Stefanski answered some questions through the team website, which I've
copied below. The answers, as might be expected are pretty bland but
they did raise for me what might become an im****tant issue in the
offseason. Reflected in these comments is the general schizophrenia
the team has been in with playing the younger players and keeping the
competent veterans around (with Miller staying around and Korver
randomly dropped). Now, Stefanski justifies the Korver move in part
because it let Young play--even though Young is playing out of
position and seems to actually be getting his minutes at the expense
of Reggie Evans and especially Jason Smith (which is good). Anyway,
the more im****tant issue is where this all leaves Lou Williams. Lost
in the trade-deadline discussions about trading Andre Miller is the
fact that Williams will be a restricted free agent this summer. If,
as Stefanski indicates, there is the possibility that Miller may not
only finish out his contract next year but could even be extended,
might Williams happily sign with another team.? Williams has been
uncharacteristically patient for a young player of his talent as far
as waiting to get playing time. But given what he's shown so far and
the likelihood that some team might at least offer him something
around the mid-level exception, will the insistence on holding onto
Miller during a rebuilding period cost the team their "future" PG? If
they want to keep Williams, will the failure to unload Miller's salary
beforehand allow some other team to sign Williams to an offer sheet
before the Sixers can make an offer to their desired FA, essentially
blowing their tenuous $10M cap space and ability to sign anyone new in
the offseason? Could Kevin Ollie continue to defy fate and *still* be
around next year?!
--IK
***
Hi Ed, I am a huge Sixers fan, but the Korver move you made just does
not make sense to me. I felt that before you came on, the team was
closer to success than most people thought. The Korver trade indicated
to me a rebuild. Please explain why he was traded? - Phil
**Kyle is a good basketball player and an even better person, so you
just hate to lose a guy like that. But the move gave us salary cap
space this summer and allowed Thad Young to grow as a player. Trading
Kyle opened up minutes for Thad and Thad wouldn't have had the chance
to develop into the player he has become if not for that playing time.
And, again, we feel comfortable with the room we have under the salary
cap this offseason.
Hi Ed, what do you think the chances are that you will re-sign Louis
Williams this off-season? - Matt
**Lou is a terrific young player and we see him as a part of our
future. When a player is a restricted free agent they're entitled to
shop the market and inquire about other deals, but their current team
has the right to match any offer they get. I'll sit down with Lou's
agent on July 1 and we'll discuss his situation.
When he was coming out of high school and going into college, Thaddeus
Young was as much heralded as Greg Oden or Kevin Durant. I truly
believe the Sixers got a diamond and are using him like coal. No plays
are run for him and yet he is easily the most athletic and talented
forward on the squad. He is a true small forward with tons of talent
and he is also very intelligent from his excellent GPA in college. He
is only 19 and will probably grow a couple more inches and add 25
pounds or so. He can shoot and he is tremendously talented. I would
like to see him featured more in the offense and get more than 6 shots
a game. - Raymond
**I think before I arrived, Thad was learning and coming along as most
rookies do. However, one of the first things we talked about in
December when I got here was getting our young players on the floor,
and that included Thad. He is an integral part of the team now because
of the chance he's had to play and learn through being on the court.
He's got great length and athletic ability and a feel around the
basket which is not something you see too often in rookies. Not to
mention he's a terrific young man.
What are the chances of signing Andre Miller to maybe like a three
year extension after this season, knowing that he is one of the top 10
point guards in the league? - Anonymous
**Andre Miller is a very good ball player and the glue to our team. He
is helping the veterans integrate with our younger players and helping
our younger players develop. When I was in Jersey, and that's just a
short trip up the turnpike, I saw him as a good player, but since I've
been here and had a chance to see him up close, I've realized he's
better than good. He's got one year left with us and we'll talk with
his agent after that.
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