The best news about last night’s season opener in Orlando is that thanks to the Phillies and Game 1 of the World Series, few people actually witnessed the debacle put on by the 76ers.

We easily could have reposted our recap from Game 6 vs. Orlando in the 2009 Playoffs under a new title and our thoughts from that disaster would also apply to last night’s effort by the Sixers.  That fact is amazing to us considering the 2009-10 Sixers obviously have a new head coach, a new offensive system, two new starters, a new sixth man and new uniforms.  Yet they looked almost identical to the team Orlando dismissed from the playoffs last April.  Put bluntly, last night’s opener was difficult to watch at times.

Now we realize that this was just the first game of the year and that Orlando is a very, very good team (possibly Top 5 in the League) so we’ll try not to slam the Sixers too hard.  In fact the best thing for everyone involved in Philadelphia could be to forget this game ever happened, move on and focus on Friday’s home opener.

With those thoughts in mind, we’ll just provide you with a few quick notes on the season opener and put this one behind us.

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Well, it’s finally here.  That’s right, tonight is opening night for the 76ers as they tip off the 2009-10 NBA season against the Magic down in Orlando.  We thought it would be a tremendous way to wrap up our three day long 2009-10 Sixers preview by posting an interview with the Sixers rising star, Thaddeus Young. 

After all, we can write all the opinions we want and link to all the expert predictions we can find, but we’re confident you’d rather hear about how Philadunkia’s home team will perform this season from one of the guys actually wearing the Sixers new retro uniforms.  

We figured no player is more qualified to give a no holds bar evaluation of the 2009-10 Sixers then Thad.  The explosive wingman has played for three different coaches in his three years with the Sixers, so he can speak to what type of coach Eddie Jordan will be.  He battles Elton Brand on a daily basis at practice,  so he knows exactly how healthy EB is or is not.  Plus Thad has a tremendous basketball IQ, so he can give us the real scoop on the Princeton offense.

Read Thad’s  thoughts and predictions for the 2009-10 season after the jump.  

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There are just two-days remaining before the start of the 2009-10 NBA season for our Philadelphia 76ers and after all the changes that went on with the squad this past summer and a preseason filled with unbelieveable highs and disturbing lows, we’re sure a lot of you out there in Philadunkia nation have no idea what to expect from the Sixers this season. 

Over the next couple of days we’re going to try and provide some clearity for you on this Sixers team by previewing the upcoming season in muliple formats.  We’ll start by presenting the 2009-10 TrueHoop Network Season Preview of the 76ers, which we assembled with some help from our friends in the distinguished THN family.  We believe you’ll find the unique format of this preview entertaining and most importantly very informative.

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For those of us who can actually find some 76ers news in amongst all the Phillies hysteria, we learned yesterday that former Temple Owls star Dionte Christmas had been waived by the Sixers. 

Obviously we hate to see any young prospect get his NBA dreams squashed for the moment, but this one really hits home because Dionte is a local kid whom we have known for years and has taken the time since the beginning of the summer to talk with us here at Philadunkia on several occasions.

Now we don’t think Dionte is the missing link between the Sixers and an NBA title, but to be honest the move was a bit of a surprise to us here at Philadunkia for a couple of reasons.  First, the Sixers desperately need more three point shooting and Dionte can supply that for sure.  Second, by letting Andre Miller walk to Portland and drafting Jrue Holiday combined with some of the statements he has made recently, it appeared that Ed Stefanski was going with a youth movement in the back-court.  So cutting Dionte and stating that he wanted to keep that “spot available for someone more able to immediately contribute” would seem to be a diversion from that game plan.  Lastly, the Sixers now only have 13 players on their roster and again are now in need of a tall, back-court player who can shoot from the outside.  Dionte fits that description as well.

Anyways, we got on the cell with Dionte and even in the midst of this tough personal stretch he was gracious enough to give us a few minutes to talk about his whole ride with the Sixers.  Of course the kid stayed classy through the whole interview, so our hats are off to him and we wish him the best of luck chasing his NBA dream.

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With two games against Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns, plus a trip to Mexico where Jrue Holiday got some much needed burn — court time, not sun burn — , the 76ers had a very busy weekend. 

Now, coming off the hectic three day stretch it seems that they have a big preseason game tonight against the Washington Wizards down at the Wachovia Center.  Philadunkia hopes somebody lets the Sixers in on that little secret.  To catch you up on all things Sixers, here’s a link dump for your Tuesday Phillies hang over.

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With so many big names being moved this past summer, it is easy to see how some off-season acquisitions were able to fly under the radar.  Moves such as letting Andre Miller slip off to Portland and adding depth in the form of Rodney Carney and Jason Kapono didn’t necessarily make national headlines, but they were certainly of much interest to us here in Philadunkia nation, especially the addition of a much needed three-point threat in the form of Kapono. 

It is no secret that the Sixers were horrendous in the three-point shooting category last season, as they haven’t had a true threat in that area since Kyle Korver left for Utah.  Therefore, the addition of Kapono was a logical move, solidifying the Sixers outside shooting and providing another scorer off the bench. 

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Even though we are huge 76ers fans and NBA fans in general, we typically put very little to absolutely no stock in the League’s preseason games.  However with so many changes in the Sixers lineup, a new head coach and a new offensive philosophy we thought it may be a good idea to pay close attention to the home team’s preseason efforts so we can form an educated opinion of what to expect from the Sixers in 2009-10.

So far that’s been no easy task.  Except for the Knicks game on Monday which was televised on MSG, we’ve had to either listen to the Sixers online or read the web the day after the game to keep tabs on the squad this preseason.  Obviously that is not the ideal evidence to base an analysis of your team on, but we’ll give it a run anyhow. 

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On October, 10^th2009 All-Star forward Elton Brand headed down north Broad Street to Girard College high school to hand out his brand new Converse EB2’s to kids from many neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia.  Usually the only time Girard College high school is in the news is when highly rated senior guard and University of Pittsburgh commit John Johnson hits the court for the Cavaliers, but on this day it was Brand that brought the media out to the high school.

Brand has a special love for the Converse open gym and it is the second straight year that Brand is handing out his signature shoes to the kids.  Brand told us that he used to attend open gyms and thinks it’s a great thing for the game of basketball. “Basketball has a way of getting guys together to form comradery and form friendships,” said Brand.  “You can meet guys from different neighborhoods just by playing the game of basketball. That’s the love of the game and that’s what basketball is all about.”

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The 76ers began their preseason schedule last night up and while the squad did handily defeat a watered down  Toronto squad (No Bosh or Hedo), the W is not what we are talking about this morning in the Philadunkia offices. 

The conversation late yesterday and again this morning here has been about the 76ers current roster and rosters from past Sixers teams.  As we were discussing whether it will be Dionte Christmas, Sean Singletary or Stromile Swift who lands the 14th and according to Ed Stefanski the final roster spot on the 2009-10 and thus steals a bunch of cash this year, the conversation turned to players who have stolen money from past Sixers teams. 

The thieves who took over this part of the conversation are easy to recite for most Sixers fans, but just in case you have forgotten their names, the players who took center stage in this discussion at the Philadunkia offices were Chris Webber, Matt Geiger, Glenn Robinson and Shawn Bradley. 

Sure you remember their names and faces and the crimes they committed, but do you remember the details of their offenses and do you know approximately how much money they stole per game?  Well, we have all of that info for you after the jump. 

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