General

Is Louis Williams More Important Than Iggy?

Jul 14, 2008, 6:45 PM UTC

(Programming update: Mottram will return to balance the hoops-to-hardball ratio around 4 or 5 this afternoon with more from New York City after he’s worked his way through player availability.)
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â†µMea culpa, dudes. I shouldn’t have typed last week that Brand was “unconcerned with spin.” I meant that has was less concerned with dishing out venom and blame than other parties. He just wanted to get through it without smelling like a rat. â†µ
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â†µBut let’s all move on, shall we, and discuss this intriguing Sixers team that’s shaping up. Conventional wisdom holds that, to keep growing, they need to retain Andre Iguodala. He only really seemed expendable when Josh Smith seemed like the franchise’s top target. Brand, though, means they could still use Iggy’s athleticism and versatility on the wing. â†µ
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â†µIn The Philly Inquirer, Brand advocates for bringing back both Iguodala and Louis Williams, which is the diplomatic thing to do. But remember, in those two magical playoff wins, Iguodala was hardly dominant. In fact, he struggled. Things might be different with Brand to anchor the offense, and certainly few teams can give Andre the kind of deal he’s seeking.â†µ
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â†µHowever, you could argue that Louis Williams is just as, if not more, important. He’s younger, is the kind of scorer the team really needs out of the two, and doesn’t overlap the way Iguodala and wunderkind Thaddeus Young do. I’m not saying that Williams is nearly as good as Iguodala, who until last week was the face of the franchise. And Brand does say “That’s a guy we have to have. ... Management has let me know they’ll match any offer.”â†µ
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â†µJust saying, Iguodala may need the Sixers more than they need him. Williams, on the other hand, is a poor man’s Monta Ellis just waiting to happen.â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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