Sixers left to wonder: Where do we go from here?

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Imagine losing a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals and waking up thinking: Where do we go from here? And how do we get there?

That is exactly the kind of thinking the Sixers are faced with. They proved competitive in pushing the Boston Celtics to the brink, but their roster has known flaws. Identifying the teams needs is fairly easy whether you are the coach or the owner.

We have to get better, Doug Collins said Sunday morning before conducting player exit interviews at at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. It is great to be an overachiever, thats great, but to be a champion you cant overachieve.

"We have to sit down and evaluate every player on our team and see how it all fits together. We have to get where we can score the ball. Our defense was as good as anybodys. We have to get bigger and stronger and more athletic on the front line. We need bigger wings.

It is very similar to what I do in my day job, which is what do you get paid for your assets? 76ers owner Josh Harris said. Whats the value of your assets? And right now all that is coming into play. Everything has to be on the table to improve the team so we are going to be smart about how we handle it.

How will they handle the potential re-signing of starting center and free agent Spencer Hawes? Hawes had a great start to the season before straining his Achilles, which sidelined him for 29 games. When he returned Hawes was not as productive and in the postseason he was inconsistent.

He shot 52 percent in the first round and 43 percent against Boston. Against the Celtics, he averaged about seven points and five rebounds in 23 minutes. Those are hardly starter numbers, but because Hawes has started 110 games in two years with the Sixers, he will seek money the equivalent of his starting-center peers, many of whom score and rebound better than he.

I would love to be back, Hawes said. These last two years have been great for me. Obviously the improvements this team has gone through have been a lot of fun to be a part of, but at the same time I dont know yet and I have to sit back and play it as it goes.

Lou Williams, like Hawes, saw his numbers drop in the playoffs. Voted the runner-up for the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year award after leading his team in scoring, Williams shot just 35 percent in the playoffs and only 16 percent from three-point range. He will likely opt out of the final year of his contract, but is hoping that doesnt prevent him from returning to the city he has called home since 2005.

Obviously this has been home for me; this is where I am most comfortable, this is all I know. ...If I was a betting man, I think I would be back, Williams said. Obviously it does come down to a deal, but I dont think that will be the hard part. Like I said, this is home for me. I feel wanted here and I hope that feeling is mutual.

Finally, Elton Brand is headed into the final year of his five-year max contract, a arrangement that will pay him 18 million next season. During the 2012 regular season, Brand averaged 11 points and seven rebounds playing 28 minutes per game, six fewer than last year when he averaged 15 and eight.

The 33-year-old Brands numbers also tailed off in the playoffs, in part because of an injured shoulder, and in part due to age.

Sixers owner Josh Harris said, under the right circumstances, the organization would be willing to use the amnesty clause this offseason.

Amnesty is a one time thing where you can cut a player, still pay him, but the salary comes doesn't count against the salary cap. Amnesty Brand and 18 million becomes available, but you lose his services.

The questions keep coming. Thaddeus Young led the team in rebounding in Game 7 with 10 boards. Young played in 63 games this regular season, but only once did he have double-digit rebounds. In the postseason, scoring was a struggle for the undersized power forward. He averaged 13 points on 52 percent shooting in the regular season, but just eight points on 43 percent shooting in the playoffs.

A theme is developing.

During the regular season the Sixers lost many close games to the upper-echelon teams. In the postseason, many core players saw a dip in production.

How will the front office weight the regular season against the playoffs when making personnel decisions?

I think you have to evaluate both, Collins said. You have to take a look at it and when we have the exit interviews today, we will talk about how does each player individually grow because both those guys (Williams and Young) are still very young players. Lou has been here seven years, but he still only 25 years old and Thad is only 24.

One of the things that Thad is going to have to do -- he finished the season at 215 pounds and I think he can comfortably play at 225 with 10 more pounds of muscle, Collins continued. I think it will help him. I dont think it will slow down his game of speed. And in Lous case it is just continuing to get stronger so that when the playoffs roll around and they put those pitt bulls on him after the grind of the regular season to still be successful. With our team he always got the best defender.

Those two guys are going to be critical for us, Collins finished.

Changes may not come in the form of new players. Perhaps some familiar faces will return with revamped games or bigger bodies.

E-mail Dei Lynam at dlynam@comcastsportsnet.com

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