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| Image courtesy of AP |
76ers and Nuggets fans have awaited this day for over two
months and it wasn't because it's Halloween night.
Ever since the four-team deal that changed the landscape of the NBA,
sending Dwight Howard to the Lakers, Andre Iguodala to the Nuggets and Andrew
Bynum to the 76ers, many raved about how the Lakers got Dwight and the Magic got nothing in return, but these two teams were in the middle of that deal and quietly received the two best players behind Howard.
For the Sixers and their fans, it’s a bitter night
because this was supposed to be the start of a new era and a passing of the
torch, so to speak. Iguodala, who was with the team for eight seasons, returns
to Philadelphia to play his first regular season game since being dealt. The
same Iguodala who has been the target of criticism from Sixer fans and media
personnel ever since he joined the team… also the same Iguodala who clinched
the Sixers first 2nd round playoff berth in nine years last season.
Iggy could never be the star the Sixers wanted him to be
and fans were ready for Bynum to prove that he was the number one option that
the team sorely lacked. But with Bynum out indefinitely, they have to rely on
their depth to win this game.
This is a team whose core has lost a few pieces, but kept
their young guns, a team that’s got by on team play and chemistry more than
individual talent. With Bynum as one of nine new players on this Sixers roster,
this season will be a bit different, but tonight, it’ll be more of the same.
Last season, the Nuggets and Sixers had one significant
similarity: their depth. Both teams grew this offseason and, on paper, seem to
be better than a year ago. On all accounts, both teams look to be pretty equal.
But the Nuggets have one significant advantage, and that’s Iguodala.
We all know that players want to stick it to their former
teams, and we saw it happen first hand last night when Ray Allen dropped 19
points against the Celtics. Sixers fans saw the original AI, Allen Iverson,
drop 30+ on their team in his first game back. So it’s obvious Iggy will have
that drive, and for the Sixers to win this game, they need to either contain
him, or contain the rest of the team enough that his performance won’t matter,
like they did with Iverson in 2008.
If Iguodala has his way and the rest of the team is close
to top form, it’ll be hard to beat Denver. Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried are rising stars and it’s hard to beat this Nuggets team, even without Danilo Gallinari. His injury helps the Sixers, who are also shorthanded, but it will still be tough.
The team is looking for growth this season and with Head
Coach Doug Collins, one of the best teachers in the league, it’s not an
impossible expectation. All eyes will be on Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner, both
of whom are expected to show significant improvement. Not having Bynum is a
disadvantage, but if they play to their ability and the new-look “night shift”,
as 76ers Color Commentator Malik Rose likes to call the Sixers bench, performs
as well as last year, it’ll be a close game.
For the first time in years, all eyes in Philly are on
the Sixers. This may not be the night they imagined two months ago after
trading for Bynum, but the end result is all that matters. If they win,
everything will be fine…
…but if Iguodala, Lawson and the Nuggets have their way,
it could be a tough and underwhelming
opening night in Philadelphia for a team that fans hope
will make them forget about a thus-far disappointing Eagles season, an already
disappointing Phillies season, and a non-existent Flyers season.
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