Value is often a topic that is mentioned in both articles and comments.  There is an approximate possession value in an NBA.  Without getting into specifics like the value of a possession goes down the farther into a quarter you get or that an offensive rebound is more valuable for certain players, I will break down based on averages the offensive performance of the 76er players through 3 games.

The average NBA possession is worth 1.05 points.  Here are some other values:

 Turnovers -1.2 OREB +.985 2pt make +.95 3pt make +1.95 Miss -.7

 This doesn’t take into accounts assists, in parenthesis is each players assist total…

Maalik        +11.06 in 69 minutes (17)

SwaggyP   +9.93 in 86 minutes (6)

Holiday      +7.63 in 73 minutes (18)

Kwame      +7 in 32 minutes (1)

Thad         +4.21 in 71 minutes (4)

Lavoy        +3.54 in 83 minutes (2)

D. Wright     +3.03 in 44 minutes (4)

Hawes      +2.73 in 67 minutes (10)

Wilkins      +1.24 in 27 minutes (0)

Royal        +1.49 in 26 minutes (1)

Moultire     -.81 in 40 minutes (0)

JRich        -4.26 in 41 minutes (3)

ET            -11.33 in 89 minutes (10)

What these numbers tell you the approximate value of each player on the offensive end, while it isn’t perfect, it’s the quickest and most efficient way to figure out value without going further down the rabbit hole while sitting at the bar after a game with friends.

I know what you are thinking, “What pray tell is down the rabbit holes?”

 
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If winning mattered in the preseason, the 76ers would be off to a more than promising start; especially after demolishing the Boston Celtics at the Wells Fargo Center on Monday night.

But of course, exhibition basketball is strictly about evaluation, with winning being a benign afterthought.  After all, the Celtics were without Kevin Garnett (allowing Spencer Hawes, who had 17 points in 17 minutes, to look like Moses Malone).  Meanwhile, the Sixers have yet to see their new centerpiece, Andrew Bynum in action, as his knee continues to be injected (legally, of course) and recover.

Though, even with Bynum’s absence, the 7-6′s preseason performance has shown why they are in need of the big man’s service.

In the most simplistic terms, it still has been difficult for the Sixers to score in their set offense.  It’s just ugly to watch at times.  The struggle for shot creation has carried over into a brand new season as they have no dynamic offense weapons to create space and scoring opportunities for teammates.  While, they’ve continued to thrive on fast break opportunities, they continue to look sluggish in half court situations.

That’s why Bynum’s presence is beyond anticipated, as he will just make it easier for everyone, including Jrue Holiday.

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Tonight the 76ers (1-1) will hit the hardwood down at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time this pre-season as they take on the Boston Celtics in their 3^rd preseason game.  Personally, I’d like to see the Sixers bounce back from their overtime loss to the Nets and the lackluster performance against a bad Orlando team with a big W tonight.

However in the pre-season certain things are more importnat than wins and losses.  So with an eye on the start of the regular season and the eventual return of Andrew Bynum, I will be taking notes on three items with this 76ers roster tonight.  

1)  Seeing what Moultrie can do with extended mintues.

Rumor has it that rookie Arnett Moultrie (pic at left) will be getting the start tonight for the 7-6.  This makes sense especially because earlier in the day the 76ers tweeted that Kwame Brown will not be active tonight.  Also Kevin Garnett will more than likely according to Doc Rivers not play tonight, which means Moultrie should put up some big numbers and get some confidence flowing.  With only two points on Saturday against the Nets in 11 minutes of action I’d like to see Arnett get plenty of burn and be more aggressive in attacking the rim.

 
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Give the Sixers credit for keeping it close last night as the Nets had them at arms length throughout most of the contest, but this is a game the 7-6 could have had.  In the end, the outcome of this game was not as important as what could be learned from it, and based on last night’s action the Sixers have a lot to learn.

Jrue came out of the gate strong, attacking offensively, which was nice to see.  Holiday has a knack at getting to the rim, and this skill will be extremely important to the Sixers throughout the season.  If successful, Jrue’s penetration will spur the offense in 2012-13, eventually leading to easy looks for Bynum in the post and open J’s for the squad’s newly acquired shooters.  He was unable to sustain this offensive output throughout the game though.

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It seems like just yesterday Andre Iguodala was sinking a free throw to send the Sixers to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals.  A few months earlier, Lou Williams showed off his best Allen Iverson impression, scoring 14 points (including the last 10) in a 4^th quarter comeback to stun the Lakers at home for a monumental victory. 

Or what about Elton Brand? From being lost in the shadows of the 2010-11 season, to shifting gears and having one of the best defensive seasons in his NBA career while vocally willing the Sixers to one of their most successful seasons of the past decade.

The memories are hard to forget.  And, without a doubt every last one of them deserves credit for putting on their uniform every day and fighting for this organization.

You see, regardless of how ‘Dre has acted towards the Sixer coaching staff and its fans the past week, let’s take a moment and reflect on what these three men have given you all.  A franchise that is relevant again.  Other talented players did help out along the way, but through all the doubters (myself included towards the end of last season) these three fought night after night and gave this city and its fans a reason to believe. 

The Sixers are more relevant than ever, but the current roster isn’t filled with the same familiar faces you’ve seen in the past.  It’s truly hard to believe that the Sixers team which is about to embark on the 2012-13 NBA season holds only 5 of the 12 players who made their stamp in the history books last season. Everything you used to know and were used to seeing as a Sixers fan is about to change for good.

In comes a brand new game plan on both offense and defense, but with only a short month to master everything. Not only that, but there’s a huge piece missing to the puzzle. Unless you’ve fallen into a deep depression watching the Washington Nationals beat out the Phillies for a playoff spot this fall, then you should have heard that Andrew Bynum will most likely sit out all of preseason to recover from the knee “procedure” he had in Germany back in September.

This kind of a roster shakeup creates a lot of adjustments which need to be facilitated and we got our first look at how the players are adapting to those adjustments last night.

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Former 76er Andre Iguodala is at it again.  First there was his interview with ESPN.com’s last week in which he took some cheap shots at the 76ers management over the years and the Philly fans.  Now in an interview with cbssports.com, Dre had some not so pleasant things to say about Doug Collins and his last year in a Sixers uniform.

I’ll be honest and tell you that I was a big Iguodala supporter during his time here in Philly.  While I understood that he was not an elite NBA player (and probably would never be) and that one could argue that he was overpaid, I also realized that he was a unique 5-tool player with extreme athleticism who’s presence would be highly valued by any NBA team.  As a bonus, I also thought that Dre was a class act on and off the court.

However, after reading his latest interview my opinion of Iguodala has turned.  I’m tired of him placing the blame for his shortcomings here in Philly on everyone but himself.  Were things perfect with the franchise during his run here?  Absolutely not.  But are the 76ers and more specifically Doug Collins singularly responsible for his less then superstar career over the last 8 years?  Absolutely not.  I wish that Iguodala would just shut up and move on with his life.  I know I have.

To me the oddest part about this set of interviews  by Iguodala (out side of the onslaught of negative comments) is that Dre was the anointed “leader” of the Sixers during his last couple years here in Philadelphia and he rarely had anything remotely interesting to say.  Now he has suddenly become a quote machine in Denver where apparently he is free from everything that was keeping his game down and his mouth closed here in Philadunkia nation.

More interesting quotes from Dre and our reacts after the jump… 

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The 2012-13 season is nearly upon us and nobody has been more critical of the moves made by the 7-6′s front office this summer than myself.  That being said, I believe that this team can certainly end up being a top 4 playoff seed at the end of the regular season.

In this post I will detail the 10 keys to maximizing the team’s success in 2012-13.  The closer these 10 things come to happening, the better chance this team has to be elite this season.  One overlooked part of the Bynum trade was how the potential minute distribution was so positively affected.  Many of the keys to the season have already been detailed on this site and some are new thoughts about a successful 2013 season.

After the jump, my 10 keys to a successful 2012-13 season for the new look 76ers…

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Via HoopsHype, we discovered this video clip of former 76er and future Basketball Hall of Fame member Allen Iverson balling in China over this past weekend.

As we all know, there have been numerous rumors since the end of the summer that “The Answer” was headed to China in an attempt to continue his basketball career.  Former two-time NBA scoring champ Tracy McGrady, who had a decent season for the Atlanta Hawks in 2011-12, recently made the jump to the CBA and will officially sign with the Qingdao club later this week.

Anyways…on Saturday, Iverson and some other NBA cast-offs appeared in an exhibition game against the Beijing Ducks who are the reigning 2012 Chinese Basketball Association champions.  As you may know, the Ducks’ roster boasts the rejuvenated Stephon Marbury (33.4 pts., 6.2 dimes & 4 rbs. a night during the CBA Finals back in April).  The Beijing Ducks beat the USA invitational team in the exhibition game, and Iverson scored only four points.

Iverson video clip after the jump as well as an update on Allen’s potential move to China.

 
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Like a gluten free bakery, the Sixers training camp is most defined by what’s absent from it.

As in: Andrew Bynum.

You don’t have to be a reactionary, glass-half-full, gloom-monger to feel less than terrific about this.

For starters, the basket the Sixers have placed all their eggs in feels shaky enough about the condition of his already twice operated on knees that, at 24, he traveled to Germany to have an experimental procedure performed on them.  This is the kind of Hail Mary usually reserved for injury-wracked washouts and aging, megalomaniacal,glory chasers.  Not guys who weren’t of drinking age the last time we elected a president.

It’s also a problem because the Sixers are planning something of an offensive overhaul this season and the centerpiece of the overhaul is indisposed.

 
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In case you missed it over the weekend, on Saturday ESPN.com posted an interesting interview with former 76er swingman Andre Iguodala.  

NBA scribe Jared Zwerling (of ESPNNewYork.com & other online outlets) got some time from Dre and was able to get AI9 to open up about his time here in Philly as well as provide some of his thoughts on what his role will be on George Karl’s Denver squad.

Already one of the most polarizing athletes in the history of the City of Brotherly Love, Dre had a few quotes in the interview that will not be received so well by those in Philadunkia nation.  Specifically his comments on his role under head coach Doug Collins, returning to “attack mode” on offense in Denver and the sports atmosphere here in Philly.

After the jump, pieces of Zwerling’s Q&A with ’Dre…and our thoughts on the AI9′s comments.

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