Sixers winning 6 of their last 10?

With tonight's 100-98 win over the Nets, the Sixers now have a positive winning percentage in their last 10 games. That's right...positive. Add to that note Iguodala and Dalembert's efforts in tonight's game.

AI: 23 pts (8-18) 7 Reb 15 A
Sam: 14 pts (7-10) 17 Reb 4 Blocks

15 Assists? 17 Rebounds? It was only the Nets, but come on, you have to be impressed.

Iggy has played in every game over the last 2 and a half seasons for the Sixers. This year, his shooting % has dropped slightly to 46%, while his free throw % has been the best in his career. His scoring is also way up to make up for the absense of Iverson and Webber, but his assists are way up as well, nearly 2 more than any other season. His turnovers are up, as he is forced to handle the ball more, but he leads the league at 2.1 steals per game, so his defense has been steadily great. He is quietly coming into his own.

Dalembert has been an enigma since he came to the Sixers. He finally seems to be earning part of that huge contract he signed this past offseason, however, as he's averaging almost 11 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks, in the most minutes per game of his career. His shooting has been ridiculous, as he's shooting 55.5% from the floor, and 72.8% from the line, both career highs.

Korver, Hunter, Miller and Joe Smith have all contributed this season as well. After searching to find themselves following the departures of their stars, this young team is starting to play basketball the right way. I hate to say it, but I'm glad they are far enough down in the standings that a few extra wins the rest of the season won't hurt their draft standing that much. But more important than draft position is the realization of the potential of the guys on the roster. This team will be legit in a few years. If they draft well with their 3 first rounders, I can see them as a low seed (7 or 8) in a terrible Eastern Conference next year. Once Webber's contract, and later Miller's (if they don't trade him) come off the books, a few key signings could push the team up to top 3 position in the conference. Now all this comes with the big IF, named Billy King. But Larry Brown may be back on the bench by that point and also making basketball decisions. Nevertheless, I'd rather root for an up and coming young team than for a group of overpaid, underperforming stiffs with a one man scoring show (I still love you Allen).

Oh, and it's still BS that Iggy didn't win the dunk competition. He should have won on that backboard dunk alone. I don't care how short Robinson is; it took him 15 trys to hit his final dunk. Iggy was a stand up guy. I'm glad he's blowing the competition off this year based on spite. This year should be good, however, with Gerald Green, Dwight Howard, and rubberband man Tyrus Thomas. And oh yea, that punk Nate Robinson will be back, too. Sends a great message to the kids...suspended 10 games, come back to the dunk competition. The NBA makes one bad decision after another.