The Philidephia 76ers:
The original Philadelphia 76ers were neither in Philadelphia nor called the 76ers. But the team did begin in a northeastern city and did have a patriotic name, the Syracuse Nationals. The Nats had been in the NBA since the league's first year of existence and came to the City of Brotherly Love in 1963, just after the Warriors had abandoned Philadelphia for San Francisco. Thus began the Philadelphia 76ers, an organization that has featured one of the best NBA teams ever to swagger onto the court (68-13 in 1966-67) and one of the worst to be blown off it (9-73 in 1972-73).
Along the way such figures as Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, and Charles Barkley have registered some of their finest seasons in a Philadelphia uniform. Other notables, such as Hal Greer, Billy Cunningham and Maurice Cheeks, have earned their reputations with the team as well. Philadelphia, one of the country's great basketball cities, and its 76ers are an important part of the league's history and of its future.
A new Era
On Tuesday, December 19, 2006, Allen Iverson, along with Ivan McFarlin, was sent to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for guard Andre Miller, forward Joe Smith, and two first-round draft picks.
On Thursday, January 11, 2007, Sixers GM Billy King announced that the Sixers and aging forward Chris Webber have agreed to a buyout of the remainder of his contract. The Sixers will be paying Webber $36 million over the next 1 1/2 seasons, which is $7 million less than he would have been paid to play. After the buyout, the Sixers waived Webber, making him a free agent. Webber signed with the Detroit Pistons shortly thereafter.
In the midst of these major changes, the 76ers have looked to their younger players who must now take on greater responsibilty for the team's success. Rising stars Andre Iguodala, Kyle Korver, and Samuel Dalembert have proven their worth by rewriting their career highs in points on different occasions. Throughout this season of transition, Philadelphia will look to build on their young team and, thereafter, to benefit from their three first-round picks in the 2007 NBA Draft, which many believe is the best draft pool in the last 10 years with players such as Ohio State's Greg Oden and Texas Longhorn Kevin Durant supposedly looking to make the jump from college to the NBA.
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