– Adam Aron via Twitter

How can you not be proud of a team that opens up a rushed preseason with a 103-78 spanking of the Washington Wizards on Friday?

The 10-9-8-76ers flashed tons of brilliance and promise in the second half of last season under Doug Collins before bowing out to the Miami LeFrauds Heat in the playoffs. Apparently, a lack of a real training camp didn’t keep the squad from playing together on the court.

The Sixers were overly impressive in their 25-point spanking of the Wizards on Friday. There were many positives to take from the preseason opener.

Among the items that jump out at you in perusing the box score:

• Lou Williams and Evan Turner drop a combined 35 points in 40 minutes off the bench.
• Spencer Hawes had 14 points and nine boards in 19 minutes of action.
• Jrue Holiday dropped a dozen points and collected five dimes.
• Andre Iguodala added five assists in 20 minutes but failed to score, going 0-for-6 from the field.

That last line is scary.

The guy has been bashed in Philly for failing to live up to a contract that overpays him. He’s paid as an elite guy, but is more of a number two guy. His defense, passing ability and unselfish play makes him a commodity across the NBA. However, his lack of ability to hit the shot in the clutch — rightly or wrongly — has ruined his rep in the stands of the Wells Fargo Center.

Failing to score in the preseason opener will do nothing to help that. Granted, it’s one game — a preseason contest at that. But, zero points is zero points.

If one guy needs to come out and ball out in the team’s next — and last — preseason game, it’s Iggy. All eyes will be on him, and rightly so. The fact is, the Sixers need Andre Iguodala to be at an all-star level to truly compete for a top 4 spot in the talented Eastern Conference.

On Sunday, facing elimination against Dictator James and his amigos, we had one message for the players: #Showyaheart.

Mission accomplished.

Down six with less than two minutes remaining, the raucous fans helped Will-iams the team to a win. Young guns Jrue Holiday and Lou Williams knocked down three balls, propelling the Sixers to an 86-82 win that forces both teams to take their talents to South Beach for a Game 5 on Wednesday.

Lou Williams tied Evan Turner for a team-high 17 points, including a three-point dagger in the team's 86-82 win.

Of course, no LeFraud James playoff loss would be complete without a note on his ineptness down the stretch. Down 84-82, James drove the lane with a chance to tie and — he lost the ball in the air instead of taking over like MJ or Kobe.

The Sixers jumped all over Miami to start and held a 28-16 lead after one. Then, Miami made a run to take a 48-46 halftime lead. yeah, it looked like Game 1, or even Game 3, all over again.

But, not today. Not on Easter Sunday in Our Town. Not with Our Young Guns — Holiday, Williams and Evan Turner — on the court.

Williams and Turner led the team with 17 points apiece to go with a dime and a steal each. Williams pulled in four boards, while Turner added six.

Iguodala finally showed up for a bit with 16 points, although he was fairly invisible on the offensive end down the stretch. Elton Brand added 15 and 11, while Holiday had 10 and five dimes.

Numbers aside, win aside, this team filled with a lot of young guys showed heart. Heart instilled into them by Doug Collins this year. Honestly, the team is no better off than it was two or three years ago, but we’ll explore that in blog posts later.

For now, bask in the glow of the Heat setting for a day and the heart shown by Holiday, Williams, Turner, Thaddeus Young and the rest of the squad.

Two thoughts about this. First, some radio talkers are talking about Andre Igodala’s reaction. Honestly, who wouldn’t have that “Oh, my!” reaction just seconds after the dunk. Iggy had a natural reaction. He didn’t carry on. I don’t see a big deal with it. Would it be better to have sat there and had no reaction? Sure, but this isn’t a perfect world.

Second, props to Holiday for hustling out there. He was trying his best to defend the undefendable. He was a point guard trying to play big. He could have just moved out of the way, but he was in the lane and tried to at least make it a bit tougher. Sure, the attempt was fruitless, but you have to like the hustle involved. If only every athlete displayed that energy and “never-give-up” attitude.

The Sixers fell to the rival Knicks on Wednesday, 97-92, and fell a half-game behind NY for the sixth seed. In all honesty, it doesn’t matter where they finish. They will either get the Heat or Celtics in the first round as those two squads sit tied for second in the conference.

The Sixers have dropped three straight games since securing a playoff birth with a win over the Nets last Friday.

A couple of weeks ago, the Sixers were the hot pick to score a first round upset. Both the Heat and Celtics were flailing, while the Sixers were streaking. Then Lou Williams got hurt and Andre Iguodala lost his mojo due to a knee injury. Now, the Sixers have lost four of their last ten, while Boston is 6-4 and Miami is 8-2 over the same time period.

Honestly, at this point the Sixers need to get healthy and not worry about where they finish. With three games left, it’s time to shut down Iggy and let him get his legs back under him.

As much as the fan base likes to think of Iggy as an underachiever, the Sixers need him. Their defense is predicated upon him shutting down the opposing team’s star.

And, Evan Turner, the feel good story from the loss to Boston, went back into hiding against the Knicks. He scored a whole four points in 21 minutes, although he did haul in seven rebounds. Still, they drafted the guy to score and 2-for-8 doesn’t get the job done when you’re filling in for Williams.

Sixth or seventh. Seventh or Sixth. Just get Iggy and Sweet Lou back and healthy.

While the Knicks and Nets are busy acquiring superstars, the phones at the Wells Fargo Center have been relatively silent. Don’t expect the Sixers to make a deal before Thursday’s trade deadline and that’s probably the right move at this point.

Jrue Holiday is one of the reasons the Sixers are competing for the sixth seed in the East.

The fact is the Sixers are young and improving. Doug Collins has his unit playing together and just one game under .500 after a horrible 3-13 start. Andre Iguodala is doing exactly what is expected of him — playing tenacious defense while getting his points, rebounds and assists. Jrue Holiday is evolving before our eyes and even Evan turner has continued to improve.

Honestly, the Sixers are fighting for the sixth seed in the East. If they wanted to, they couldn’t be a lottery team at this point in a horrific Eastern Conference. Therefore, they are not sellers.

Nor should they be buyers. Unless the Sixers can acquire a star shooting guard, or a guy who can knock down the three ball, they really gain nothing buy making a trade. Unfortunately, they don’t have the cap room or arsenal to go after a star right now.

The Sixers you saw thrash the Wizards tonight are the Sixers you will see tomorrow. A year removed from the Doug Moe Eddie Jordan era, that’s not a bad thing.

If you lined up all the players on the Sixers, only two would likely get significant interest from other NBA general managers — Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala.

The Sixers are simply at a crossroads as they try to retool and compete in the suddenly strong Eastern Conference. Don’t misread that. The east is still weak compared to the depth the West has. However, the cream of the crop — the Heat, Celtics, Magic and even the Bulls, suddenly can be in the championship discussion. That’s a far cry from years past.

Trading forward Andre Iguodala might be the only way to get the Sixers out of the status quo.

Saddled with the Elton Brand contract for at least the next couple of seasons, the Sixers are limited in what they can do. The one thing they can do is deal a player for whom you have other young guys who do close to the same thing.

Iguodala is the guy who should go. And, it would be best for everyone. Iguodala is in his seventh season and isn’t getting younger. He’s basically in his prime right now and can help a team chase a championship. He showed how he can fit in as a third option and a defensive stalwart on Team USA last summer.

On the season, Iguodala is putting up numbers that would make him the ideal Scottie Pippen type. His 14.3 points, 5.9 boards and 5.7 dimes per game are legit No. 2 [layer numbers. He is a team player. Sadly, he is the No. 1 guy on the Sixers. He’s just not that player.

The Sixers small forward can bring back value. And, trading him allows the sixers to see if Thaddeus Young can be the starter at the 3, or if Evan Turner may very well fill that spot.

The problem the Sixers have had with all of their draft picks recently is they tend to pick guys who do the same thing. Iguodala, Rodney Carney, Young, Turner. All are guys who can hanle the ball and rebound. All are streaky shooters. None are true go-to guys down the stretch.

Why keep Iguodala around? Sure, he could help the Sixers in their playoff push. But, does a playoff birth make this season successful? Or does seeing what the young guys, the ones who will be here for the next eight years, the goal?

The fact is the Sixers are a shooting guard away from fielding a truly competitive team. Holiday is a star in the making. Young is a solid 3 who can fill in at the 4. Brand has picked his game up and maybe, just maybe, he could be trade bait if a team loses a power forward in the next couple of weeks.

Sixers rookie Evan Turner has shown signs of brilliance and reason for concern. He is not an NBA 2-guard unless he works hard to develop a studly outside shot. He is better with the ball in his hands and could be a point forward since he can rebound and play D. Doesn’t he sound like someone else on the team? Iggy?

If you can get value, or a guy with a legit outside shot for Iguodala, you have to trade him. Get him on a legit contender and make your team better at the same time. It’s the only way to make this squad better for the long haul.

After rolling out to a 5-1 start in December, the Sixers dropped a 93-81 decision to the Lakers on Friday night that was closer than the score might indicate.

Spencer Hawes and Andre Iguodala each dropped a team high points. Hawes added 13 boards and five dimes. Iggy had six rebounds and six assists.

The Lakers came into Philly and dropped the Sixers, 93-81, behind Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol.

For the Lakers, Lamar Odom had a game-high 28 points to go with eight boards and three assists. Pau Gasol added a double-double of 19 points and 13 boards.

Kobe Byrant, bothered by his injured pinkie, didn’t have a point until he scored in the final 90 seconds of the first half. He finished with just nine points.

The Sixers, as they have done so many times against the top teams this year, made a game of it. They had a five-point lead entering the fourth quarter and looked to be in position to finally get that signature win in the Doug Collins era that would proclaim this young squad is improving and needs to be taken seriously.

For now, the Sixers need to continue feasting on average and poor NBA teams and put themselves in position to remain in the playoff hunt. They will get a chance to finally drop a good team when they travel to Orlando on Saturday. Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson will be waiting for Jrue Holiday and company.

Three summers ago, Sixers owner Ed Snider was enthralled with Hawks big man free agent Josh Smith. The team’s chairman, however, let his basketball people make the call to sign Elton Brand to a free agent deal instead of getting into a potential sign-and-trade scenario with Atlanta.

At the time, Smith was a young, up-and-coming big man, while Brand was an established all-star coming off of an injury-plagued season. Philly was thrilled that their team had made a free agent splash to improve their front court.

Two years later, Sixers fans trashed the front office for the Brand signing. Now, Brand is playing well, dropping 18 points and collecting eight rebounds a night in the early going. If he can keep this production up, maybe the Sixers can move his contract to a contender later.

Josh Smith would look good in Sixers gear.

For now, though, the team could make a run at Smith, who is rumored to be on the block. Sure, the Hawks have denied that speculation this week, but what are they going to say?

Smith is averaging 14 and nine in the early going this season. Still, he is young and crazy athletic.

The Sixers, meanwhile, don’t seem to be going anywhere and need to rebuild completely. This isn’t a minor tweak here and there. Even Doug Collins has said, “There is a lot more work to be done here than I anticipated.”

Translation: This team isn’t close to contending for a legit playoff run.

The biggest problem is the fact that the Sixers have too many similar players. Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Evan Turner are all tweeners. Turner is a scorer, but not a shooter. He can’t start for Collins for that very reason. He’s a better distributor, but the Sixers have a guy like that named Jrue Holiday.

Young can ball when given the chance. But, with Iggy and Brand around, he won’t start. Iguodala, meanwhile has major value in the NBA. Teams love his defensive ability and he helped himself with his Team USA performance this summer.

Iguodala is still just 25 (26 in January). He has the best value in a trade, but maybe you can still build around him. That’s a decision Rod Thorn, Ed Stefanski and Doug Collins are going to have to make between now and the trade deadline.

The bottom line is the Sixers need to move one or two of these tweeners for guys with legit NBA positions. And, maybe, Smith could be the guy you bring in to help rebuild the franchise.

For the first time all season, Evan Turner, Elton Brand, Iguodala and Co. have a chance to go streaking. With a win over the LeFraudless Cavaliers at the CoreStates, First Union, Wachovia Wells Fargo Center, the Sixers will be on a winning streak. Oh, and they’ll also have one more win than the Dallas Cowboys in one less game.

Let’s see if Doug Collins can keep the young Sixers squad on the track toward improvement.

“There’s a lot more work to be done here than I expected.” –Doug Collins on the Howard Eskin and Ike Reese show this week.

As those words made their way across the airwaves and into the cars, houses and businesses across the Philly region, Sixers fans everywhere had reason to lose hope for a playoff run. Collins, in a moment of pure honesty, must have made Rod Thorn and Ed Stefanski choke up their donuts.

Sadly, the Sixers have done nothing to prove Collins’ words wrong. They have lost the first three games of the season. Granted, they have played three likely playoff teams including the Heat, Pacers and Hawks. Still, 0-3 is 0-3.

Still, a glimmer of hope would be nice. But, there hasn’t been any outside of Andre Iguodala’s play on defense.

The Sixers have looked downright putrid during their awesome 0-3 start this year.

Evan Turner had a nice debut dropping 16 points against the Heat. He followed with a goose egg on Friday, and nine points on Saturday. He also chipped in with seven boards and two dimes.

The rookie out of Ohio State isn’t starting because he is not a shooter and the Sixers aren’t sure where he fits in the NBA at this point. The team already has tweeners in Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young. We don’t need another.

In more honest comments from Collins this week, he said, “we don;t have a legit NBA shooting guard or a legit NBA power forward.”

Elton Brand and Marreesseeeeeeeeee Speights obviously aren’t fitting into Collins’ plan or system. Sure, Brand is putting up points and crashing the boards, but is he buying into Collins?

Jrue Holiday, a guy Collins said would be a top 5 point guard? Don’t even ask. Sure, he dropped a dozen in Saturday’s loss. But, check his assist totals. It would take him a month to total what Rondo averages per game.

The bottom line is the Sixers culture must change. Collins may be the guy to do the job, but he has his work cut out for him. As he himself pointed out after Saturday’s loss, no player on the Sixers roster has a winning record as an NBA player.

Memo to Thorn and Stefanski, it’s time to get Collins one guy who knows what it takes to win.