Cap room commeth

New Philadelphia 76ers President Ed Stefanski made his first move on Saturday, sending 3-point threat Kyle Korver and his bloated contract to the Utah Jazz. The trade, which netted the Sixers Gordan Giricek (pictured) and a future draft pick, created the cap room that Stefanski wanted.

In order to make the team competitive, Stefanski will have to strengthen the roster. Giricek is a step in the right direction. Like Korver, he's also a 3-point specialist. The key is that his contract expires at the end of the year. The other reason why this makes sense is that Giricek is also from Europe, a basketball breeding ground badly neglected by the 76ers.

Congratulations Mr. Stefanski on your first move. It was smart and truly in the direction of moving forward.

Stefanski's first move?

When Ed Stefanski was brought in to resuscitate the Philadelphia 76ers about three weeks ago, there was a sigh of relief among Sixers fans. Sine then, though, there has been little news. The team is playing to the best of their ability (12-16), and they are impressing some people who had them pegged to finish dead last.

Rumors, however, have begun to fly that Stefanski is about to make his first move. Andre Miller (pictured), who is averaging over 16 points and six assists per game, may soon be suiting up for another franchise. ESPN is reporting the team that covets the services of Miller, a point guard in his ninth year out of Utah, is the defending Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

The deal that ESPN rumors would net the Sixers little for Miller, and might not be the best offer out there. Drew Gooden, Cedric Simmons and Ira Newble would be the bounty. Gooden is the only one of the lot that I would think can contribute to the team effectively.

Stefanski denies the deal will take place, but if he wants to right the ship sent listing by Billy King, he needs to make some personnel changes soon. No matter how good or bad a front office is, teams need talent on the court. Did King seriously think that Kyle Korver and Samuel Dalembert deserved bloated contracts? They're role players, not building blocks.

With two months of the season nearly complete, the Ed Stefanski era needs to lift off soon.

Ding Dong the Dingbat's Gone

Fans are rejoicing on Broad Street once again. The man who has almost single-handedly destroyed the Philadelphia 76ers, Billy King, has finally been given his pink slip. To call him a lame duck GM would be a disgrace to lame ducks everywhere. King was a boil on the neck of the Sixers, allowed to fester as ownership concentrated more on hockey than basketball.

With the Flyers erasing the memory of last year’s dismal run, Ed Snider and the powers of Comcast have finally looked to make the Sixers competitive. Normally when a team loses a remarkable amount of games, a coach is the scapegoat for poor performance. But in the case of the 76ers, how could you blame a guy for not winning when given a roster full of players who would be at best a third option anywhere else? When he came back to Philly as a head coach, I’m sure Maurice Cheeks was expecting a little help from the front office. Seemingly, the opposite kept happening.

Chris Webber loafed his way into a buyout, and Allen Iverson was traded for less than his value. Undeserving, bloated contracts were also handed to Samuel Dalembert (the Haitian Sedation), Willie Green and Kyle Korver. The latter of the three is the only one who would even hold a little trade value as he shoots the three phenomenally…at times. Dalembert could have some trade value if his contract wasn’t bigger than he plays. Let’s not even get into the long list of King’s draft day duds. Hey Billy, there’s some great talent overseas you might have wanted to analyze.

Ed Stefanski, now the former GM of the New Jersey Nets, will replace Billy King. I don’t know if it’s such a great thing to hire someone who was so readily available from a division rival, but maybe he knows how to win a little. Either way, he helped take the Nets from perennial bottom feeders to division overlords almost overnight.

To Billy King I say good riddance. To Ed Stefanski I say good luck. Unlike in East Rutherford where the stands are half empty for a playoff team, in Philly the fans have passion. Our stands are half full for a cellar dweller.