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Sports Handicapping Articles: Philadelphia 76ers Early 2006 Season Analysis

At 34.4 PPG, Allen Iverson is leading the NBA in scoring. With a very short bench (partly due to Willie Greens near season-ending injury), Iverson has to do must of the damage by himself. Now with Chris Webber, does he have enough around him to lead the Sixers back to the Promised Land?

The supporting cast around Iverson is at its highest since the Sixers made the Finals. Andre Iguodala is a quality defender who can hit a 3 when hes called upon, but he needs to rebound more regularly. Chris Webber cant jump anymore, but is still an 18-9 player. Samuel Dalembert and Steven Hunter are lean Centers who cover a lot of ground in the paint. Kyle Korver needs to work on his shot selection; hed be a 50% shooter if he didnt fire the 1st shot available.

This team like Iverson has no problem scoring. Scoring 102.4 PPG, theyre just behind Phoenix for the NBA lead in scoring. However they allow 102.3 points as well, which is far too much for a division contender. Theyre 23rd in rebounding, partly since Webber can only be so active on the boards. Getting to the foul line is a piece if cake for the Sixers and Iverson, who attempt 29.5 free throws a game.

The problem with Iverson is he shouldnt be playing PG. He basically handles the ball in every play anyway, but asking him to play Point Guard means that the guy setting up the offense is the primary scorer. They need to try to pick up a PG like Eric Snow who can handle the ball and set up Iverson, which would push Kyle Korver to the bench. He is in a Kobe situation with the huge number of shots he takes, but AI gets away with it because he has a better supporting cast than Bryant and is winning some games because of it.

Normally the Sixers are keen to make mid-season trades, this year will probably be different. The 76ers gave huge money to Willie Green and Sam Dalembert, not to mention what Iverson and Webber are receiving. The big killer is Jamal Mashburn. Under the Amnesty Clause, the 76ers couldve done away with Mashburn and his preposterous contract. But they anticipated he would retire, and save them the trouble (like Alan Houston did for the Knicks). However, monster Mash hasnt retired and the Sixers are still paying him. Basically Phili is sticking with the team they have. What theyre showing isnt playoff worthy, but it might be enough to topple the Nets from the division lead.

posted by xtrx @ 6:27 PM