Post#129 » by 51X3RF4N » Wed Jun 10, 2009 2:44 am
I was thinking about that the other day.
Comparing the Wiz teams under Jordan who were successful (mildly) against the personnel that this Sixers team has....
If you look at Jamison vs Thad, it seems as though that is a good comparison. Thad is almost exactly Jamison's size, athleticism, and mentality. Personally, I think Thad has a better outside shot at this point in his career vs Jamison's when he came out of UNC. But I could definitely see him work the same way in the offense as Jamison, where he avg'd 19 point, 7 board, 2 assts, and shot 34% from 3-pt land. IMO, that is something Thad could do this season if given 35+ mpg.
The next comparison would be Haywood vs Brand. Haywood was used differently than Brand will be IMO, but he avgd 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. I'm hoping Brand does more than that. However, you also must consider that Kwame Brown got 21 mpg, Etan Thomas got 20 mpg, and Haywood got about 27 mpg. Brown and Thomas each got around 7 ppg and 5 rpg. So with Brand theoretically getting 30+ mpg, we should expect about 13-15ppg and 8-9 rpg from him. But that is where Smith/Speights come in and fill those roles that Kwame and Etan filled.
Then you move on to the SF position. In 04-05, Jarvis Hayes got most of the minutes for the Wiz at the 3 spot. I believe Iggy is better at pretty much every aspect of the game than Jarvis, who avg'd 10ppg and 4 rpg.
These 2 spots (SF and SG) are the main differences in the 2 teams IMO.
You had Hayes scoring about 10ppg, while Hughes at the SG spot was scoring 22ppg.
I think you will see that switched with the Sixers. I don't care who is at the SG spot, if it is anyone on the current roster other than Iggy/Thad, you won't be seeing 22ppg. I think Iggy reaches that lvl this year. While the SG then only has to take on 10ppg worth of scoring. That could easily be a KK/Kapono/Green.
The PG spot was Arenas. He got 25ppg. Will Brand's scoring replace the need for such high numbers from Lou? Maybe. If that is the case, then lets say Lou/backups would have to be somewhere around 18 ppg.
I honestly think Lou can get 18ppg, while SG gets 10ppg, Iggy gets 22ppg, Thad gets 19ppg, and Brand goes for 15ppg.
Iggy immediately becomes the guy you run the offense towards, not through. Thad is the 2nd option, with Lou having the green light on any open shot, drive situation. Brand is the cleanup and works hard to get offensive boards and play tough D. No need to run an offense through him in this situation. But if he gets the ball on the wing and is open, go for it. Last resort is a kickout for a 3pt shot. Every play should be designed to get easy layups.
If the Sixers want to look like the Wiz did in their 2 successful years, they could be building this kind of mold.
By the way, the Wiz is 05-06 looked like this...
Arenas 29ppg
Daniels 10ppg
Butler 17ppg
Jamison 20ppg
Haywood 7ppg
I think if you move some of the scoring load from Lou again and add it to Iggy(Butler) and Brand(Haywood), you will still see similar results. It just means a less selfish that isn't led by a gunner like Arenas.
What are people's thoughts on this?? Could anyone see this realistically being the way the lineup looks?
Your Future Sixers
C- Embiid/?
PF- ?/?
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SG- ?/?
PG- ?/?