By Joecooler2u

The Philadelphia 76ers have made a lot of changes this offseason for the better. If Mutumbo could slow down a team led by Iverson why does New Jersey not think he will do the same to a team led by Jason (slower then AI) Kidd? Iverson is the key to the Sixers returning to the NBA Finals, He almost single-handedly (returning from a broken hand earlier then expected) brought the Sixers back from a 0-2 deficit against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs last season.

Expect a healthy Allen Iverson and ready and determined to prove himself the MVP again. Derrick Coleman was a welcome surprise last season averaging 15 PPG almost 9 boards a game and close to 2 apg. I thought Coleman's best days were behind him but he seems to be playing with a lot of heart and it was nice to see him back in a Sixers uniform last season. Coleman needs to pick up the slack in the rebounding department and become the Sixers leading rebounder this season.

Keith Van Horn is what the Sixers have been looking for ever since Stackhouse and Tim Thomas were shipped out of town, namely a complimentary scorer to take the pressure off of Iverson. Van Horn is a .430 career shooter from the 3 point line. That is better then what some of the Sixers in years past shot from the field. Keith needs to continue to light it up from the 3 point line and pick his 7.50 rebounds up a little for the Sixers to be effective this season after losing Mutumbo their leading rebounder. Keith should be that complimentary scorer Iverson and the 76ers have been looking for,

Mckie will return to form and bring back his stable play to a team that missed him a lot last season. Look for Mckie or defensive specialist Greg Buckner to back up Eric Snow at the point. Mckie should see more time at the point this season because of how effective he was at the position in place of the injured Snow in 2001. A lot of the Sixers wins came with Mckie at the point that season.

The Sixers bench has vastly improved this season with additions like Greg Buckner, Monty Williams, Mark Bryant, Sam Clancy (who Lakers fans love), John Salmons and Efthimios Rentzias. This cast is a big improvement over Raja Bell, Vonteego Cummings, Derrick McKey, Corie Blount and Jabari Smith. Van Horn's numbers are better then Matt Harpring's were so there is an improvement right there,

Todd MacCulloch's points per game are about the same as Mutumbo's but his rebounding average is half of what Mutumbo's were. Todd will have to average closer to 10 rebounds a game for the Sixers to be effective, The Sixers could still use a veteran backup center and maybe another backup point guard. Chris Gatling would be a welcome addition to back up MacCulloch. Samuel Dalembert has the potential to be another Theo Ratliff if he continues to improve. Alvin Jones will not get much playing time behind all the other players and Efthimios Rentzias shouldn't see too much time since he will be developing on Larry Brown's bench.

Overall, Allen Iverson will enter the season with something to prove much like he did in 2001. His MVP numbers held up and actually improved except shot selection last season. With Iverson facing all the controversy this offseason look for him to prove his worth on the court again and hopefully he and the Sixers will make a return trip to the Finals.