How Iverson Affects 76ers Playoff Picture

December 12, 2009

Eric Williams is a born and raised Philadelphian so when he wrote about the return of Allen Iverson and how it affects the team’s playoff chances I thought it was worth a look.  He thinks bringing back Iverson to the city he started his NBA career with was a no-brainer move for a team has had problems on offense and also filling seats in their arena.  Looking to get in on the NBA betting action?  Get signed up at BetUS and enjoy $500 in FREE bonus money!

With that being said, Williams does not think this move will instantly make the Sixers a title contender. The main knock problem with Iverson through his career has been the fact that he dominates the ball and doesn’t make his teammates better and there is no reason to believe that has changed.  The team has some gifted young players that need to continue their growth process, and standing around watching Iverson with the ball is not going to help that cause.

While the Sixers need Iverson as much as he apparently needed them, the best scenario for this re-marriage is that Iverson can somehow maintain his explosive ability to score the ball while ‘toning his game down’ a notch or two in order to incorporate his teammates into the offensive flow of the game, much like Kobe Bryant has done the last few season with his L.A. Lakers teammates.

Two of Philadelphia’s most promising young players, forward Thaddeus Young and forward/center Marreese Speights, are both players that could benefit from playing with Iverson should he decide to play the game the right way.  However, if Iverson goes into ‘one-on-one’ mode, both players could be hampered in their growth process.

Young averages 15.8 points per game on a solid 47 percent shooting mark and the injured Speights was averaging 13.0 points per contest while making a jaw-dropping 60 percent of his field goal attempts.  Even team scoring leader Andre Iguoadala (19.5 ppg), a multi-talented do-it-all player could benefit from not having to carry the bulk of the scoring load while former perennial all-star power forward Elton Brand (12.2 ppg) may find scoring on the low block easier with Iverson roaming the perimeter.

However, I genuinely believe that even if everything goes exactly according to plan with Iverson’s addition, Philadelphia may not have what it takes to reach the postseason in the Eastern Conference this season.  The Sixers are currently 14th out of 15 teams in the Eastern Conference standings and have plenty of problems they need to fix on both sides of the ball before they can even entertain the notion of getting back to respectability.

In addition to ranking 22nd in offense, the 76ers are ranked an identical 22nd in defense, including 27th in defensive field goal percentage and dead-last in defending the three-point shot, allowing opponents to make a ridiculous 42 percent from downtown.  Another problematic area for the Sixers has been rebounding. The team is ranked 25th in the league in redounding margin differential, giving up almost two rebounds per game more than they average despite having Samuel Dalembert and Brand on the roster.

Iverson may or may not help the team defensively as head coach Eddie Jordan claims he’s already doing, but one thing for sure is that not even Allen Iverson has the ‘Answer’ to cure all of the Philadelphia 76ers multitude of ailments.  Even at this early juncture in the regular season, it looks like five teams in the East, (Boston, Cleveland, Orlando, Atlanta and Miami) are nearly assured of postseason berths, leaving only three spots up for grabs.

Sure, the Sixers could sneak into the playoffs in the mostly mediocre Eastern Conference, but anyone expecting anything miraculous out of the Philadelphia 76ers this season just because the team added a surefire Hall of Famer in Iverson, is only fooling themselves. I’m expecting the 76ers to hover around right the .500 mark all season long.

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