Sixers/Phils - opposite emotions

ok, the last 72 hrs has really left me speechless, which is hard to do. But I've decided to return to my post and offer up my opinions and insight, which I know you've been dying to hear (not).

Lets start with the positives.

10-9-8-76ERS!!!! Can u believe it? When I texted "Do you believe in Miracles" near the end of the Phils 10-9 almost comeback win vs the Mets, I was really talking about the Sixers stealing Elton Brand away from the Clippers. The press conference is at 5pm today and I still won't believe it until he's there sitting next to big Ed and Mo. I mean this unbelievable. The Sixers went 40-42 last year, 7th seed in the East, lost to the Pistons after they were up 2-1 in the series and up 13 right before the half of game 4. They are young and hungry and got a good draft pick in Mareese Speights. So they should improve next year right? OK, well now add Elton Brand to that mix and holy sh*t you've got a contender. I'm not talking NBA champs here, but you gotta think they get atleast a 4 seed next year, win a playoff series or even 2. Then in 2010, when Thad and Lou and Mareese are even more seasoned, you've really got something to talk about. Thinking about Elton Brand just makes me smile (yes, in that way). In his 9 NBA seasons (he was the #1 pick in the '99 draft) he has averaged over 20 pts per game and over 10 rebs per game. There are only 4 active NBA players who have averaged 20-10 from their career; Shaq, Duncan, Garnett and Elton Brand. Oh and guess what, Brand is only 29, younger than Garnett (32), Duncan (32), and Shaq (36). Heck Brand is even younger than Kobe (30), so locking this guy up for the next 5 years is just awesome. And don't even think about raining on my parade with his achilles injury. He took his time coming back last year from it. Waited til he was healthy and played the last 8 games of the season and still averaged 17 and 8. This guy is the real deal and finally gives us the low post presence we needed.

So we got Brand, now what? Well, not to get greedy, but I really don't think Stefanski is done. Here's where we are at. Our starting 5 would probably be Miller and Iguodala in the backcourt, with Thad at the 3, Brand at 4 and Sammy D at the 5. Iggy is not a true SG, just doesn't shoot well enough, but you got to start him. The other option is that you could start Willie Green at the 2, Iggy at the 3 and put Thad on the bench. Anyway, so their bench, besides Green, includes Reggie Evans, Jason Smith, Speights, and Sweet Lou Williams. With Brand in the line-up you have a guy who will definitely draw a double team so you gotta get a sniper to set-up for wide open shots. I like Lou and Willie and even Thad's shooting, but none are considered snipers. The problem is that with the signing of Brand the Sixers are at the cap. Their only move is a trade. Iguodala is the best option. He's a restricted free agent which means if any team out there makes a big offer, the Sixers will be forced to match or just lose him outright. I envision the Sixers waiting to see if he gets an offer and then perhaps working out a sign and trade with that team to acquire a shooting guard. Names that have been tossed around are Ben Gordan, Michael Redd and Leandro Barbosa. I have mixed emotions on Iguodala. I think the guy is a legit talent. His performance in the playoffs left a sour taste in our mouths, but he was being guarded by Tayshaun Prince and it was his first playoff experience. I'm thinking he's been working hard in the offseason and is ready to shut everyone up in the coming season. On the other hand, if he doesn't improve his outside shot, I'm ok with trading him for a legit 2-guard scorer.

Deep sigh....ok, now the negatives. WTF has happened to the Phillies? 9-17 in their last 26 games. Just a 1.5 lead over the Marlins AND Mets. Myers in the minors, Gordon the DL, Howard can't hit lefties (was that really a bunt attempt last night?), Utley has been in a two month long slump, Rollins looks lethargic (did he really win MVP last year?), Eaton has imploded the last few starts, Jenkins stinks, Victorino and Werth and Feliz are ok, Ruiz is a bum, anything else? Oh right, The Brewers got Sabathia and the Cubs got Harden. SO....what now. Well, fortunately for you, I have answers. And no, they don't involve moving the team to Oklahoma City. As it stands now, the Phillies can still hit their way into the playoffs, but their going to probably pitch their way right out of them. Cole Hamels can only pitch once every 5 days. Kyle Kendrick is just not good enough to pitch in the playoffs, Jamie Moyer has actually been decent this year, but you still can't rely on him for a shut-down game in the playoffs. We have no idea how Myers will be when he comes back up here in a few weeks and I think we'll see JA Haap take Eaton's spot in the rotation. I don't see Kris Benson helping out this year in any sort of major way. Therefore, obviously, the Phils need to make a move to acquire a pitcher. And not just any pitcher. I don't wanna see Greg Maddux or Randy Wolf come in here or the second coming of Kyle Lohse (circa 2007).

So here's the solution and its not only the solution, its going to be reality. The Phillies WILL acquire Erik Bedard. Maybe not this week, maybe not next, but he will be a Phillie before July 31st, book it. As of yesterday, I would have been annoyed by this, but I've come to grips with it. Bedard's name has evoked some weird things in recent days as some have referred to him as "a weird guy" while others have suggested he tells his manager that's done pitching for the day (recently after 98 pitches thru 5). However, the numbers don't lie. Despite an early trip to the DL and pitching for the worst team in baseball, Bedard is 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA, and has allowed 70 hits while striking out 72, in 81 innings. In his last five starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA. Last year he was 13-5 with a 3.17 ERA and was 3rd in the AL in strikeouts with 221. He's 29 and is only arbitration eligible next year (he's making 7.7 million this year). So making a deal for him would include next year too, which is nice. The hard part is getting the Mariners to agree on who we need to give up. When the M's acquired Bedard in the off-season from the Orioles they gave up 5 prospects including current Oriole Adam Jones, the prize of the deal. You would think the Mariners would want atleast something close in return, although its not our fault their team completely underachieved this year and only got 13 starts out of Bedard. The other issue is that Bedard is not going to pitch til after the All-star break due to stiffness in his back, so I don't see a deal getting done til he pitches one more time. The Phillies will almost certainly part with Carlos Carasco, their best SP prospect who is in Double-A, in the deal along with other good prospects such as Adrian Cardenas and Jason Donald. Cardenas is a good guy to trade since he's a middle infielder and will never get a chance with Jimmy and Chase on the big league roster. Same with Donald who is a SS.

Ok, that's all for now.....