<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">1. What will Allen Iverson's state of mind be like after a summer of uncertainty about whether he might be traded? Iverson was almost gone by NBA draft night in June, but president and general manager Billy King balked at a deal with the Boston Celtics that would have given them the chance to pick former Villanova star Randy Foye. The Celtics kept trying and other teams (Denver, Atlanta, Golden State) inquired, but nothing surfaced, and King pulled Iverson off the market. King said his superstar guard is ready to play. "The one thing about Allen is, as he said when we talked during the summer, is that this is where he wants to be," King said. The last time the Sixers actively sought to deal Iverson, in the off-season of 2000, he came back and won league MVP honors, and the Sixers made the NBA Finals. 2. One year older and struggling with his mobility, will Chris Webber be able to match his numbers of last season? His numbers last year - 20.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, a career-best 2,893 minutes - were impressive for a guy who doesn't move quickly. While his defense wasn't textbook, he compensated with a high basketball I.Q. Webber, who will turn 34 in March, averaged 38.6 minutes last season. Cheeks said he'll play however many minutes are good for the team. "Whatever makes us a better team, then that's what we're doing," he said. 3. Is Iguodala ready to become a significant offensive contributor on this team? In his second season, Iguodala's scoring average jumped from 9.0 to 12.3 points, but he managed only slightly more than eight shots per game, frequently deferring to star teammates Iverson and Webber. But after he teased Sixers fans with a 30-point outburst at last season's NBA Rookie Challenge, he appears ready to break out. "We've had conversations about him being more aggressive, being more of a leader out there," Cheeks said. 4. Can Samuel Dalembert bounce back from a disappointing season? Dalembert, one of the league's top shot-blockers, started slowly after a quadriceps injury kept him out of much of training camp and the first 13 games of the season, and he never matched the performance expected of him after signing a six-year, $64 million contract in the summer of 2005. Worse, his practice demeanor did not appear to endear him to Cheeks, who reportedly kicked him out of practice one day. After missing three contests in late February with a sprained left ankle, Dalembert did not regain his starting job for 14 more games. King said the quadriceps injury bothered the 6-foot-11 center more than he let on. "He never brought it up, but he said that in June, that was the first time he really felt he could run like he normally could," King said. 5. How will Cheeks improve a defense with much of the same cast from a unit that performed poorly last season? This could be the most important question of all. The Sixers finished 22d or worst in three key defensive categories last season: scoring defense, field-goal-percentage defense and rebound margin. Cheeks insisted he will focus on rebounding and defense - before and during the season. "For whatever reason, it didn't happen last year," he said. "But this year, I am focused on making sure that happens. I'm going to make sure that our team is a reflection of the things I like to see - teamwork, defense, rebounding the ball - things that make us a better basketball team." </div> Link
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The last time the Sixers actively sought to deal Iverson, in the off-season of 2000, he came back and won league MVP honors, and the Sixers made the NBA Finals.</div> Wow..that just dawned on me. That might be a good sign.
^^ Funny when I read the part you quoted. Beyonce's De-Ja Vu song is playing. Hopefully that's a good sign.
