The Present
The Sixers are comprised of only two drafted players (Iverson and MacCulloch) -- the rest of the squad was acquired by trades and free agent signings. They have put together a good team -- not yet a title contender -- that is with Charlotte for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference (34-28). The Sixers have come a long way from the team that finished 18-64 in 1996.

The Sixers are well-coached by Brown -- they are aggressive, ball-hawking defenders (second in the league in forced turnovers), and run the break effectively with their steals. In the half-court, they use an offense built around the one-on-one forays of Iverson, who has tons of talent. Brown demands a total team game from Iverson, as there isn't enough talent among the other players for the Sixers to be a playoff team with just him. He has to find the perfect balance between the individuality of Iverson and Kukoc, and yet get significant offensive production from the rest of his players. The team defense is very good. While Brown is self-deprecating about his work, I think he does an excellent coaching job.

Brown also has to battle with Iverson's personal shortcomings -- whether it's an absence or late for practice -- and his attention to training and conditioning practices. Brown suspended his star player for the March 16 game at Miami for missing the team shoot-around that day. Brown told me that it was the just the latest in a series of events in which Iverson's conduct was well short of expectations.

All those problems aside, the Sixers are pesky enough to have upset potential in the playoffs. Last season, they dusted Orlando, which finished in a tie with Miami for the best record in the Atlantic Division (33-17), in the opening round of the playoffs, in four games. They then were swept 4-0 by the talented and experienced Indiana Pacers.

The current Sixers will be no less of an upset threat. Ratliff has improved his post-up skills dramatically, and along with Hill and Geiger, gives Brown a tough-defending, strong rebounding presence in the basket area. Lynch is a strong defender of post players, a capable rebounder, and scores enough inside and out to keep opposing defenses honest.

Snow is quietly efficient as the ball-handler (7-2 assist-turnover ratio), and Ollie keeps feisty defensive pressure on opposing point guards for short stints as Snow's backup. Shooting guard McKie is steady at both ends of the floor. Iverson also has excellent instincts for stealing passes in addition to his prolific scoring skills ... and he is fiercely competitive.

If Brown can keep Iverson on course, and find the right rhythm of offense for Kukoc by playoff time, the Sixers will be a tough out for anyone in the Eastern Conference.

Future of the team
There are a lot of questions to be answered about Philly's future. Will Brown stay on as coach? He's always had wanderlust. Suppose his alma mater, North Carolina, beckoned? And if he stayed, would he want to constantly contend with Iverson's game and his off-the-court problems?

And what about Iverson? Here is an enormously talented individual with so much energy that he rarely tires -- no matter how little sleep or attention to proper food intake -- a tough competitor who may want to win so much that he tries to do it all by himself. That's never a formula for success. I see improvement in his game, but will he continue to mature and progress or will his questionable habits suddenly catch up with him?

And will Kukoc stay in Philly or will he opt to play in Europe where he is a legendary hero? He's a free agent at the end of the season.

To become a title contender, the Sixers realistically need to upgrade at the point guard -- I rate Snow as the perfect backup point-shooting guard -- and need another quality front-court player. And they need Brown to stay at the job in Philadelphia. He's one of the NBA's best coaches and is fully capable of coaching his team to a championship in the white-hot heat of playoff competition.

The Sixers have made giant strides in the last five years. Will they make the next big jump to the top of the NBA heap? Only time will tell.