Here we go again Sixers fans, the horrible trend continues.  In an infuriating Billy Kingesque manner, the 76ers management has once again overpaid a non-deserving player and as a result set themselves up for future financial troubles.  League sources told ESPN late last night that the 76ers had “agreed to terms” with restricted free agent Andre Iguodala to, in my mind, a ridiculous 6 year deal worth an even more ridiculous $80mil.  I had thought for all intensive purposes, that Billy King had been fired and thrown out of Philadelphia (and the tri-state area for that matter) last December after making a plethora of bonehead decisions that undoubtingly screwed this franchise.  These decisions included, but are not limited to, signing such un-phenomenal non-superstars such as Kenny “K9” Thomas and Brian “The Winner” Skinner to long-term lucrative contracts as well as trading away our beloved franchise player, “The Answer” Allen Iverson (I’m still very salty on this one…I hate you Billy King!)

When Ed Stefanski took King’s throne as the 76ers president and general manager, we as Sixers fans rejoiced since there was a new face at the helms of basketball operations in Philadelphia.  What I’ve seen with this restructuring of Andre Iguodala’s contract, however, is much of the same antics that have ruined our team since the glorious 2001 NBA Finals run.  Let me preface the next portion of my rant by saying that I love watching Andre Iguodala in a 76ers uniform and playing ball.  In each of his first four seasons as a Sixer this young, exciting, and athletic 6’6 forward out of Arizona has not only graced the courts of the NBA with his myriad of high flying spectacular dunks, but has also improved his scoring average annually.  The Sixers therefore did have a responsibility to compensate Iggy, but I don’t think that $80mil over 6 years was justified.  It is my opinion that Andre Iguodala is in no shape or form a $15mil per year player.  This opinion can be proven in one statement.  It goes like this…The guy cannot shoot, at all!  This was very evident in the first round of last year’s NBA Playoffs against the Detroit Pistons.  Iguodala shot a dismal 33% from the field and embarrassingly turned the ball over more than four times a game.  A $15mil per year player in this league does not and cannot perform in this fashion.  Some of you may be thinking, “But Jay, he was being guarded by Tayshaun Prince”.  That rebuttal, which many of you think is smart and witty, is not smart and witty and I completely discard it.  Look, Tayshaun Prince does play for an Eastern Conference team we play many times a season and is a great defender, but so are many other players in the NBA (i.e. Bruce Bowen, Chris Paul, Raja Bell, Ron Artest, etc.).  By paying Andre Iguodala more money he isn’t going to miraculously transform him into an offensive juggernaut.  If you are a realistic Sixers fan, you can come to grips with the fact that Iggy is nothing more than a great above the rim player in this league.  In the long run, being that type of player does not, and will not win you the big games.  Therefore in essence, I believe that that Stefanski and the Sixers paid Andre Iguodala, seemingly to just dunk the basketball a couple times a year, $3-5mil more than what I would have categorized as sufficient and justified.

The last thing I want to do is come across as a “hater” on Andre Iguodala and/or Sixers Management. In fact, I am so stoked and elated that Stefanski and the front office were able to land a big time name like Elton Brand here in Philadelphia.  I am simply “hating” on the way that the Sixers do business with disgruntled players; they cave and they pay.  As a result of overpaying this year, and in years past the Sixers are sure to find themselves in financial problems in the coming years.  The 76ers current roster is full of young players with great potential.  Louis Williams (who recently got a deal) and Thaddeus Young are the core of these emerging stars not only on this team, but in the NBA itself.  My question to you fans who think I’m making too much of all this is, what happens theoretically when these young guys on our roster play exceptionally well in the next season or two and thereby demand big(ger) money to remain with the team the following season?  The answer is simple.  They won’t remain with the team and opt out of their contracts, since we overpaid players such as Andre Iguodala too graciously in the years past.  This my friends is a crying shame for a team destined for success in the Eastern Conference for years to come and as a loyal, die-hard Sixers fan it sickens me.

– Jay Vaidya

The 76ers were able to get a deal with Louis Williams done.  Williams has signed a 5-year deal, but financial details have not been disclosed yet.

Now, let’s work on the Iguodala deal and the Sixers should be set.

In other 76ers news, they were able to sign G Kareem Rush to help out in the 3-point shooting department.  Rush spent last season with the Pacers and averaged 8.3 PPG.

As a Sixers fan, you can’t help but love the way the 76ers roster looks on paper: (1) Andre Miller, (2) Andre Iguodala, (3) Thaddeus Young, (4) Elton Brand, (5) Samuel Dalembert.  That has the look of a truly complete team.  And don’t forget the talented young reserves such as Louis Williams and Jason Smith who are both developing well.

It seems that the Sixers are only a sharpshooter away from being considered a top 3 team in the East and one that can seriously challenge Boston and Detroit.  Hopefully, the Brand acquisition will attract one of those Eastern European dudes who are just so good at shooting the 3.

Here are some interesting quotes from NBA journalists.  These come via the Philadelphia Inquirer:
ESPN.com’s John Hollinger says the Sixers are instant challengers in the East, and uses his mathematical formula to project 52 wins for them next season:

Are the Philadelphia 76ers, as presently constituted, good enough to win the East in the 2008-09 season? Doubtful.

But are the Sixers good enough to win a playoff series or two and scare the bejeezus out of Detroit and Boston? You bet. And if they add a shooter and get another year of growth from all their young studs, will they be in position to win the conference in 2010? Absolutely.

SI.com’s Ian Thomsen says Brand is a better fit for the Sixers than Josh Smith:

One alternative to signing Brand was for the Sixers to make an offer big and front-loaded enough to pry restricted free agent Josh Smith away from Atlanta. But imagine starting a new era with Smith and Iguodala as your max players. Smith, 22, hasn’t established the self-discipline to manage the responsibility of being the highest-paid player in a market like Philadelphia. And whatever salary Smith might have received from the 76ers would have served as a new threshold for Iguodala, who would have demanded even more as a restricted free agent.
Henry Abbott of ESPN.com blog TrueHoop praises Sixers general manager Ed Stefanski and says his next move could be to add an outside shooter:

What’s more, the team clearly needs to add some reliable outside shooting, and Brand could be a free-agent magnet. (Remember last month when he did that for the Clippers?) Some free agents really want to win. With Brand, Philadelphia might be in the running for people who have other options.

That would be the icing on the “Welcome Back to Relevancy” cake they should be serving this morning at Sixers headquarters.

Charley Rosen of FoxSports.com gives the Sixers an A+ for the addition of Brand:

Coupled with his ever-improving mid-range shooting, Brand is simply one of the most dynamic scorers in the league. If he’s neither a superb passer nor (despite his penchant for blocking shots) a defensive ace, Brand figures to transform the Sixers into a legitimate challenger to Boston’s supremacy.

Here is the full article.

Elton Brand to Philly?  We all know the Sixers are two pieces away from being considered a legitimate playoff contender.  First, they need a low-post presence who can score and rebound.  Elton Brand, if healthy, would certainly be a great fit.  Second, the Sixers need a sharpshooter on the outside, which Stefanski thinks he can pick up in the draft.  Just look at how much Turkoglu helped the Magic and Stojakovic helped the Hornets.  The core of young players are there: Iguodala, Dalembert, Louis Williams, and Thaddeus Young all have bright futures in Philly.  With Brand in the mix, the Sixers will make a lot of noise next season.

Here is what Depressed Fan has to add:

ESPN 950 interviewed Elton Brand today and gave him the hard sell on coming to Philly to play for the Sixers. Click here to listen, sounds like he’d like to come to the Sixers and play with Andre Miller and Co.

Brand has two weeks to decide if he will opt out of his deal, and he talked about the talented young core in Philly, the fact that the Sixers are one of the few teams under the cap and how he’s in the process of weighing all of his options.

It was great seeing the Sixers rock the retro 1983 jerseys once again last night against the Celtics.  I would love to see these jerseys more often and I think it’s absolutely ridiculous that the 76er’s marketing department isn’t even selling 1983 Retro Andre Iguodala jerseys.  Personally, I would love to get my hands on a Louis Williams retro jersey, but no luck.  You can’t even get a personalized retro jersey on NBA.com’s store.  Some places carry the retro jerseys, but you’re limited to Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks, Moses Malone, and Bobby Jones; if you opt for one of those, it will cost you something in the range of $250.

I urge all of you to sign the petition to bring back the retro uniforms at Sixers 4 Guidos.  The 90s look is getting old and fading away; it’s time to go retro!  We already saw the Pistons do it and look what happened to their franchise.  To help get my point across, I’m changing the 76ers logo on my articles to the old Sixers logo.  I want to see these jerseys from now on:

If you’ve been a reader of this blog for some time or if you go through my former Sixers articles from the past (like this one), one thing you’ll find is that I’m totally infatuated with Louis Williams.  The guy is 21 and in his 3rd NBA season we’re getting glimpses of what his potential could be.

I predicted before the season started that Williams is likely to be a front runner for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.  With dunks like the one in the following clip, you can see why.  You can also look at his increased production from last year.  This year Lou Will is averaging 10.5 PPG and 3.5 APG in 21.5 minutes per game.  That’s up from his 2006-2007 averages of 4.3 PPG and 1.8 APG in 11.3 minutes per game.

Check out this amazing dunk after freezing Dwayne Wade in his shoes and laying the smack-down on Udonis Haslem: