State of the Cap: Philadelphia 76ersBy:

2010/11 Philadelphia 76ers Payroll: $63.4 million
2010/11 NBA Salary Cap: $56.1 million
Roughly: $7.3 million over cap

The Good: The value found on the 76ers’ roster is in their young backcourt, but the fact that they have so many bad contracts is probably why they finished last season with a 27-55 record. 

The team was able to add a mature point guard late in the first round last year in Jrue Holiday. Holiday impressed the team late in the season with his composure and defensive ability. He’s considered the point guard of the future for the team.

The lottery balls bounced the right way for the team and they were able to add the college player of the year Evan Turner with the second pick of the draft. Turner is expected to have an immediate impact and will be at a bargain for the next 4 years at 4 million per year. As great as Turner is, he’s similar to Iguodala in the sense that he is likely a great 2nd option but not the superstar that will make you a contender.

Louis Williams was one of the few players who performed decently well for his paycheck.  The fifth-year guard set career highs with 14 points and 4.2 assists per game along with 47% shooting.  Williams is owed about $5.9 million each of the next three years, which is a pretty good sum for your second leading scorer.  He has improved every year he’s been in the league and the team certainly hopes Williams can keep that up.

The Bad: Philadelphia had a very poor season, yet they already owe $63.4 million to these guys next year.  The biggest chunk of that cash is going to Elton Brand who after injuring his shoulder has been an incredible bust since coming to the team from L.A.  The former All-Star did play most of the season for a change, but his stats were by far the worst of his long career.  With three years and $51 million left on his contract, you would expect a lot more than 13.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per night.  Brand is a hollow shell of his former self.  The team will be regretting this one for a while.

Another big bust has been the play of Jason Kapono.  The three-point specialist shot the worst percentage of his career from downtown, a pedestrian 36%.  That isn’t terrible, but when it’s the only thing you bring to the table and you are raking in over $6 million a year, you had better be nailing them at a higher clip.  His assist and rebounds averages are microscopic and he only got enough minutes to put up 5.7 points per game.  Good thing he only has one year left on his deal.

The team was finally able to get Samuel Dalembert’s terrible contract off the books ($12 million expiring contract) by trading him to Sacramento for Andres Nocioni and Spencer Hawes (1 year at $3 million). Nocioni is a gritty veteren but will need to play up to his former ability to justify the 2 years at 6 million per.

The Future: Philly’s best player, Andre Iguodala, has four years left on his deal for a total of $56 million.  Iguodala is good, no doubts there.  His 17.1 point, 6.5 rebound, and 5.8 assist averages speak for themselves.  However, the man is being paid like a team-carrying superstar when really he is a good second fiddle.  In his four seasons as a major player, his 76er teams have never achieved a winning record.  When you pay someone that much money, you should expect results in the win column.

Turner kind of plays the same position as Iguodala and the duo might have trouble playing alongside each other.  Philly could try it for a while to see how it works and trade someone (Iguodala) away later if it doesn’t.  They could also decide to go into rebuilding mode, try to trade away Iguodala and Brand to cut salary, and then rebuild around Turner. Regardless of what they choose, next year should be interesting for the 76ers.

Philadelphia needs to decide what direction to take their team.  Recent moves have been attempts at becoming a contender.  At this point, it makes more sense for them to become a rebuilding team.  They aren’t a few band-aids or one good player away from making noise in the playoffs.  The 76ers need to reshape their team for incoming coach Doug Collins.  There are some players on the roster worth keeping for the long haul. Rookie Jrue Holiday played pretty well the second half of the season when he was given more minutes (and he is just 20).  Thaddeus Young didn’t improve upon a stellar sophomore campaign, but he is still young and shows promise. His development may be stunted by the presence of Iguodala. Young is signed for next season at $2.9 million, the last year of his rookie deal, and Iguodala and Holiday will be around for a while. If they can find a way to dig themselves out from under the shadow of Brand’s contract, the 76ers can rebuild themselves into a much better team within a few years. 

Grade: C+