2009-2010 Philadelphia 76ers Preview

2008 Record: 41-41, 2nd in Eastern Conf. Atlantic Division, lost in First Round
Head Coach: Eddie Jordan, 1st season
Key Additions: G-F Jason Kapono
Key Losses: G Andre Miller, C Theo Ratliff
1st Round Draft Picks: G Jrue Holiday
2nd Round Draft Picks: None

2008-'09 76ers Review:

Unlike many other teams in the East, the 76ers could say that they didn't finish under .500, and that they made the playoffs as well. All in all, it was a reasonably successful season for a franchise that asked front-office man Tony DiLeo to coach the club on the court. Philadelphia took a 2-1 series lead against the Orlando Magic in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, but a lack of inside power and reliable perimeter shooting prevented the Sixers from making any more noise in the best-of-seven set. Orlando won Game 4 on a late shot by Hedo Turkoglu and never looked back. The Magic--without star Dwight Howard and key contributor Courtney Lee--were able to waltz into the City of Brotherly Love and whack the Sixers, 114-89, to close out DiLeo's lineup in Game 6. Yes, the folks from Philly failed to get past the first round of the playoffs for yet another year, but when compared to many teams in the NBA, the Sixers surely realize that their problems could have been so much worse.

2009-'10 76ers Preview:

Without point guard Andre Miller--now in Portland as a Trail Blazer--the Sixers will have a tough time producing consistent, intelligent performances at the offensive end of the floor. The Sixers have Elton Brand coming back from a shoulder injury, and they also possess an athletic scorer in Andre Iguodala, but Miller was the man who created opportunities for teammates and opened up the floor. It remains to be seen if Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young and Willie Green (among others) will be able to function effectively without an established leader on the court. Brand will have to manufacture offense in tandem with Iguodala for much of the season under first-year coach Eddie Jordan, and for stretches of time, that will be good enough against the league's weaker clubs. Against the big boys, however, such an approach won't cut it. New acquisition Jason Kapono, the best pure shooter on the roster, will have to drill shots in order to give the Sixers the spacing they'll so desperately need, but since Kapono's defense isn't all that outstanding, Jordan will have to make a lot of situational substitutions (offense-for-defense and vice-versa) as the year progresses. Perhaps the Sixers will once again fill out the bottom half of the East's playoff pecking order, but they'll be hard-pressed to do anything more than that.

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By Matthew Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer

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