The season is approaching (but not quickly enough), so that means it’s NBA preview time. Starting with the league’s worst team and working our way to the top, we’ll preview one team per day.

I understand your pain, Iggy.

Philadelphia 76ers

Last year’s record: 27-55
Head Coach: Doug Collins
Projected Starters: Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Andre Iguodala, Elton Brand, Spencer Hawes

Outlook:

The 76ers’ best player is a third- or fourth-banana on a title contender. Their best big man is well past his prime and may steal Greg “The Fossilman” Raymer’s nickname if his play continues to deteriorate. Their top draft pick, Evan Turner, the number two pick in the entire draft, looked like he didn’t even belong during summer league. And their best center is like the feel of Hawaiian sand underneath your toes: incredibly soft. Add to that an utter lack of perimeter shooting or a true point guard, and Doug Collins should be considered a god if he can coax 35 wins out of this group.

X-Factor:

I thought last year would be Thaddeus Young’s breakout year. Only 20 years old in 2008-09, Young averaged 15 points and 5 rebounds, looking like a young star in the process. And then, just when I expected another leap… he regressed? Still just 22, Young hasn’t lost any of his star potential. There’s no reason why he should have already plateaued. Then again, there’s also no reason why I should still be waiting for his breakout year.

Biggest Question Mark:

The frontcourt. But I’m not so sure it’s a question mark. It’s more like a frowny face emoticon. Because a frontcourt of Elton Brand, Spencer Hawes, Mareese Speights and Tony Battie couldn’t hold their own in my summer league, never mind the NBA. Speights, though, could evolve into a beast at some point.

Most important newcomer:

Evan Turner. Look, I try not to put much stock into summer league. I really do. But shouldn’t a number two pick play well against other rookies and vagabonds, even if he’s out of shape, even if he hadn’t played five-on-five basketball in awhile, even if he wasn’t really trying? Matt Janning and Jeremy Lin were both more impressive than Turner this summer. No matter how little you trust summer league statistics, that’s unsettling. Before the summer, I expected that Turner would have a Brandon Roy-like career. Now, I wonder.

Key loss:

I never thought I’d say this, but the Sixers will really miss Samuel Dalembert. It’s not that his contributions were irreplaceable. They weren’t. It’s just that the duo of Spencer Hawes and Tony Battie can’t replace them. Philadelphia will especially miss Dalembert’s 1.8 blocks in only 25.9 minutes per game. By the way, folks? Any time a team will really miss Samuel Dalembert, its frontcourt inevitably invokes visions of a bodily function people normally flush down the toilet.

Most compelling storyline:

I want to see if Doug Collins still has it. I realize his players will most likely want to choke him out within three years, but Collins knows how to inspire young players and demand the best out of them. For an NBA team looking to rebuild, Collins fits perfectly. As a player, Collins told NBC Sports, “I know I gave everything to Philadelphia, including both my hips and my left knee.” As a coach, if Collins succeeds in his rebuilding project, he’ll have to be just as dedicated.

Player to watch:

Andre Iguodala. Anyone who watched Iguodala play in the World Championships knows he has been poorly casted in Philly. Iggy wasn’t put on this earth to be a premier scoring threat. He was meant to stop people, to lock opponent’s down, to score points without plays being run for him. When Iggy was in Turkey, I watched him put shackles on every player he defended. He was incredible. But defensive aptitude isn’t what most impresses me about ”the other AI.” So what is? He’s in a shitty situation in Philadelphia, on a team with no hopes that doesn’t — or can’t — utilize him correctly, yet Iggy punches in every night and never complains. I’m telling you, the man deserves better. But you’ll never hear that from him.

Descriptive movie quote:

“You take a look at her. Cause once you step on that bus you aint got your mama no more. You got your brothers on the team and you got your daddy. You know who your daddy is, doncha? Gary, if you want to play on this football team, you answer me when I ask you who is your daddy? Who’s your daddy, Gary? Who’s your daddy?” – Coach Boone, Remember the Titans

Philadelphia 76ers, Doug Collins is your daddy. Do everything he asks and you might have a fighter’s chance of being halfway decent. (*Looking back at roster, sees Spencer Hawes penciled in as starting center.*) Then again, maybe not.

Projected Record: 25-57. At some point in the next few years, I would love to see Andre Iguodala help out a contender. But it probably won’t happen in Philadelphia.

The Celtics have gotten rid of their morning walkthrough, but that doesn’t mean we have to. Here are a few Celtics links, and maybe even an NBA link or two, to help wake you up and get you focused for the day.

Steve Bulpett, Boston Herald – “‘We’re a great team on paper if you look (and) see what we have,’ he said. ‘But we have to go out there and prove it. We have to go out there and put fear in our opponent’s heart.’ And if the Celtics don’t, if they continue to come up small as the tests become even larger, Sheed knows the No. 30 on his chest and back will take on the appearance of a target. ‘Aw, that ain’t nothing new,’ said Wallace. ‘Expletive), I’ve been facing it since Day 1 when I came into the NBA. People get upset with me because I speak my mind. I don’t hold my tongue. I don’t care who it is or who it’s about. In this league and this game and this business, they don’t like that. They want you to kiss (butt). I ain’t no kiss-(butt) dude.’ His game is alternately endearing and infuriating to fans. His makes beget some of the Garden’s loudest cheers; his clanged treys set of a chorus of groans. That Wallace is bold and unapologetic simply highlights the latter. Like my mom said, 50 percent of the people are going to love you and 50 percent are going to hate you,’ he said. ‘You can’t please everybody. That’s pretty much how I play. I don’t sit out there and worry about what the next person is thinking at all. ‘Oh, he’s got too many techs (technical fouls) and he shoots too many 3’s.’ I don’t worry about that.’”

A. Sherrod Blakely, CSNNE – “One by one, the goals this team set for itself are disappearing quicker than a Tiger Woods endorsement. The dreams of a 72-win season were squashed some time ago. Finishing with the best record in the NBA was kicked to the curb as well. Home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs is no longer something to take for granted. And now, it appears not even the scheduling gods can save the C’s, something the five-win — no, make that six-win — New Jersey Nets proved when they beat the Celtics on Saturday. Up next for the C’s is Detroit, another lottery-bound club that has already beaten Boston this season.”

Jessica Camerato, WEEI – “On Friday, Yahoo! Sports reported Tony Battie is a candidate to be bought out by the Nets before Monday’s deadline. WEEI.com has learned the Celtics are one of the teams Battie would be interested in signing with if he is bought out. [...]He has not, however, had any conversations with the Celtics organization.”

Frank Dell’Apa, Boston Globe – “Meanwhile, the Celtics seemed to have lost the script once again. Pierce’s return could solve many problems. ‘We miss him a lot,’ Perkins said. ‘ ‘P’ is our go-to guy. Still, when Kobe [Bryant] was out, the Lakers found ways to win without him, so that’s no excuse. We’ve got a lot of confident guys on this team, lot of confidence within our coaches. We just need that one game to get on track and we’ll take off from there. See how we bounce back against Detroit. We’ve got a few days to think about these last two losses, guys get some rest, get in the gym and do their workouts, do what they’ve got to do, have a good practice. Remember, we lost our last one in Detroit, so we need to go get that one.’”

Zach Lowe, Celtics Hub – “Save for a couple of games against New Jersey (ahem), the C’s schedule since late January has been brutal. Seven of the team’s last 15 games have come against Atlanta, Denver, the Lakers (twice), Orlando (twice) and Cleveland, and that 15-game span also included five straight road games against Western Conference teams. The C’s went 7-8 over that stretch, with only two of those wins coming against teams that currently stand at .500 or better (@ Portland and @ the Lakers, with both teams battling injuries). The next seven games represent something of a reprieve. Only two come against teams with .500 or better records (as of Sunday morning), and none are more than two games over .500:”

Jeff Clark, CelticsBlog – “I can’t pinpoint any one player that could possibly be to blame for the issues, but they all must share in the blame here. I’m getting a little tired of hearing about how the team is leading the league in points against. There is such a thing as timely defense. If you hold a team to 85 points but can’t stop them on the last 3 possessions and end up losing 84 to 85, then what good is your league leading defense?”

Dennis J. McGrath/Phil Miller, Minnesota Star Tribune – “The Timberwolves accepted center Al Jefferson’s apology on Sunday for alleged drunken driving after Saturday night’s loss to Portland, but they suspended their leading scorer for the next two games as punishment.
Jefferson was arrested on Interstate 394 just outside downtown Minneapolis at 1:08 a.m. Sunday, a little more than three hours after he scored 19 points in the Wolves’ 110-91 loss, and booked into jail on a charge of fourth-degree driving while impaired, said State Patrol Lt. Eric Roeske. ‘I made a very poor decision and I am truly sorry for that,’ Jefferson said in a written apology to Wolves owner Glen Taylor, his teammates, coaches and ‘Wolves fans everywhere.’”

Have a link I might want to look at? Send it my way by email (jayking@celticstown.com) or Twitter.