Sixers Finally Find Way To Make Season Interesting

Not that Rodney Carney (right) wasn’t enough, but the 76ers have finally done something to make you know they’ve started this year’s NBA season: Fired Billy King!

Last night the news broke that the Sixers were replacing the man who traded Allen Iverson for Andre Miller and Thaddeus Young. The new GM is Ed Stefanski, who comes over from the New Jersey Nets. Stefanski’s a local boy who went to Bonner and played for Penn. Check this out:

A 1976 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School of Business), Stefanski played for Penn for three seasons (where he was coached by former Nets head coach Chuck Daly), and was a member of two Ivy League Champions (1974 & 1975), playing in the NCAA Tournament each of those seasons. While in college, Ed originated and secured the funding for the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s Inner City Basketball League, which provided a structured basketball environment for hundreds of boys and girls who lived under the auspices of the Housing Authority.

Still, eh, a Wharton grad.

Sixers Won’t Even Get Shot To Blow No. 1 Pick

Back in December, the 76ers were the worst team in the NBA and they traded Allen Iverson to Denver. Everyone expected them to tank the rest of the season, win about 22 games and have a good shot at getting the top pick in the NBA draft, the much-coveted 35-year-old college freshman Greg Oden.

Not so fast. After going 11-30 the first half of the season, Andre Iguodala and his band of merry boneheads managed to go 24-17 in the second 41 games, and will now likely draft 12th. Tonight’s the NBA lottery, where teams’ draft order is selected. It’s almost impossible to move up, though, and there’s actually a greater chance the Sixers could move down.

Technicaly, the 76ers have 7 in 1,000 chances to get the number one pick. They also have picks 21 and 30, from the Iverson deal, so this year Billy King will get a chance to draft three first-round stiffs instead of one.

Sixers facing long odds in draft lottery [Daily News]

Perhaps This Is Larry Brown’s New Dream Job

Every day, the 76ers find a new way to disappoint me. And considering the attendance the team’s been getting recently, I’m probably approaching 1/1000th of the franchise’s fanbase.

What did the 76ers do today to disappoint (besides still figuring out a way to trade a player who they’re currently paying not to play)? Oh, not much, Billy King is just having Larry fucking Brown assist him in finding a deal for Allen Iverson, the Inquirer’s David Aldridge reports.

Larry Brown may be a fine coach, but if there’s one thing he’s been bad at, it’s, oh, remembering anything that happened more than five seconds ago. And, uh, evaluating basketball talent. (Not that King is any good in that regard, either.) Does anyone remember who the 76ers signed when Larry Brown was coach? Monty Williams! Greg Buckner! Remember how, probably 15 minutes after trading George Lynch, Brown whined about wishing he could have some George Lynch-type players?!

At this point, the 76ers are going to get Vonteego Cummings and Derrick McKey — both on the 76ers’ post-championship team! — for A.I. But it’s becoming more and more likely that we all have to come to the conclusion they deserve it.

Update: After thinking about it for a few minutes, I’m pretty sure trading Allen Iverson actually is Brown’s dream job.

Larry Brown is helping the Sixers again [Inquirer]