The past offseason was definitely an eventful one for the Sixers. The team fired head coach Eddie Jordan after just one season. Former 76er Doug Collins was brought in to replace Jordan. The team got lucky in the NBA lottery and acquired the second pick, which they turned into Ohio State wing player Evan Turner. Sam Dalembert was traded. And Rod Thorn was brought in to relieve Ed Stefanski of the role of team president. Stefanski will remain Philadelphia’s general manager.

Collins will look to get the team to a respectable level defensively. And he will need to develop an identity for this particular group of players. There is speculation that Willie Green and/or Jason Kapono could be moved. They do not appear to be in the team’s long-term plans. And both are entering the final years of their deals. Green is far too inconsistent offensively. And Kapono would be best in the role of a spot-up shooter on a good team. The Sixers are not a good team right now.

Forward Andre Iguodala is at a crossroads in his career. It’s up to Collins right now to see that he chooses the correct path. Iguodala is an extremely talented player. His problem is that he sometimes shoots too many jump shots, which is not a homogeneous part of his game. Collins needs to get Iggy to drive to the basket more. Collins has stated that he would like to see Iguodala get to the foul line more often. The head coach also wants Iguodala to become a superior defender. The skills are there. Now it’s time to add a dash of consistency to the mix.

The Sixers received two players that should be able to help them when they traded Dalembert to the Sacramento Kings. Forward Andres Nocioni and center Spencer Hawes. Nocioni is known as a hard-nosed player. He can put the ball on the floor and shoot the three-pointer as well. There were times when he played for the Chicago Bulls that I thought he was their best player. Nocioni should definitely help this team.

Hawes is a talented big man. He boasts a variety of post moves. And he is an extremely good passer. Hawes is not the best defender in the world. This is an area Collins will have to help him develop. The 7-1 center needs to add strength. And he must become more efficient at rebounding in traffic.

Power forward Elton Brand is another challenge Collins has ahead of him. Brand is a shadow of his former All-Star self. He does not run or jump as well as he used to. He is a defensive liability against fours now because he is no longer able to make up for his lack of size with good lift. He is also getting his shot in the post blocked more now because of that same factor. Collins will have to pick his spots with Brand. Because as I see it, he should now be a part-time player.

Thaddeus Young took a step or two back last season under Jordan. He is extremely talented. And he has a knack for finding the basketball. He is always hustling. Collins talked about possibly utilizing Young at the big forward position a bit more this year. He did quite a bit of that with success two years ago. Jordan played him primarily at the small forward position. I think Young is good enough to play both positions at a high level. He has an advantage at the four because he would be too quick for most power forwards to guard. But in order to have an advantage at the three spot, he will need to develop a post game.

Marreese Speights struggled as well last year, particularly on the defensive end. He will either remedy that or he will not see much floor time for Collins, who demands that his player play defense. Speights is athletic. He can run the floor and block shots. Speights also has a decent mid-range jump shot. He needs to fine-tune his all-around game.

Collins likes point guard Jrue Holiday quite a bit. He feels he has a chance to be a special player in the NBA. I second that emotion. Holiday has a good feel for the point guard position even though he is still learning it. He seems to know when to get his teammates involved and when to look for his own shot. The 6-4 guard also has excellent court vision. And superior quickness. Holiday is a tenacious defender, which will get him on Collins’ good side.

There is some talent on this Sixers’ roster. The key will be for the head coach to convince his guys to play defense night after night. It would not surprise me if this team were to slip into the playoffs with the seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.