Sixers Acquire James Anderson, Tim Ohlbrecht Off Waivers

According to a CSNPhilly.com report, the Philadelphia 76ers have been awarded shooting guard James Anderson and big man Tim Ohlbrecht off waivers. Anderson and Ohlbrecht were waived by the Houston Rockets, and I assume this move will set off a chain where Sam Hinkie and Daryl Morey indirectly swap players for the next several years.

Anderson was a first-round pick of the San Antonio Spurs in 2010, and spent two seasons with the organization before the team opted not to pick up his player option for a third year. He would sign with the Atlanta Hawks before being released rather quickly, and once again made his way back to San Antonio for the start of the 2012-13 season.

Anderson played in just ten contests with San Antonio, shooting 44% from the floor and 45.5% from beyond the three point line, but averaged just 3.4 points in about ten minutes of action.

The Spurs waived him on December 20th, and the 24 year-old would finish last season with the Houston Rockets. He appeared in 29 games with them, posting 4.0 points per game and shot 40.6% from the floor.

As of right now, I'd expect the Sixers to move Evan Turner to Small Forward, leaving Anderson as the only shooting guard on the team. Barring any large signing (and who are we kidding), it seems likely the 6'6", 215 lbs. two guard gets an opportunity to fight for the starting job.

Tank fever, baby. Catch it.

The German born Ohlbrecht spent seven years playing for various clubs in Germany from 2005-2012, and a profile from eurobasket.com from 2011 gives some background on Philadelphia's new power forward/center.

The last two summers have seen Tim Ohlbrecht finally fulfill his undoubted potential and become an important member of the German National Team. After looking to be in serious danger of not delivering on the promise he showed as a youth player and at semi-pro level, his move to Bonn has clearly paid off. He has seen his minutes soar from 12 per game at EuroBasket 2009 to over 20 at the FIBA World Championship last year, with his points and rebounding contribution also going up in proportion to the extra opportunity he has been given. Physically he has what it takes to be successful at the elite level, as evidenced by his shot blocking ability and he possesses an impressive array of skills. Now that he has also upped his work-rate and applied himself far better in the Bundesliga, he looks ready to take a more prominent role for the National Team but can't afford to take his foot off the accelerator.

In a FIBA qualification round with Germany this year, Ohlbrecht averaged 5.4 PPG and 4.3 RPG.

He made his way to American basketball in November 2012, after signing with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He had a sensational year in the D-League, posting 10.3 PPG and 7.2 RPG on his way to becoming a D-League All-Star. In February, he signed a three-year contract with the Rockets, and played in three games with them.

Philadelphia now has 13 contracts going into the 2013 season, but Anderson and Ohlbrecht's deals are non-guaranteed, according to the Inquirer's Keith Pompey.