Sixers Insider

May 8, 2008

A busy off-season

While the 76ers go home for the summer to rest and recuperate from their 82-game regular season and six playoff games, first year President and GM Ed Stefanski will be busy at work. During the season Stefanski had time to evaluate his players and coaches so that he would be able to gauge exactly what the Sixers needed to do to improve and take the next step this summer.

Stefanski was hired in December to replace Billy King, who held the position for 10 years. Stefanski, a product of Philadelphia himself, got to work early upon his arrival, trading Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz for Gordan Giricek, who the Sixers eventually released, and a 2009 first rounder. The trade gave the Sixers even more salary cap flexibility and enabled Head Coach Maurice Cheeks to insert 19-year old Thaddeus Young into the lineup, a change that allowed the Sixers to play the more up-tempo style that Stefanski wanted.

“We’re going to push it down your throats,” Stefanski said during a conference call with the media on May 7. “What the Sixers have done this year, which I’m very proud of the players and the staff, we have finally created an identity here. We’re a team that will fast break and you better be ready to play 48 minutes against the 76ers.”

After falling to the Detroit Pistons after six games in their first round playoff series, the Sixers head into the off-season with high hopes and high expectations following them.

“Our expectations are up, which is just typical of any fan base and they should be. Getting in the playoffs was a great feat for these guys. I know there are some people out there who wanted us not make the playoffs and get a higher draft pick, but the experience that these guys got, we couldn’t have gotten it a better way. [The postseason] was great for them, it was great for the growth of this franchise.”

So the off-season now begins for Stefanski and Sixers, and it will be a busy offseason for sure. With Sixers having around $11 million in cap room, they will be major players in the free agent market. Also on Stefanski's plate are two of his own restricted free agents - Andre Iguodala and Lou Williams - to sign, the sixteenth draft pick, and the possibility of extending Cheeks’ contract even farther than next season.

Cheeks was given an extension in February, but only for one more season. After exceeding all expectations in getting his team to the playoffs, Cheeks could be in line for an even bigger payday and even more job security. Stefanski said talks haven’t commenced just yet.

“Mo and I will sit down, I don’t know if it’s going to be in the near future, but let’s say the next few weeks, and see where his head is and go from there.”

Stefanski credited Cheeks for being able to change his coaching style in the middle of the season and for getting the Sixers into the playoffs with such a young team.

“I have high regard for Mo as a person. He is very genuine which I like. He will communicate with you and listen. When I talk to him as the President or GM of the team, he doesn’t get flustered or just ‘yes’ me. We have good discussions, good talks. He allows me, as a basketball junkie, to talk basketball with him.”

As for free agency, the Sixers will definitely be players in the offseason with just under [isn't it over?] $11 million in cap room to spend.

“If it was a perfect world, I would like a power forward to fall from the skies who could play with his back to the basket, but it’s not a perfect world, so we’ll see what’s out there in the free agent market, both from an unrestricted and a restricted situation.”

Stefanski says that he has targeted players, but will have to wait until July 1 to start negotiations. If the Sixers can’t find someone they like through free agency, Stefanski said a trade wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility because of their cap space.

“There’s teams out there that may want to get rid of players because they’re not happy with them or the player is disgruntled and may fit into what we want to do. They don’t have to take money back or a player back, contract wise, because we’re under the cap. That’s the flexibility that this 11 million will get us, not only in free agency, but it can get us a trade.”

In terms of re-signing Iguodala, Stefanski said he would like him back, but that he will have to wait to negotiate until July 1.

“I think Andre Iguodala is a good fit for our team. I’ll take a lot of Andre Iguodalas on our team.”

Stefanski also added that if the Sixers were to bring in a top notch player via free agency or a trade, owner Ed Snider wouldn’t have a problem paying the luxury tax if needed to resign Iguodala or Williams. Stefanski didn’t expect that to be an issue but said his owner would pay the dollar-for-dollar penalty for going over the salary cap.

There is no doubt this summer will be an eventful one for Stefanski as he tries to build on the success of this past season. For now the Sixers brass will concentrate on the draft - although Stefanski thinks it’s ‘unlikely’ that their sixteenth pick will be able to come in and contribute regularly - before turning their focus on the free agent market. Either way, the next few months will be interesting as the Sixers look to take the next step in becoming one of the NBA’s elite.

As for Stefanski, it’s highly doubtful that he is losing sleep about losing some extra vacation time. Drafts, free agents, contract negotiations: for a basketball junkie, a busy summer is just what the doctor ordered.