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Can Evan Turn(er) Around the Philadelphia 76ers

B-Dub Written by B-Dub, Friday June 25 2010
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I have to admit, I am genuinely excited about the future of the Philadelphia 76ers.  From the new coach, to getting rid of the dead weight at center, to the draft, everything seems to be pointing up for the franchise that has been down for the last decade.
 
Ever since the end of last season, the Sixers have been doing everything right for a change.  It started with the firing of coach Eddie Jordan, who seemed to quit on the team as his players were quitting on him.  After completing his one and only season as the team's head coach with a 27-55 record, Jordan was shown the door.  Then the man who should have been hired before last season when Jordan was basically the one and only man considered for the job was finally hired as the head coach.
 
I wrote before how well I think Doug Collins will do with the Sixers.  He has a track record of improving a team in his first year by double digit wins everywhere he has gone.  He should be able to do the same with this young Sixers team that underachieved last season.
 
The Sixers then traded useless complainer, Samuel Dalembert and his expiring contract.  I questioned whether the Sixers should have held onto him for one more year and let him ride the bench all year, but I understand the team's need to change the makeup of the roster.  The team needed to get rid of the malcontents and Sammy was the worst of the bunch.  That was more important than the salary cap relief after next season,  Dalembert had the lowest basketball IQ of any man to ever put on a pair of sneakers.  He had no idea how to play the game, he didn't work to get better and had marginal talent.  Yet he complained about playing time and his lack of offensive touches.  Hey Sammy, you know what's offensive?  You.  Good riddance to rotten garbage.
 
The Sixers could have gotten a pair of used socks for Dalembert and it would have been an improvement, but they got a couple of players that might help.  The got center Spencer Hawes, who is a project at center with questionable toughness.  If his reputation is even remotely true Hawes will get eaten alive by the Philadelphia fans.  Being a bad player is one thing, but not giving effort is unforgivable in the eyes of Philly fans.
 
That won't be a problem with the other player the Sixers got in the trade, Andres Nocioni.  Nocioni has a reputation as a hard-nosed player on the court and I think he'll quickly become a fan favorite.  He can knock down an outside shot as well, so that will be helpful. 
 
Neither of these guys are a difference-maker, but they'll help off the bench.
 
Finally the Sixers added Evan Turner in the draft.  Apparently Turner was the choice all along for the Sixers.  "From moment one, when [Sixers GM] Ed Stefanski and I talked to each other, Turner was our guy," Sixers coach Doug Collins said.  "He's such a competitive player and can play multiple positions.  When we worked him out, almost from the first minute we knew he was who we were going to take."
 
Turner was taken No. 2 overall, after the Washington Wizards took John Wall from Kentucky.  While Wall may have more upside, Turner was deemed more NBA-ready by many draft experts.  He has a very high basketball IQ, a nice mid-range game and at 6-7 can play either guard spot or small forward.  He played point guard last year at Ohio State out of necessity and played it well.  So well, in fact, that he swept the Wooden, Oscar Robertson, Associated Press, Naismith and Sporting News awards for national player of the year in 2009-10.  He averaged 20.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1.7 steals.
 
"I think he so mature as a basketball player," Stefanski said.  "The one thing I think is the biggest compliment you can give a player is he makes his teammates better.  This kid is unselfish.  He makes good decisions.  He's a terrific mid-range shooter." 
 
And Turner even wanted to play for the Sixers.  "I'm just glad to get here and get drafted by the team I wanted to get drafted by."  I choose to look at that as an endorsement of the Sixers and not as simply the fact that being drafted No. 2 overall guarantees Turner $3.835 million this season in the slotted rookie salary scale. 
 
Turner will be paired in the back-court with last year's top draft pick, point guard Jrue Holiday.  If the Sixers and the scouts are correct about Turner, and Holiday keeps improving on the promise he showed in his rookie season, the Sixers could have a dynamic back-court combo for the next decade.  Turner is 21 and Holiday is only 20.
 
Look, I know the Sixers still have problems in the middle, where Collins plans on using Elton Brand as his starting center, but where else is he going to play Brand and his untradeable contract?  Besides, nobody expects the Sixers to compete for a Championship next season.  Or most likely even the season after that.  They just don't have that kind of talent.  Not yet anyway.
 
What the Sixers do have now is a plan.  They have the right coach in place.  They now have a legitimate shooting guard in Turner, which allows Andre Iguodala to move back to small forward.  And trading the useless Samuel Dalembert allows Collins to move Brand to center and move Thaddeus Young into the starting lineup at power forward.  That isn't a Championship lineup, but it is a young lineup with lots of promise.       
 
The NBA is a league of haves and have nots.  In the last 27 NBA seasons only seven teams have won the NBA Championship.  They are the LA Lakers (8), Chicago Bulls (6), San Antonio Spurs (4), Boston Celtics (3), Detroit Pistons (3), Houston Rockets (2) and Miami Heat (1).  The Sixers won the last Championship before those teams back in 1982-83 behind Moses Malone and Julius "Dr. J" Erving. 
 
Today's NBA is a superstar driven league.  A team needs to get really bad and get extremely lucky in the draft.  I'm not going to sit here and tell you that Evan Turner is the next great superstar of the NBA, but I excited about his future prospects with the Sixers.
 
With the absolute garbage that the Philadelphia 76ers have been putting out on the court, with the exception of that one magical year in 2001 when Allen Iverson led the team to the Finals, hope is all the fans have. 
 
Maybe the Sixers are finally getting it right with their drafts picks.  And maybe they're finally going to commit to playing those young players and letting them grow together.  Then maybe they'll add some veteran free agents in the future for a run at a Championship. 
 
With big names like LeBron, Wade and Bosh on the free agent market, the landscape at the top of the NBA is about to change.  The Sixers won't be getting on the free agent train this time around, so they won't be relevant for a few years.  What they will be is an up-and-coming team with promise.  And after what Sixers fans have been watching for 26 of the last 27 years, some promise is a good thing.
 
Drafting Evan Turner was the last of the nice moves the Sixers have made recently to improve the team, but I think it might just turn out to be the best one. 


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