The New York Knicks are often derided as the poster children for futility in the feeble Atlantic Division, where all five teams, including the division-leading New Jersey Nets, are at least three games under .500.
But while the Knicks, with the NBA's only $100-million payroll and a roster stocked with washed-up talent, may be mismanaged, they still hold the division's third-best record.
Still, through Tuesday's action, there are two teams that are more inept than the Knicks: the Boston Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers, who currently co-occupy the Atlantic Division's cellar.
Considering they started the season 3-0, with wins against the Eastern Conference-leading Orlando Magic and defending NBA-champion Miami Heat, the Sixers' tumble to the bottom of the Atlantic is one of the league's biggest disappointments. With a 5-11 mark that features 11 losses in its last 13 games, Philadelphia's prospects for improving appear slim.
One problem plaguing the Sixers has been their lack of production from the frontcourt. Starting center Samuel Dalembert, awarded a six-year, $63 million contract in August 2005, has hardly played up to expectations. Having fouled out of three games and earned five fouls in five other contests, the former Seton Hall standout has been limited to 27.1 minutes per game and averages well under double figures in both points and rebounds.
Much-maligned starting power forward Chris Webber has also been kept off the court, but for a different reason. Though he has returned, Webber sat out Philadelphia's last six games in November with soreness and stiffness in his lower back. Yet even when Webber has been active, he has hardly helped offset Dalembert's ineffectiveness. Compared to his career averages, the former Washington Bullets star is producing half the number of points per game, shooting 10 percentage points fewer from the field, and shooting nearly 20 percentage points fewer from the foul line.
A lack of alternatives on the Philadelphia bench compound Dalembert's and Webber's underperformance. Duke alumnus Shavlik Randolph, who had started for Webber while the latter player nursed his sore back, came down with an injury of his own, fracturing and dislocating his left ankle last Thursday. With Randolph on the shelf for three to four months, Philadelphia's backup big men are Steven Hunter, Alan Henderson and Ivan McFarlin, who have combined to score 96 points the entire season.
Philadelphia's frontcourt woes are emblematic of an offensive malaise afflicting the entire team. The Sixers have hit triple digits in points only twice in the past 10 games and have shot 39.2 percent from the field over their current four-game losing streak. Making matters worse, its defense has done little to compensate for a lagging offense, yielding an average of 100.4 points per game to the opposition. Five of the team's last seven losses have come after blowing first-quarter leads, while the Sixer's opponents have shot over 50 percent from the field in three of the last five games.
Lacking both a dependable supporting cast and a solid defense, Philadelphia has increasingly relied on 11th-year guard Allen Iverson. Second only to Carmelo Anthony in scoring and 10th in the league in assists per game, Iverson has done his part to keep the Sixers afloat. Having averaged 34.8 points and 27 shots and only 5.8 assists per game during Philadelphia's four-game skid, Iverson has emerged as the Sixers' only reliable offensive weapon.
Wanting to relieve the burden on Iverson, head coach Maurice Cheeks changed his starting lineup after Philadelphia's Nov. 27 loss at Miami. Veteran guard Kevin Ollie lost his starting job to rookie Rodney Carney, while third-year small forward Andre Iguodala moved to the point guard position in hopes of getting the versatile playmaker more touches.
Despite the change, the Sixers' losing ways continued, with back-to-back losses to 6-9 teams in which Iguodala scored below his season average.
With Philadelphia's season spiraling out of control, Iverson, rumored to be on the trading block during the NBA Draft, should soon become a prominent topic of trade discussions once again.
At 31 years old, the No. 1 overall pick of the 1996 NBA Draft has three years and $60 million left on his contract and likely will not figure into the team's rebuilding plans. Cheeks may also be fired for the second time in his coaching career. But with Philadelphia still stuck with bad contracts that leave it roughly $30 million over the salary cap, it is difficult to see how any move it makes can guarantee its competitiveness in the coming seasons.
