Zoo's Views: How can Sixers win sans Hawes?

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At the risk of equivocating, there are two ways to view the first half of the 76ers season. On the one hand is their body of work: a 20-14 record, good enough for first place in the Atlantic Division by three games over the New York Knicks. Pretty good.

On the other hand, theyre in the midst of a season-long, five-game losing streak and have dropped seven of their last nine. Not so good.

Two of the more important issues facing the team right now are the health of Elton Brand and Spencer Hawes. Brand has missed four games with a right thumb sprain that may not heal properly until some time over the summer, when he can avoid basketball contact. Nonetheless, reasonable expectations suggest Brand will return shortly after the break, trying to contribute what he can on this, the back side of his career.

But the issues surrounding Hawes and his troublesome left Achilles are a clear cause for concern. Hawes has missed 20 games, well more than half the teams total. The Sixers are 8-12 without him and 12-2 with him. Ultimately, the Sixers might have to figure out a way to win without him.

Hawes is what the coaches call ball friendly -- a skilled seven-footer who can not only score but also pass. The latter skill is especially important for the Sixers, who do not have a dominant player who commands a double team. Instead, the teams ensemble approach calls for crisp ball movement in the half court to get shots, something that Hawes helps to facilitate from his position at the high post.

The ability to swing the ball or provide direct service via the dribble handoff has been sorely missing from the Sixers' attack. Its why coach Doug Collins continues to lament the Sixers need to run in order to fuel a flagging offensive attack. When theyre forcing turnovers, the team can get easy hoops. When theyre allowing the other team to score and are forced to walk it up into the halfcourt, they have tended to struggle without Hawes in the lineup.

The hard part is trying to project Hawes return. His Achilles problems, caused by overcompensating from a back injury that ironically forced him to miss only one game, have vexed the Sixers' medical personnel to the point where Hawes is now seeking the opinion of a California specialist. Meantime, his foot is encased in a boot, not a good thing when you consider the lack of muscle use and potential atrophy that could set in. A scenario like that one could keep him out of the lineup even longer.

The good news is that rookies Lavoy Allen and Nik Vucevic have stepped into the breach and been allowed to develop. Collins deserves credit for playing the rookies, saying in effect, If you can contribute, youll play. His show of good faith is paying off. Each has had stretches of good play.

Allens ability to be physical and defend the low post has been welcomed. Vucevic has displayed a good variety of low-box offense. Both have shown they can rebound and hit a jump shot. And even though each guy has shown the ability to pass, neither -- understandably so -- have displayed the savvy of a veteran like Hawes.

Still, the Sixers might have to assume life without the fifth-year seven-footer, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. That would mean tinkering with an offense during a schedule where there has been, and will continue to be, little if any practice time. And if that doesnt work, it might boil down to a simple case of the Sixers' imposing their will on teams -- dictating an uptempo pace of play that was their key to success through the first 20 or so games of the season, where they were scoring close to 100 a game and locking up teams at the other end of the floor.

For now, the Sixers have scattered for the All-Star break. Andre Iguodola will be in Orlando as the teams first All-Star not named Allen Iverson since Dikembe Mutombo in 2002. Evan Turner plays for Charles Barkleys Team Chuck in the rookiesophomore Rising Stars Challenge. Others have gone far and wide to reunite with family and friends before the grind begins anew.

Hawes will spend part of his break getting his sore left Achilles examined. In terms of the second half of the Sixers' season, it might be the most important trip anybody takes all year.

E-mail Marc Zumoff at zooplanet@comcast.net

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