The saying goes, “sometimes you have to take one step back to get two steps forward”, and that is the theme for the 76ers 2013-14 season.

Sam Hinkie’s “unofficial” goal for this season is to lose a ton of games, secure the best odds for landing the top spot in the 2014 NBA Draft and with that pick select a franchise changing player like Andrew Wiggins of Kansas

With those thoughts in mind, welcome to “Wiggins Watch”.

In this season long series I will break down everything Andrew Wiggins.  From performances, to upcoming games, to scouting reports, to possible controversial photos of Wiggins partying with Johnny Manziel in College Station.

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It’s 7:15 am and Sam Hinkie has just arrived at the Penrose Diner.

I’ve already been there for fifteen minutes.

He looks around and pulls out his phone.

I stride up to him and introduce myself.

First impressions are an important thing and given the chance to make one, I do.

Sam is here to answer questions but he isn’t exactly here to answer questions.

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In front of a crowd of reporters at the Wells Fargo Center today, Allen Iverson finally closed the book on his basketball career. It was a decision which had taken Iverson three years of contemplation, before he finally decided what he believes is the best route for him and his family at this stage of his life.

Iverson statistically is one of the most decorated Sixers players of all time and — like LeBron James stated earlier this week — is likely the best pound-for-pound basketball player to ever play the game.

He was the 2001 NBA MVP and an 11-time All-Star. He won four NBA scoring titles, three steals titles, was a part of three NBA First Team’s and Second Team’s and won the 1997 NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

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This 2013-14 opening day edition of “Fo’ with the Foes” – Philadunkia’s advanced scouting series which with the help of an accomplished journalist from around the NBA beat or blog world, previews key upcoming 76ers games – features tonight’s opponent, the Miami Heat who are the two time defending NBA Champions.

After the jump, I’ll look a Fo’ key items for tonight’s game.  Additionally, we’ll get a little more insight into the Heat team the Sixers face tonight from our man Wes Goldberg at AllUCanHeat.com as Wes will answer Fo’ questions on the Heat from us here at Philadunkia.

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The definition of a hero is generally a person or figure, who is admired or idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

As a Philadelphia sports fan my entire life, I have had plenty of opportunities to pick who this person was for me growing up.

There was the hard-hitting but well-spoken Brian Dawkins of the Eagles, that truly left everything he had out on the football field on Sunday’s.  He set the tone on defense for a team which reached the Super Bowl in 2004.

There’s the great Chase Utley of the Phillies.

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It’s time for the 2013-14 season tip off edition of Philadunkia’s 4on4 series…

As a reminder, this Philadunkia question and answer series is “loosely based” on ESPN.com’s highly successful, NBA related series of posts titled “5on5″.  Our version of this genre of posts will ask 4 Philadunkia scribes to answer 4 topical, hot button questions about our Philadelphia 76ers.

Now you’re probably asking, “Why not simply stick with the “5on5″ format that ESPN.com uses?”

Well as any great hoops coach will tell you — playing 4on4 is the best way to truly learn the game of basketball.

After the jump four Philadunkia scribes will look at four hot button 76ers topics as 2013-14 season opener looms.

   
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The Sixers preseason is mercifully over.  With a 2-5 recordon the books — wins over Bilbao (a Spanish second-tier team) and the also tanking  Boston Celtics — the prospects of a historically bad season have never been better.

All aboard the Winless for Wiggins train!!!

Despite the sad level of play we witnessed in the last two weeks from the 7-6, we felt it was a must to analyze some of what we saw during the Sixers’ preseason run.

After the jump,  I highlight areas to keep an eye on heading into the regular season.

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Being cut hits hard, especially for Sixers forward Royce White tonight.

White was surprisingly given the axe by Hinkie and Co. along with guards Khalif Wyatt, Vander Blue and center Mac Koshwal to bring the teams roster down to 16.

White, who has had a media circus surrounding him of Andrew Bynum-like proportions since his addition to the team in early July, was looked at by many analysts, including USA Today’s Jason Wolf, to be a lock on the teams roster come opening night.

He wasn’t.

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The prevailing notion through the years after a high-profile athlete suffers a serious knee injury, or any injury for that matter, is that the athlete’s mindset is to return as soon as possible.

In some circles, that notion still holds true, namely with Adrian Peterson. The Minnesota Vikings star running back tore the ACL and MCL in his right knee on Christmas Eve, 2011.  He wound up starting Week 1 of the 2012 season just nine months later, rushed for 2,097 yards and was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player.

It’s important to note how Peterson went about his injury recovery because Chicago Bulls star point guard Derrick Rose went about it very differently and now, despite Brett Brown’s backpedaling yesterday, it appears 76ers rookie Nerlens Noel is about to follow that same route.

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Just prior to the 76ers 104-93 preseason loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in which the team shot 7 air balls and MCW hit 1-11 from the field while playing ole’ defense on Kyrie Irving, head coach Brett Brown gave the following unexpected gem to the media when discussing Nerlens Noel’s return from ACL surgery, “I doubt, everybody doubts, that he’s going to play this year.”

Needless to say, this comment from Brown set the the Twitter-sphere on fire last night and for me, this “announcement” (Which was later softened by other comments from “sources” within the Sixers.) is just another addition to the list of mistakes made in the “Joshua Harris Era”.

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