Even at a quick glance, one can tell that for the Philadelphia 76ers, the 2009-10 season will be quite different from the 2008-09 season. Their uniforms have changed to – no, reverted to – the red, white and blue uniforms of the seventies. The head coach is no longer Tony Dileo, but is now former Wizards head coach Eddie Jordan. Even the offense will be different – you’ll most likely not see the fast-break, run-the-court offense typically ending in an Andre Iguodala slam dunk. Now, you’ll be seeing the starts of a constantly moving, patient offensive game. With all these changes going on, will the Sixers continue to improve in both performance and popularity, or will all these changes be for naught?
Having a great season is one thing. Drawing a crowd along with it is a whole new challenge. “For the 76ers this year there are many challenges, but some opportunities,” said Brian Monihan, Senior Vice President of Comcast SportsNet and former Vice President of Advertising Sales. “[They have] a stable team and organization that has made the playoffs and improved its record the last 2 years, a new logo and uniform that presents new revenue opportunities from jersey sales and a retro look that will hopefully encourage fans. The new coach, Eddie Jordan has had some playoff success in the past, and has a dynamic offensive strategy that should help this team.”
Changing faces, jerseys, and strategies may help to improve the previous 41-41 record (which is still an improvement over past seasons) and first round playoff loss, but can the Sixers – and their fans – cope with the challenges and issues of the team as well? According to Monihan, the Sixers have “a fan base that needs to get positively charged, maybe due to the heady success of the other major Philadelphia sports teams.” To make matters worse, the Sixers lost key point guard and team leader Andre Miller. His replacement, Lou Williams, is considered a promising young player, but can he, as well as the rest of the young Sixers, match up to the veteran and talented teams of the East, such as the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic?
In order to draw crowds, however, the Sixers need to have a good season, but what will it take? Kate Fagan, Sixers beatwriter for the Philadelphia Inquirer, says, “They’re running a new offense under new head coach Eddie Jordan called the ‘Princeton Offense’ [a slower, pass-oriented style of offense]. A main factor in their success this season will be how well they learn and run this offense. I believe the difference between a bad and solid season rests a lot on the shoulders of swingman Andre Iguodala. He will have the ball in his hands often and the team needs him to make good decisions and shoot a high percentage. I think the player that could make them ultra-competitive is power forward Elton Brand. Brand has missed the majority of the last two seasons with injuries. If he can play this season at the level he did before his injuries, the Sixers will be very good.”
Phil Jasner, a Hall of Fame beatwriter for the Daily News, adds, “Elton Brand, coming back from Achilles tendon and shoulder injuries, has to regain the form that helped him become a career 20-points, 10-rebounds performer. If he can score in the 16-18 range and rebound in the 7-9 range, that would be huge. With all the talk about the Princeton offense, they have to be somewhat consistent on defense, which means they need good work from Samuel Dalembert in the middle. A happy Sam is a productive Sam.”
The Sixers are still going to have to adapt to this new style of offense, which is a vast contrast from their previous, fast-paced offense. A loss of veteran point guard Andre Miller may also affect the team, which leaves the major question – can Lou Williams, formerly Miller’s back-up, fill in his shoes as a team leader? While the problems may be large, the Sixers have been showing signs of intelligent management, and the team knows how to win, as made clear by their two playoff appearances. Will they continue their success this year, though? We’ll find out in a couple of months.