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.

Here’s what “they” (the NBA draft “experts”) are saying about the Sixers potential selections.  This comes via the Philadelphia Inquirer.  It gives you the down and dirty on the players that could be called with the Sixers 16th pick:
Center Kosta Koufos, 7-foot-1, 245 pounds, age 19, Ohio State freshman. “Unless a better option emerges, why not go for a scorer with shooting range to complement Samuel Dalembert?” writes Ian Thompson for Sports Illustrated’s Web site, SI.com. (Picks made June 11.)
– “Extremely high skill level … fairly mobile, not a stiff … can create shots for himself … outstanding shooting touch,” says DraftExpress.com (June 3)/
– “Put up solid numbers that would’ve been even better if he had someone the caliber of Mike Conley getting him the ball. … He could potentially emerge as a lottery pick,” says Tony Mejia of probasketballnews.com (May 27).
– Also the projection of mynbadraft.com (June 11).
Will he be there? Yes, says almost all the mocks quoted mentioned by this article.

Center JaVale McGee, 7-0, 237, age 20, Nevada sophomore. Projected as the Sixers pick by three mock drafts: HoopsWorld.com. (June 7), NBAdraft.net (June 2), and probasketballnews.com (May 24).
Will he be there? Almost all mocks say yes.

Center Marreese Speights, 6-10, 245, age 19, Florida sophomore. The Sixers need a “low-post banger,” and might go for a veteran like Elton Brand. Speights is an alternative. “He does a lot of the same things that Brand does; he just doesn’t have the conditioning or motivation,” writes Chad Ford of ESPN.com (June 2).
– Also projected to Sixers by insidehoops.com (June 6).
Will he be there? Most mocks say yes, although could go as high as 10, says realgm.com.

Center DeAndre Jordan, 7-0, 255, age 19, Texas A&M freshman. “A seven-footer with upside that the NBA will not allow to stay in school another year, even though he really needs it,” says Ray Glier of NBCSports.com (May 20) . “… Will pay off if he gets to the level projected.”
Will he be there? Nobody else seems to think so. At least four mocks project Jordan to go at No. 10.

Forward/center Robin Lopez, 7-0, 255, Stanford sophomore. “Energetic frontcourt player … shotblocker … exceptionally quick to the basket for rebounds, especially on the offensive end,” says realgm.com (June 3).
Will he be there? Yes, say almost all the mocks.

Power forward Darrell Arthur, 6-9 , 215, age 20, Kansas sophomore. “Smooth big man with a scoring mentality, and very nice potential both facing and with his back to the basket, said hoopshype.com (June 4). But he’s also a “… poor rebounder. Not particularly active – has a tendency to coast too often … poor passer. Needs to add strength. … Lots of potential, but will he achieve it?”
Will he be there? More mocks say he’ll be gone than say he’ll last to 16.

Forward Donte Green, 6-11, 226, age 20, Syracuse freshman. “There aren’t too many guys with Donte Greene’s size, athleticism and shooting range … But his draft stock is all over the board and he could use at least another year in college to get his body ready for the pros and to improve his consistency,” writes Jeff Fox of collegehoops.net (June 2).
Will he be there? He’ll last to No. 16, but not much longer, most mocks agree.

Guard/forward Chase Budinger, 6-7, 190, age 20, Arizona sophomore. Projected by RidiculousUpside.com (May 22).
Will he be there? He will, almost all mocks agree.

Josh Smith. His name has come up in Sixers rumblings for weeks, but I never thought the Sixers had a real possibility of acquiring him for the simple fact that Hawks’ management can’t be dumb enough to let him go. Josh Smith as a Sixer next season may be a possibility.  It all depends on whether the Hawks want to be cheap this offseason or not.  Also keep in mind, the Hawks have Al Horford waiting in the wings at PF.

Smith is set to become a restricted free agent, which gives Atlanta the right to match any offer by another team.  The 22-year-old is having a ridiculous season: 18.8 PPG, 8.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 3.3 BPG.  And he likes to beat up on the Sixers too: last night against the Sixers, Smith had 19 points, 9 blocks, 9 assists, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals — seriously, that’s his real stat line.

If the Sixers are able to sign both Smith and Iguodala in the offseason, they suddenly become a playoff team in 2008-2009 season.  Imagine this lineup next season:

1.) Center – Samuel Dalembert – 11.3 PPG / 10.1 RPG /2.4 BPG
2.) Power Forward – Josh Smith – 18.1 PPG / 8.0 RPB / 3.7 APG / 3.3 BPG
3.) Shooting Forward – Thaddeus Young – 9.2 PPG / 4.9 RPG / 1.6 APG *
4.) Shooting Guard – Andre Iguodala – 19.2 PPG / 5.6 RPG / 4.5 APG / 2.2 SPG
5.) Point Guard – Andre Miller – 16.6 PPG / 3.9 RPG / 6.2 APG / 1.1 SPG

* Stats from his previous 10 games.

That’s a formidable 5th or 6th seed team in the East next season. With three of their top players under the age of 23, their future will suddenly look bright.

If the Sixers could swing a deal with the Hawks for Josh Smith, it will certainly be worth it to trade Andre Miller to make it happen.