Give Me The Rock
this is fantasy basketball
Now that Philadelphia 76ers President/General Manager Billy King has assured the world that Allen Iverson is off the table and will remain with the Sixers next season, we can be sure that Iverson will certainly NOT be with Philadelphia next season. Screw it – I’m going to run their fantasy preview anyway.
I was prepared to put full blame for the Sixers’ 38 and 44 record directly on Allen Iverson and his lack of offensive efficiency, bad attitude, diminutive size, lack of practice, tattoos, and cornrows. If I were an honest to goodness journalist, I’d just leave it at that because my integrity would more than make up for any lack of evidence.
However, a more careful look points to Iverson not being the problem with the Sixers at all. An article on the unfortunately defunct Courtside Times got me thinking (note that the article is actually about Kobe Bryant, but has a paragraph about Iverson) and a visit to the Sixers ratings on 82Games helped to disprove my original hypothesis (hairstyle not withstanding). It turns out the problem with the Sixers is everyone else (with the possible exception of Andre Iguodala) starting with that other big time player, Chris Webber, who has had a problem winning wherever he’s been. If one is to believe 82games, then the Sixers have a team that consists of Allen Iverson and a bunch of role players. I applaud Billy King for keeping Iverson on the Sixers while simultaneous giving him demerits for not surrounding Iverson with a better cast.
In the fantasy realm, however, the Sixers have a lot of options other than Iverson.
2005/2006 RANKINGS
(9) Allen Iverson
(32) Chris Webber
(58) Andre Iguodala
(86) Samuel Dalembert
(96) Kyle Korver
(249) Steven Hunter
(303) Willie Green
(323) Kevin Ollie
(371) Shavlik Randolph
(416) Zendon Hamilton
(424) Louis Williams
(N/A) Edin Bavcic
(N/A) Rodney Carney
OUT
(190) John Salmons
Of course, Iverson is still the man on this team, but let’s start with the other AI:
BUY
Andre Iguodala – He had a pretty disappointing sophomore season, at least considering the numbers he put up as a rookie. Despite 5 more minutes a game last year, he put up nearly identical stats. Passion and Pride is sold on Iguodala, however, and so am I. He’s got superstar potential and at worst, you still drafted a solid sixth rounder.
HOLD
Allen Iverson – If every year someone predicts that this is the year that Iverson finally breaks down and gets dismembered or something like that, eventually they’re going be right. It might be in 2015, when a 40 year old Iverson finally goes down, but then they’d all say “see, I told you his body just can’t take the daily grind of the NBAâ€. Having Iverson on a fantasy team last year, I can fully vouch that he was worth every bit that #9 ranking (great combination of points/assists/steals). I don’t see him getting any better, but he probably won’t be dismembered this year, which is why he gets the hold.
Kyle Korver – Korver’s 2005/2006 stats look almost identical to his 2004/2005 stats (with less threes) – and again, that’s not a complement. The lack of the big D is also a problem, not for me personally, but could it push him back to the bench again this year. On the plus side, John Salmons is gone, so the Sixers will have to find someone else to take Korver’s minutes.
Rodney Carney, maybe?
SELL
Chris Webber – I have a soft spot for big guys who can dish it out (Vlade, come back to us!) so it goes against my natural instincts to give Webber a sell. But 54, 67, 23, 67, and 75 games played the last five years. When he’s healthy, he’s good to great, but 75 games again? I will take the under, sir.
Samuel Dalembert – There is certainly a disconnect between the Dalembert I’ve heard about and Dalembert on the stat sheets. It turns out he’s just as likely to play 12 minutes as grab 22 rebounds and 7 blocks. Seven blocks in a game get people taking, though, and he’ll be gone in drafts many rounds too early. Sure, if he’s hanging around in the 7th/8th round, I might give him a try, but do you really think he’s going to be a top 50 player next year?
READ
About Bobby Jones, the Sixers 2006 second round draft choice, has a summer blog that talks about his experiences watching movies, eating, sleeping, and sometimes, playing basketball. It’s interesting though to see what its like to live the life, however unexciting it might be sometimes.
Where I’d pick em (in a 10 team league)
Iverson – 2nd (if he were an 82 game player, I’d consider a first round pick, but as it is, the fact that he plays 70-75 games bump him down to the second).
Iguodala – 5th (I might go 4th, but that seems really high, plus, since he’s not a big scorer, you should be able to pick him up in the 5th easy).
Webber – 6th
Dalembert – 7th/8th (and if you can get him there, kudos to you).
Korver – 8th
Willie Green or Rodney Carney might be worth something this year, although that’s going to depend on how many minutes they get. Keep an eye on them through the pre-season.
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