Sixers' Post-Mortem - A Lost Season

The Sixers' 2008-09 season has mercifully concluded - RIP. But the ignominious manner in which it ended - getting blown out at home by a decimated Orlando team - exceeded the norms of human decency. All women and children should have been evacuated from the Wachovia Center by half time. Anyone who paid for their tickets that night now knows how former Wachovia Bank stockholders must feel.

Even though Philadelphia matched their record from the previous year, including the six-game first round playoff loss, the campaign must be considered a major step backward. When Mo Cheeks was replaced by Tony DiLeo in what seems like decades ago, the mantra echoing from the front office was that the team needed a new direction. Unfortunately, what we are left with in the spring of 2009 is NO DIRECTION. The promise, momentum and excitement generated in the latter part of the 07-08 season are nowhere to be seen.

If Andre Miller does not return, the Sixer offense requires major reconstruction. Even if he does return, there are numerous personnel issues - the proper roles for Brand and Iguodala, the enigma that is Dalembert, how to use Speese. The list is endless.

The Sixers have boxed themselves into a corner and in the short term, it's hard to see a way out. They rolled the dice with the Elton Brand signing and now they have to make it work, even if it kills them - which it might. They gave Iguodala the kind of the money to do things which he is not capable of, like take over the offense. And they replaced Mo Cheeks in mid-stream with a front office exec with minimal, and not necessarily relevant, coaching experience.

Coach DiLeo seems like a good man who did an adequate job. But there is no reason to believe that Cheeks, who was saddled with the Brand experiment early on, would not have done at least as well. Neither DiLeo nor Cheeks will ever be confused with Red Auerbach, but for the most part, NBA coaching is overrated - continuity is more important. Coaches should be changed intra-season in only the most extreme circumstances. This instance did not qualify.

Throughout the year, the party line from announcers, coaching staff, and front office was that no matter what the won-loss record was, these players always gave maximum effort. Well in a do-or-die game six, the Sixers could have phoned in their performance. Opponents' shots went uncontested and the best we could get was finger-pointing after the game. Truly a lost season.