NBA Lockout is finally over; and with that the Sixers new FO must begin

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2011/11/22/2581655/nba-lockout-2011-david-stern-players-union-disclaimer

I'll put my own disclaimer: If the Sixers manage to significantly win with this ragtag group of misfits, Doug Collins isn't just a great coach. He's a miracle worker!   And by significantly win, I don't mean 41-41.  The whole thing yes, was cute. But we forget under the Cheeks/Dileo era, we but missed .500 by maybe a game or two.   The goal, is to have an actual winning season. Either today or tomorrow(IE: The future)  but the goal is to break this Stream of Mediocrity.   

Rod Thorn is one of two vestiges of the previous administration left, the other being the great Doug Collins. Keeping Collins was obvious, as he probably is a better piece than maybe half of this roster(see what I mean by being a miracle worker).  Thorn, on the other hand I wished they let go.  Thorn, like his underman Stefanski, defines mediocrity.

http://www.netsdaily.com/2010/7/15/1568653/the-collected-works-of-rod-thorn

When one overlooks these collected works, what you see is two great deals(The Kidd and the Carter trades) and then a struggle to escape mediocrity.    What you see, is a more famous Ed Stefanski.(Although Ed, LOVING this flawed roster for god knows what reason was unwilling to break it up and therefore unable to make even a small deal let alone a big one). 

"Hey, you don't know how those moves pan out half of the time". You do when you hear names like Shareef Abdul Rahim, Jeff McInnis, etc.   Rahim was a good player maybe some 3-5 years  before the signing took place.   Thorn brought in below average-to-average at best players to support Jason Kidd, it didn't work.

What would have happened had there been no Rob Babcock to save his ass?  Perpetual Mediocrity followed by a decade of losing.   In short, the 80's Sixers.   We have, very simply the wrong guy to lead this ship.   We have someone who A) has been in the NBA and B) Hasn't done squat.   He performed maybe one legitimate transaction if we're not counting Babcock's generous gift(this is the same guy who let Iguodala fall to us)

Infact, if we're honest with ourselves even the Richard Jefferson trade was a hand-me out gift from Houston.     Hey,maybe Thorn can work that magic to rob people again and otherwise solidify what is a very mediocre GM resume(a good GM doesn't get buy on  ripping off his inept counterparts.)

To be fair, the Nets could've been alot better.    Had they  stuck with a talent in Jackson,  Stefanski saw the talent that was Michael Redd, Thorn passed.    The Nets had a chance at Gilbert Arenas, but for the same reasons as letting Jackson go later, they went with Brandon Armstrong.  Who wasn't all that terrible, thing is though: He could add nothing to your franchise. Arenas potentially could have.

Perhaps even more alarming than the relatively conservative draft/lack of free agency success  approach, is Thorn's love of veterans.    Now, here's a scary thought: We trade a Turner, let's say we get a Paul Pierce(or more accurately, Ray Allen. Can't see Boston trading the face of it's franchise).    Let's also say we bring in a solid banger to shore up our rotation.

There's that winning season I talked about!  Problem is, it won't last and it'll rob us of a great future asset and a long term player for the Philadelphia 76ers Franchise. If we were to go "all-in" like the Eagles, the goal is to win a title.   Because only by winning a title, or somehow extending the very short window of said flawed trade or Turner busting, we lost the trade.

See, Boston won the KG trade because it won a title.    It didn't matter that Boston now has to undergo a long rebuilding  process with Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green.    They won a title, which is actually ten times worth Al Jefferson and scrubs.   So they didn't just win the trade, they obliterated the trade. 

Now on paper, Ray Allen is an excellent fit for the Philadelphia 76ers.    Andre Iguodala moves into a complimentary role and his defense(as well as Jrue's) compensates in however Ray may be lacking on that end.    Even though Ray would amount to a second option, it's 16-18 PPG that's consistent and therefore is huge boost in the arm for the Sixers. 

Get a low post stopper after that, and yeah I'd be excited. I would support said moves, reluctantly.  Because it's such a small, small window.     If we win a title, I couldn't care less(okay, maybe I do) that Evan Turner burns up the league.   

Rod Thorn, at his best, is such a HUGE risk for this Sixers franchise.  It could set us back for yet another five years.   Given his resume, and given his lack of success with the LLE/MLE signings and draft.     

I'm a Sixer diehard, I want this team to succeed and I want it to succeed in the long haul.   And I don't have confidence in Thorn. You can say he made those trades in 2001,   but the guys he made the trades with are out of the league/also-ran guys.      And those trades didn't take into account the future, long-term, etc. Which is why he didn't get more out of Kidd than two finals appearances.  

If my fears come to past and we make a veteran move for an Allen(as great of a fit as Allen is), I'll still support the franchise and love it. Heck, it'll be by far the best team since the 2001-03 ERA Sixers.    But I'll be nervous about the next 3-5 years.

(Yes, it is a long post but I didn't mention Iguodala's name except twice and I did so in a positive light, so there :D)