' defenses. Donyell Marshall, Royal Ivey, and Kareem Rush were brought in for this reason, but failed to fill their roles. Meeks can come in and reprise Korver's role as the 76ers' shooter. Meeks also possesses the athleticism that Korver lacked, not making him the liability on the defensive end that Korver was.

Overall, the Sixers still have a lot of work ahead of themselves this postseason.They have free agents to deal with, contracts to negotiate, and a whole new coaching scheme to implement. However, the draft is looming ever nearer and the Sixers can't flub it this year. Look for the Sixers to draft a guard in the first round of the draft June 25th in hopes that he can run an Eddie Jordan offense for years to come.

Is Eddie Jordan The Answer? I Think Not

Well it's a new off-season in Philadelphia for the Sixers which means one thing: a new head coach. Over the past six seasons, the 76ers have had a startling six head coaches and three since the beginning of last season. Clearly, none have worked so far. Maurice Cheeks seemed OK until he flubbed the start of last season. Tony DiLeo was a front office guy trying to coach an NBA team. Not good. So after a season of coaching misery and a quick exit from the NBA playoffs at the hand of the Orlando Magic, the Sixers went out to search for a knight in shining armor to guide their team. They needed a coach with a great reputation, one that would restore a team that reached the 2001 NBA Finals to greatness. That coach would be....Eddie Jordan. With a career NBA coaching record of 230-288 (.444 winning percentage), Jordan does not seem to be that knight in shining armor. Rather, he seems like that pageboy wearing the rusty chestplate. The Sixers have been notoriously bad in the playoffs, not winning a playoff series since 2003. With a playoff record of 8-18 and having won only one playoff series in his career (2005), Jordan doesn't seem to have a solution for this directionless Sixers team. A Sixers fan can only hope for a miracle...