2008-09 Philadelphia 76ers Wagering Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers, (40-42 SU, 43-36-3 ATS, 39-42-1 O/U) took off like a rocket in 2007-08 after the franchise made a move I had been urging them to make for several years now. They fired former general manager Billy King, the hand-picked Larry Brown protégé who did absolutely nothing positive for the franchise in his decade-long tenure with the team. It was also a terrible time for NBA betting fans who backed the 76ers.

They then hired former New Jersey Nets general manager Ed Stefanski to replace King in December after the team got off to a pathetic 5-12 start. Stefanski made a suggestion to head coach Maurice Cheeks that the club begin to use an up-tempo style of play that would better suit the team’s athletic young players, like Andre Iguoadala and rookie forward Thaddeus Young.

Stefanski’s suggestion – and Cheeks’ acceptance – led a Sixers resurgence that hasn’t been seen in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ since the Sixers reached the NBA Finals during the 2000-01 season under Brown and former perennial all-star guard Allen Iverson.

Now, the Sixers get set for even bigger things in 2008 after shocking the league by signing perennial all-star power forward Elton Brand away from the Los Angeles Clippers, re-signing Iguoadala and blossoming shooting point guard Louis Williams to long-term deals. They also recently added veteran big man Theo Ratliff, a player on the Sixers championship team in 2000-01.

While the Sixers fell just short of reaching .500 with a 40-42 straight up record last season, the team recorded a winning ATS record in the BetUS Sportsbook that included winning ATS records both at home (20-19-2 ATS) and on the road (23-17-1).

The Sixers ranked just 23rd in scoring last season, averaging 96.6 points per contest on 46.0 percent shooting from the field (11th). The team could use another long-distance shooter after trading former three-point sniper Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz last season and shooting just 31.7 percent from downtown (30th). The Sixers ranked a surprising second in offensive rebounding, pulling down 13.0 per game and also displayed some prowess defensively, holding opponents to just 96.2 points per game (seventh).

The Sixers limited their opponents to just 46.1 percent shooting from the field, (19th) and 36.0 percent shooting from three-point distance (14th) but averaged just 28.9 defensive rebounds per contest, (28th).

Philadelphia was led in scoring by Iguoadala, (19.9 ppg) and assists by underrated point guard Andre Miller (6.9 apg). Offensively challenged center Samuel Dalembert led the team in rebounding, (10.3 rpg) but Dalembert unfortunately still can’t make a lay-up on a consistent basis.

The Sixers also added veteran swingman Kareem Rush and drafted rookie center Marreese Speights - a sophomore out of Florida a player with a huge upside.

Analysis: While most basketball analysts, handicappers and fans expect the Sixers to be a bit better in 2008, expecting the Sixers to win anything more than a postseason series or possibly even two, would be expecting too much.