Time to Get Excited About Your Philadelphia 76ers!

I’m already on the bandwagon. All it took was a few optimistic preview stories touting Iggy’s top-notch training camp and his budding chemistry with the still-incredibly-young Jrue Holiday to get me all pumped up for the 2011-2012 NBA season.

YOUUUURRRRRR PHILADELPHIA 76ERS are back!

What can I say — I was feeling good about this coming season, and after the first two weeks, I’m positively ecstatic! There is plenty to root for in this collection of Sixers. They are a young, likable, overachieving team, and unlike their roommates and neighbors across the street and even in their own building — where expectations range from sky-high to astronomical — chances are that this is the one Philadelphia sports team unlikely to disappoint.

Without further ado, here is my 2011-2012 season preview for the Philadelphia 76ers.

Best Supporting Actor Iguodala?

Andre Iguodala, what more is there to say? Scottie Pippen is to the 1% as Iggy is to the 99%. He’s the working man’s Hall of Fame working man. (Yeah, that made sense.)

In Philly, we tend to get angry with our stars for what they aren’t instead of praising them for what they do well. Iggy is a classic example of that. I’m going to try to do that with Iggy, so please take a big swig of this half-full glass of Kool-Aid with me.

His team USA experience taught him his true value/role. He’s not a go-to scorer. Sorry, but he’s not a 20 points-per-game guy — not on a team such as this with better pure scorers. He will, however, show up all over the stat sheet and provide A-plus defense on the other team’s swing man. At his best, he’s one of the best role players in the league. Not too shabby, right?

(Mmm, this kool-aid is delish!)

The Ace Up the Hole: Evan Turner

Think back to June of 2010. The Sixers, coming off a disastrous season that saw hand-picked head coach Eddie Jordan fired, beat the odds to draw the number two overall pick in the draft. The consensus pick: Evan Turner — at least that’s how I remember it. Granted, everyone is saying something different now, but at the time, I remember being very excited about the 2009-2010 collegiate player of the year. Turner was billed as sort of a cross between a point guard and a small forward — sounds like he’d fit in just right as our shooting guard, right?

Then the rookie summer league happened, and Turner was, let’s say, behind the curve a bit. When the season started, Turner struggled, only to play his best when filling in for an injured Iguodala. This, of course, fueled the trade Iggy moans from we the fans. The team’s star hopeful was blocked by an older player who seemingly maxed out his talent as a good-but-not-very-good player.

Fast-forward to this year, and Turner is a new man. He’s starting to look like a difference maker in his second year. (Sweet!) If the Sixers are to one day win the title with this current group, Turner must step up to the plate and become the star they hoped for when they drafted him. If he does, then all bets are off.

Of course, there’s something in the way of him starting right now, and it’s not Andre Iguodala.

The Emergence of Jodie Meeks

Did you know that Jodie Meeks holds the single-game scoring record at Kentucky? Look it up. Anyway, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 2nd round and shipped — in what Adio Royster refers to as a two peas piece and a biscuit trade (thanks, Bill!) — to Philly as basically an after thought. Then his early season scoring spurt occurred and suddenly the 76ers had a shooting guard that could shoot a high field goal percentage — basically an endangered species in the city of Brotherly Love.

This season, Meeks has thus far taken a step back in the rotation. Still a starter, Meeks hasn’t been playing crunch time minutes. It’s not that surprising, considering that either Lou Williams and Turner are sitting on the bench when he’s out there. One EXTREMELY pleasant surprise though has been one starter who used to sit the bench during crunch time. He’s a BIG (pun intended) reason why the Sixers are looking pretty after their season opening road trip.

Well Hello, Spencer Hawes!

(I’m just going to treat this section as an open letter to the 76er center.)

Spencer Hawes, oh did I rip on you during last year’s playoffs. You were the weak link of the team’s playoff rotation — missing important jumpers and your poor passing led to countless turnovers — so much so that many — myself included — harkened back to the “good old days” of Sam Dalembert.

I’m ecstatic to say that I was wrong.

What in the name of Bill Walton has gotten into you? You opened this lockout-shortened season with a near triple-double — 10 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists — and have an early season 13.0 points- and 11.4 boards-per-game average.

Seriously, who the hell are you?

If you really are indeed the same Spencer Hawes that averaged 7.2 ppg and just 5.7 boards last season, thank you so very much for working on your game in the offseason. It paid off incredibly well, and you might have finally given the 76ers the big that almost all title contenders possess.

Sweet Lou and Thaddeus Off the Bench

Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young are our co-sixth men, if you will. Each has the talent to start and the disposition to thrive off the bench. NBA players have egos, so it’s a testament to these two relatively young players that they’re willing to give quality minutes night in and night out without receiving the recognition/ego boost as starters. They are, without question, a huge reason for the success/turnaround of the 76ers.

Let’s start with Williams.

Sweet Lou was taken straight out of high school in the 2nd round of the draft by Billy King. (Say what you will about the man as a GM, but he sure did he kick ass in the 2nd round of the draft.) The details are sketchy, but I remember watching a documentary on a few high school standouts from his draft class. They profiled Williams and others like him, including eventual slam dunk champ Gerald Green. At the time, I had hoped they’d draft Green, who was bigger and probably better as a high schooler. Guess I was wrong about that one…

Anyway, Williams slowly worked his way into the rotation as an off-the-bench scorer/energy guy after Allen Iverson was traded to Denver. It makes sense because he’s basically a poor man’s A.I. — and, like Iggy, I mean that in a good way. Many a good NBA team has a guy like Williams coming off the bench to provide instant offense.

Of course most good teams don’t also have another guy, like Young, as basically their 7th man. Thaddeus was a surprise pick from Billy King back in the ‘07 draft. Instead of getting what many presumed to be the team’s biggest need — a power forward — King drafted Young, who basically played a tweener forward position. His ascention to the starting lineup sparked back-to-back playoff runs from the Andre Miller/Iggy/Sam Dalembert nucleus and King — again in hindsight — looked like a smart man. Young has since settled nicely into his bench role by taking and delivering on high percentage shots and providing high energy — exactly what you’d want from the 6th or 7th guy in your rotation.

Speaking of the man that replaced him in the starting lineup…

The Evolved Elton Brand

As with Evan Turner, we often forget just how huge it was when the Sixers acquired Elton Brand as a free agent from the Los Angeles Clippers.

Brand was one of the free agent market’s crown jewel. I remember ESPN.com began talking about the Sixers as one of the conferences top four teams — along with Cleveland, Boston, and Orlando. Bill Simmons, sort of a Clippers fan, famously ripped Brand’s agent for playing the Clippers in this process. It was a good time to be a Sixers fan. (As the 2011 Eagles have taught us, free agency is not when you want your season to peak.)

In hindsight, Atlanta power forward Josh Smith — the player the Sixers initially coveted — was the true prize. He, of course, resigned with Atlanta who, in turn, assumed the conference’s fourth best spot. Meanwhile, the Sixers finished again in the 7th spot as the injury-plagued Brand added a season-ending shoulder injury to his list of ailments.

The next year, under new coach Eddie Jordan’s Princeton style offense (whatever that means… help me out basketball experts?), Brand was your square peg in a round hole special. Your previous season’s star acquisition had turned into a bench player. Definitely not GM Ed Stefanski or Jordan’s finest hour. Then along comes Doug Collins who makes getting more involved Brand a high priority. Last season saw Brand evolve from star to a forgotten man to a solid starter on a young and up-and-coming team. Not exactly what you were hoping for when you signed him to a $80-plus million contract just three seasons ago. But, hey, we’re looking for positives here!

Speaking of Collins…

DOUGIE!!!

Screaming “DOUGIE!!” on Twitter is something that Adio Royster and I are quite fond of doing. Why? Well, there are few reasons to be more optimistic about the Sixers than Doug Collins. You’ve seen the commercials. He’s passionate, intense, and proud. Unlike most marketing, this is actually accurate. The former Sixers number 1 overall pick, back when shorts were shorts and hair was long and shaggy, has done wonders to revitalize this young team and — perhaps more importantly — our jaded fan base. I don’t know enough about the X’s and O’s of basketball to explain why, but, as a Sixers fan, I’ve seen enough bad ones toI know a good coach when I see one. Doug Collins is a good coach.

The only reason to be more optimistic about the Philadelphia 76ers?

The Continued Development of Jrue Holiday

I hear that the NBA is a point guard’s league. If that’s the case, then I like our chances going forward with young Jrue Holiday.

Drafted in the mid-first round out of UCLA after his freshman year, it was a surprise when the Sixers picked him. He was a developmental player with a lot of upside, but not too much in the way of experience. His pick was a bit of a peculiar pick at the time. Flash-forward to his third year in the league and Holiday is an up-and-coming star who many expect to make a few All-Star games before his hangs up his Air Jordans.

Yes, my fellow Sixers fans, it’s time to be optimistic. After a disastrous 2011 calendar year saw the Flyers, Phillies, and then the Eagles fall disastrously short of preseason expectations, it’s time to enjoy this young Sixers team. The expectations are low, and the payoff promises to be high. Sounds like a good way for Sixers basketball to get back into the Philly fan’s mind.

Enjoy tonight’s home opener and #ShowYaLuv!