A Season Wasted

By John McMullen

Much has been made of the underachieving Philadelphia 76ers.

Everyone from Allen Iverson to Maurice Cheeks to Billy King have been blamed for the Sixers' woes.

So for the two people that still care, here's my observations on Philadelphia's forgotten team after covering four games in the past month.

Allen Iverson - Iverson is still the only "talented" player on this roster that will give you an honest day's effort night in and night out. At just 6-feet tall, Iverson will always bring his defensive deficiencies to the table and it would have been nice if he developed a love for the weight room earlier in his career. That said, at least he brings it every night and he is still the best this city has to offer.

Chris Webber - This guy is a shining example of why people have become disinterested in the NBA. A supremely talented player with a deft passing touch, Webber is lazy on the defensive end and still has trouble swallowing the fact that this is Iverson's team. To all the A.I. haters and Webber himself, look in the mirror and try to convince yourself that the team's offense should be run through CWebb. If you can do that...You are either lying to yourself or you are just obtuse.

Andre Iguodala - The only bullet proof member of the Sixers. People just haven't figured out Iguodala can't finish and is an extremely overrated defender. If the rumors were true and the Sixers could have gotten Ron Artest for this guy, I shudder at Billy King's ineptitude.

Samuel Dalembert - The team's biggest disappointment. Dalembert has the ability to be a game-changer on the defensive end but seems to lack heart, desire and basketball smarts.

Kyle Korver - Korver is what he is. An excellent pure shooter who can do little else. Stationed on the weak side of a team with a superior low post threat, Korver would be quite a weapon. On a team that expects him to play both ends of the floor, like the Sixers, he's a joke.

John Salmons - Salmons could be a very good role player but he will not accept his limitations. John becomes very disinterested when he doesn't get involved on the offensive end and the rest of his game suffers.

Steven Hunter - How can a 7-foot guy be such an abysmal rebounder? Lack of effort.

Willie Green - Before the ACL injury, Green looked like he had a chance to be a quality NBA scorer and was the only Sixer, save Iverson, who could go get his own shot. As a defender, the less said the better.

Shavlik Randolph - Randolph is a carbon copy of Mark Madsen. A high energy guy who can give you about 10 minutes a night. Anything more than that and he is exposed.

Michael Bradley - Maybe the best pure rebounder on the team and he rarely sees the floor. That tells me two things, the Sixers can't rebound and Bradley really can't do anything else.

Kevin Ollie - The only role player on this team that gets it but he just doesn't have the ability to make things happen on the floor.

Matt Barnes - An offensively challenged player who could be a quality matchup defender if Cheeks had any idea how to use such a commodity.

Louis Williams - Should have went to college.

Maurice Cheeks - As much as I admire Cheeks, I ripped Jim O'Brien and Mo has done even worse. In Game No. 75 of an NBA season, your rotation should be set whether you are the Detroit Pistons or the Charlotte Bobcats. I don't believe any of the Sixers' secondary players knows their role and how could they? It has never been clearly defined. Cheeks flips-flops so much, he would have made an excellent running mate for John Kerry.

Billy King - Many think Ed Wade was a bad executive. Well, Wade was an undergrad. King has earned his doctorate in incompetency. If Isiah Thomas and Matt Millen didn't exist, Billy would be the worst general manager in professional sports. But, hey I love the suit.

Ed Snider - Could care less -- Peter Forsberg and Company are playing tonight.

-You can reach John McMullen at jmcmullen1@comcast.net