Sixers Reach New Low

Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the Philadelphia 76ers, they go and lose to the lowly New York Knicks, 89-81. This season had some promise a few weeks ago when the Sixers were actually hovering around .500, but now they clearly are going to be in the battle for the worst team in the league, as they have lost 11 of their last 13. Reasons for the slide are many, but I will name a few here:

*No Talent. This is the obvious one. Just ask yourself, besides the Andre's, how many of these guys could be starters on any Western Conference team? Even Andre Miller would be a sixth man at best on most of the playoff teams in the West.

*Reggie Evans. Seriously, I know the guy can rebound, but he has to be amongst the worst starters on any team in the league. He played 31 minutes tonight and scored 2 points. For a big-time rebounder, shouldn't he be getting more easy put-backs? And to think, the Sixers traded two players to get him.

*No 3-point shooters. Since the trade of Kyle Korver, the best 3-point shooter on the team has been Andre Iguodala. If you have ever watched AI2 try to shoot from the outside, you know that's a bad thing. I will still support the Sixers decision to trade Korver to free up money in the offseason, but the team has a real hole here. They are going to have to use that extra money on another shooter.

*Bad Drafting. When was the last time these guys got a real steal in the draft? Iguodala was a great selection, but other than that, the Sixers have made few if any impact picks in the first rounds of drafts. Rodney Carney was acquired in a trade at the 2006 draft, and he has been pretty lousy. Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young look like decent selections, but in the last few years that have not hit a home run with any selection.

I will leave it at that. There are dozens of other reasons, like their inability to rebound, bad trades and contracts by Billy King and mediocre coaching. All we have to look forward to now is the 2008 draft, where the Sixers are sure to have a high pick. Go here for a list of the top ten prospects in the upcoming draft. I think Roy Hibbert could be a great building block for this team if they end up with a pick around 6-8. Let's Hope Ed Stefanski makes the right selection.