Ah the New Year. Opportunities, resolutions, dance parties.... it's all there. For the Sixers, 2012 seems like it will be a very telling year. After making the playoffs last year and falling to the Miami Heat in five games, much is expected of this young roster under the tutelage of veteran coach Doug Collins. But through the first four games of the season, the Sixers have been - stop me if you've heard this one - mediocre at 2-2. So what is to come over the next calendar year for the Philadelphia 76ers?
Win a Playoff Series
The Sixers have not won a playoff series since Larry Brown and Allen Iverson beat the 2002-03 New Orleans Hornets led by Jamal Mashburn and David Wesley. In the eight seasons since then, they've gone to the playoffs four times and lost in the first round each time (Detroit x2, Orlando, Miami). Will this finally be the year they get back into the promised land of the second round?
Trade Andre Iguodala
This has been rumored since before this site existed and we've already hypothetically traded him to the Clippers, Pistons, Magic, Jazz, Lakers, Warriors, and I'm sure more that I'm forgetting. Evan Turner is breathing down his neck but thus far, Andre and his rainbow jumper have been connecting at a 66% clip from beyond the arc. At this point, we'll probably just have to wait until he gets traded in 2045.
Get a Mascot
Hip-Hop is dead, and the Sixers have been patiently, carefully deciding which mascot will be the new NBA's Worst Mascot. Between a bridge, a dog, and a moose, there's really no way they can go right here. Who's excited?!
The Draft
Always my favorite part of the year, the 2012 NBA Draft figures to be one of the best in a long time, even if the Sixers do pick in the mid-teens. Getting that high-upside big man is too appealing to ignore, even in the cold winds of January. Patric Young? Tyler Zeller? Thomas Robinson? I'm already salivating.
Not Locking Out
The entire 2011 season was marred by the impending lockout. Now that that's out of the way, we won't have to worry about it until the end of the decade! And I could be dead by then! Are you just so excited for basketball that one of the worst starting 2-guards in the league and minimal cap flexibility can't even bring you down?