You are forgiven if you don't see light at the end of the 76ers' tunnel.
Their draft has potential, which may pay off in time but usually gets incumbent coaches fired. Nor are they in any position to go after meaningful free agents.
Yet the first week of free agency - the negotiating period began last Sunday - hasn't gone all that badly from the Sixers' perspective.
While many of the other Eastern Conference teams made moves that will make them marginally better next season, those deals will ultimately lead them to salary-cap prison. And that should leave the 76ers as one of the few teams east of the Mississippi with significant cap room next summer.
(Might as well get in the lotus position and chant your mantra for the next 52 weeks: Kevin Garnett . . . Elton Brand . . . Shawn Marion . . . Jermaine O'Neal . . . Gilbert Arenas . . .
Boston took on Ray Allen's remaining $51 million on draft night. With Paul Pierce's $59 million extension starting next year and emerging star Al Jefferson due for his own payday, the Celtics' budget is essentially frozen through 2010.
Isiah Thomas abruptly abandoned his plan to build a team of athletic runners and acquired productive but plodding forward Zach Randolph from Portland - along with Randolph's $61 million, killing any chance of the New York Knicks getting under the cap in 2009.
The New Jersey Nets threw another $60 million at Vince Carter, who, last we looked, couldn't get a shot off against Eric Snow in the playoffs.
The Orlando Magic repeated their two-superstar history (Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady) by giving free agent Rashard Lewis $75 million and committing to a max contract for Dwight Howard, locking themselves in through the Obama administration's first term.
Washington now has two first-rounders, Nick Young and Oleskiy Pecherov, coming off its bench. But the Wizards' biggest priority is re-signing Arenas and Antawn Jamison next summer.
Cleveland, Indiana and Miami are more or less stuck, obligated to pay millions to the likes of Larry Hughes, Troy Murphy and Antoine Walker. Milwaukee's first-round pick, Yi Jianlian, doesn't want to play there, and the Bucks still have to re-sign guard Mo Williams. Atlanta is in its 738th year of rebuilding.
Only Chicago, having added Joakim Noah in the draft, can still make a conference-altering move, with any number of enticing young bigs available to bundle with Ben Gordon to make a real run at Pau Gasol or Garnett.
