Moves show Sixers not resting on last season's feats

Things were buzzing in our newsroom late Tuesday afternoon and it had nothing to do with the Phillies or MLB's All-Star Game. 

The reason was word got out that the Sixers were adding a player while losing another one. The Sixers had just acquired 6-foot-9 swingman Dorell Wright from Golden State for Edin Bavcic and a $4.1 million trade exception (see story). Minutes earlier, Lou Williams tweeted that he was joining the Atlanta Hawks (see story). These two moves come just a few days after Clippers guard Nick Young’s agent revealed that his client has agreed to a one-year deal with the Sixers. 

We know that Elton Brand is gone thanks to the NBA’s amnesty clause, while Spencer Hawes gets two more years in Philadelphia. Assuming Olympian Andre Iguodala is staying put, the Sixers have been an active team so far this off-season. 

By my count they have one point guard, one shooting guard, two centers and a mess of guard-forward combos. 

So what do all of these moves mean for the Sixers next year? Mike Mulhern is producer of our Sixers magazine show "Sixers City". We call him "The Mayor" with his wealth of knowledge about the Sixers. He likes the added scoring and the team’s flexibility with player positions. 

I see a great deal of Doug Collins’ influence with these moves. He doesn’t label a player a guard or forward. He just wants athletic, hard-nosed scorers, who contribute defensively.  

I’m sure the Sixers have other moves planned before training camp opens in the fall, but right now I like the fact that they are not sitting back and resting on their laurels from a year ago when they took the Celtics to seven games in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Atlantic Division continues to improve and, thankfully, so do the Sixers.